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Lot Essay
The present minute repeating tourbillon is offered in superb unworn condition. According to our research, it is only the second example of this reference to appear at auction to date.
Reference 5539G
One of the most discreet yet exceptionally complicated modern Patek Philippe watches, reference 5539G was launched in 2013. The Officier-style case and black enamel dial with white gold Breguet numerals are the epitome of chic elegance, harking back to some of the company’s most rarefied wristwatches of the mid-20th century. The movement number emblazoned on the subsidiary seconds dial in the manner of an observatory trial watch confirms that the watch has been tested for accuracy and indicates to the observer that the movement inside is a very special indeed. Showcasing two of the brand's most renowned complications, reference 5539 houses a tourbillon and minute repeater and is the successor of the famed reference 5339.
Available only in white gold, the reference 5539 with the black enamel dial was joined by a blue enamel dial version in 2016.
Masterpieces of precision mechanical engineering, minute repeaters are one of the most challenging mechanisms to build into a wristwatch. When the slide on the side of the case is activated, the time is struck audibly by small steel hammers on differently tuned gongs – these steel coils curve around the inside circumference of the case. Constructed with tiny intricately shaped racks and snails, cams and wheels, the mechanism of a minute repeater watch is one of the most ingenious and intricate of complications.
In the inimitable Patek Philippe way, the tone of all the company’s minute repeaters are personally tested and approved by Mr. Thierry Stern himself before they are allowed to be released for sale.
Reference 5539
Reference 5539 was inspired by a legendary predecessor. It incorporates a minute repeater and a tourbillon in a white gold officier-style case with fascinating vintage looks.
The black enamel dial is a paragon of elegance, enhanced by the applied white gold Breguet numerals.
The Tourbillon
In the course of the 18th century, watchmakers discovered that the rate deviations of their movements were, in the final analysis, caused by the tiny hairsprings which together with the balance constitute the oscillator of every timepiece. Since its center of gravity does not coincide with the geometric center of the spring, its regular breathing is negatively affected by the earth’s pull in any orientation except horizontal. The tourbillon corrects this systematic “positional” error. This is done by integrating the balance and the escapement in a hinged cage that rotates about its axis once a minute. On this orbit, the slightly eccentric center of gravity of the hairspring revolves around the center of the cage every 60 seconds, so the positional error is automatically offset by progression, regardless of the orientation of the spring.
The Minute Repeater
On demand, the minute repeater strikes the hours, the quarter hours and then the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The first hammer strikes the hours on the low-pitched gong with one strike for each hour. Subsequently, each quarter hour is sounded as an alternating double strike by two hammers on both the high- and low-pitched gongs. Finally, the second hammer strikes the high-pitched gong to count the number of minutes that have passed since the last quarter hour. At 12.59, for instance, the melody consists of 12 low sounds, 3 double high/low sounds, and 14 high sounds – totalling the maximum of 32 strikes.
Reference 5539G
One of the most discreet yet exceptionally complicated modern Patek Philippe watches, reference 5539G was launched in 2013. The Officier-style case and black enamel dial with white gold Breguet numerals are the epitome of chic elegance, harking back to some of the company’s most rarefied wristwatches of the mid-20th century. The movement number emblazoned on the subsidiary seconds dial in the manner of an observatory trial watch confirms that the watch has been tested for accuracy and indicates to the observer that the movement inside is a very special indeed. Showcasing two of the brand's most renowned complications, reference 5539 houses a tourbillon and minute repeater and is the successor of the famed reference 5339.
Available only in white gold, the reference 5539 with the black enamel dial was joined by a blue enamel dial version in 2016.
Masterpieces of precision mechanical engineering, minute repeaters are one of the most challenging mechanisms to build into a wristwatch. When the slide on the side of the case is activated, the time is struck audibly by small steel hammers on differently tuned gongs – these steel coils curve around the inside circumference of the case. Constructed with tiny intricately shaped racks and snails, cams and wheels, the mechanism of a minute repeater watch is one of the most ingenious and intricate of complications.
In the inimitable Patek Philippe way, the tone of all the company’s minute repeaters are personally tested and approved by Mr. Thierry Stern himself before they are allowed to be released for sale.
Reference 5539
Reference 5539 was inspired by a legendary predecessor. It incorporates a minute repeater and a tourbillon in a white gold officier-style case with fascinating vintage looks.
The black enamel dial is a paragon of elegance, enhanced by the applied white gold Breguet numerals.
The Tourbillon
In the course of the 18th century, watchmakers discovered that the rate deviations of their movements were, in the final analysis, caused by the tiny hairsprings which together with the balance constitute the oscillator of every timepiece. Since its center of gravity does not coincide with the geometric center of the spring, its regular breathing is negatively affected by the earth’s pull in any orientation except horizontal. The tourbillon corrects this systematic “positional” error. This is done by integrating the balance and the escapement in a hinged cage that rotates about its axis once a minute. On this orbit, the slightly eccentric center of gravity of the hairspring revolves around the center of the cage every 60 seconds, so the positional error is automatically offset by progression, regardless of the orientation of the spring.
The Minute Repeater
On demand, the minute repeater strikes the hours, the quarter hours and then the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The first hammer strikes the hours on the low-pitched gong with one strike for each hour. Subsequently, each quarter hour is sounded as an alternating double strike by two hammers on both the high- and low-pitched gongs. Finally, the second hammer strikes the high-pitched gong to count the number of minutes that have passed since the last quarter hour. At 12.59, for instance, the melody consists of 12 low sounds, 3 double high/low sounds, and 14 high sounds – totalling the maximum of 32 strikes.