A solid eighteen carat yellow gold Patek Philippe Pagoda, refernce 5500 J. When we think Patek Philippe we automatically think the best in watch making. This unusually shaped, striking and simply breath taking quality watch is no exception. Of all Patek Philippe watches the Pagoda is perhaps one of, if not the, most recognisable case shape that the famed atelier produced. This reference, the 5500, was launched in 1997 to commemorate the opening of a huge new workshop. It was the amalgamation of around twelve different workshops, scattered throughout Geneva into a state-of-the-art modern space that brought everything under one roof. So proud of this achievement were they that this series of both men's (5500) and women's (4900) watches were launched. Since the completion of the new workshops at Plan-les-Ouates, two new buildings have been erected. Philippe Stern’s plan that the original workshop building would accommodate the growth of his firm for twenty-five years, lasted a total of five!
The advertising brochure in 1997 read;
“Patek Philippe’s first ever commemorative watches introduce an historic design that fills a gap in many private collections. Inspired by a rare 1940s model, Patek Philippe captures the 20th century artistic ideal by reconciling beauty and function in a streamlined sculpture of curves.”
The case itself is a thing of beauty. The complex case design required 171 separate operations, achieved by specialists in five different crafts to produce the architectural curves from a block of gold. Even the gaskets had to be curved to seal the case against dust and humidity.
For the men’s ref. 5500, 1100 were made in 18K yellow gold with leaf hands of oxidized gold and applied Roman numerals in gold on a champagne-colored dial; 500 in 18K rose gold with a silvered dial in a vertically brushed satin finish with rose leaf hands and Roman numerals; 250 in 18K white gold with a rose-colored dial and Roman numerals in polished white gold; and 150 in platinum with its leaf hands and applied Roman numerals in white gold against a black dial. Each dial featured a distinctive seconds hand with a rectangular track at 6 o’clock. Once the production was completed, the dies to make the cases for each reference were destroyed! This bookended the production and truly has left these watches as a special marker in time of the world's greatest watch makers.
Each of the 2000 Pagoda men’s 27 mm x 41 mm cases were fitted with a caliber 215 PS, a manually wound chronometer with small seconds. For the first time in watchmaking history, to celebrate the accuracy of this movement, Switzerland’s official chronometer certification bureau C.O.S.C. (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) and the Geneva Seal Authority joined together to issue an exclusive, individual rating-certificate for each of the ref. 5500 commemorative watches. Sadly, this has been lost with this example, as is often the way. Each certificate shows the mean daily rate and the mean variation of each movement in several positions over a 15 day period. The mean daily rate indicated the average gain or loss – a correction factor for true time. The mean variation indicated the regularity of that gain or loss – a real indicator of accuracy.
This is an exceptional and quite unique looking watch. The condition it is being presented in is perhaps just very very lightly worn, if at all. It comes with its original Patek card packaging, and an extract from the archive. If the desire is to be met of a distinctive, elegant and special watch that marked a special moment in time, then this watch cannot be ignored.
