PATEK PHILIPPE YELLOW GOLD, REF. 5500J

To celebrate the inauguration of the new workshops, Patek Philippe presented a series of limited edition watches for men and women. According to the 1997 brochure: “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.” For the men’s ref. 5500, 1,100 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. The detailed story behind these exceptional pieces is told in this Collectability article.