5959R Patek Philippe Split Seconds Monopusher

Never has the phrase good things come in small packages been more appropriate than to describe the ref. 5959R. The 5959 is equal parts serious weapons-grade watchmaking with serious whimsy. Released in 2005, this was actually the very first fully in-house Patek Philippe chronograph of any sort. And they chose a split seconds monopusher, predating the 5170 by 4 years. More than that, CHR 27-525 PS was the thinnest split seconds calibre ever made at release: just 5.25mm thin. And, I mean, just look at it. The calibre began in this 5959, a remarkably unusual 33mm wide-bezel case, but eventually created the ref. 5950 too. The calibre, however, was made for this case to start. And it references quite an incredible history. This is one of just fifteen in pink gold with this gilt, Breguet dial. 

The 5959 is heavily drawing on a vintage 1923 Split made by the brand, movement number 124’824. Importantly, this Patek Philippe was the world’s first-ever split seconds made to be worn on wrist. That actually 1923 prototype sold at Sothebys in 2014 for 2.87M USD. Prior, it first surfaced at Antiquorum in ’99, where it hit 2M USD. The dial is nearly identical, minus a longhand signature. The incredibly busy right hand totalizer is very charming. Now, that dial was enamel and this is lacquered otherwise it’s very faithful. The vintage watch was the prototype of split seconds wristwatches as a category, so I’m just fine with that design coming back to life in a respectful manner with serious engineering. Today’s 5959 is even respectful of the 1923 example’s case design and size. Both are 33mm, despite the modern market’s preferences lying elsewhere. You don’t repaint Girl with a Pearl Earring but just a little bigger, do you?

Only about 10 5959 were made yearly, from 2005 until 2018, simply because there is quite a bit of handcraft involved. It was launched in platinum with either a white or black dial, followed by this limited pink gold run and finally discontinued in 2018. From 2017-2018, it was the 15 pink gold that were made. If we consider the 11 year run prior to that at roughly 10 per year, that’s 110 examples. Add in the 15 in pink gold in the final two years at we’re at 125 in sum. Like much of the perennially desirable rare complicated Patek, it has remained fairly steady over the crests and falls of the market over recent years. A lot of that is down to scarcity. In short, these are pretty much always 300k USD watches in standard format, 400-500k for pink, obviously. It’s a very beautiful watch that predates people talking about watches on the internet, so it’s time to right that wrong. The 5959 is a winner.

This example sports a fantastic case, I see nothing out of place from a distance.