2000s Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Moonphase Chronograph (Ref. 5970R) 18K RG W/ Box

'You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.’ — Patek Philippe started this now ubiquitous marketing campaign in 1966 and never looked back, though they already had an outstanding legacy since the watchmaker was founded in the year 1839. Patek built its reputation on several foundational pillars: tradition, innovation, and excellence, all of which are paramount in every timepiece they make, both old and new.

The Grand Complications series is the best from the best, being Patek Philippe's premier offering at any one time. While other wild creations are made alongside, such as the Grandmaster Chime, these generally extravagant models are essentially unobtainable horological feats of art. Whereas the Grand Complications series is that of wearable watchmaking excellence in its purest form.

Dating all the way back to 1941 with the now iconic reference 1518, Patek Philippe unveiled the first perpetual calendar moonphase chronograph to the world. Today the 1518 is celebrated as one of the most coveted watches of all time, commonly fetching millions of dollars at auction every year. The ref. 1518 ceased production in 1954, and the next reference, the 2499 was produced from 1950 - 1985 and utilized the same Valjoux cal. 13 movement as its predecessor. The third execution of the Grand Complications line from Patek Philippe, the reference 3970, carries the historical transition from a Valjoux-based caliber movement to a Lemania-based caliber with the caliber 2310. The Lemania cal. 2310 is widely regarded as one of the greatest movements ever created, and was the same movement that NASA brought into space with the Omega Speedmaster, though heavily modified in the hands of Patek Philippe to incorporate the perpetual calendar as well as elevate the finishing to the horological house’s standards. The ref. 3970 reigned from 1986-2004.

The fourth installment of the Patek Philippe Grand Complications Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is the reference 5970, which is already celebrated as a modern classic and is regarded extremely highly amongst the world's most influential collectors. Building off and improving upon the base created by the ref. 3970, the ref. 5970 introduces both more traditional and updated elements that create the reference's distinct feel. With a 40mm case size, the largest in the Grand Complications’ history at the time of production, the ref. 5970 truly feels like a modern interpretation of its predecessors, especially with the square pushers that call back to the original design of the ref. 1518 from 1941.

It is estimated 2800 pieces were produced in the 6 years the ref. 5970 was produced, from 2004-2010. Of the 2800 it is believed the rose and white gold models are the most common, with an estimated production of 1,000 pieces each produced from 2004-2008. Yellow gold models were only produced in 2008 and are said to be the rarest variants, with a very low estimated production of a mere 300 pieces. The platinum models were the last to be produced, are the second-rarest, and the only variant to feature a black dial, these were produced from 2009-2010 with an estimated production of about 500 pieces.

The reference 5970 was replaced with the reference 5270 in 2011, which employed an in-house Patek Philippe movement. This transition makes the ref. 5970 very likely the last Grand Complications reference made with a modified non-in-house movement, and the end of an era for watchmaking history.