Black Dial 5004R Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph

Patek Philippe's 5004 is the apex of the Lemania-ébauche era—the first production Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph, a watch Philippe Stern reportedly cast as the 'spiritual successor to the 2499.' But within that already-rarefied run, the black-dialed examples occupy their own tier, and in pink gold they are one of the scarcest.

Photography for this Find comes via prior sales by Phillips and Amsterdam Vintage.

The standard 5004 dial carries large Arabic numerals drawn from the 1518 and early-series 2499, made first by Stern, then Singer, later Flückiger. That layout was executed not only in silvered form but in black, designated Noir on the Certificate of Origin. This is the dial that defines the ref. 5004R-018, and it is a fundamentally different watch in the metal: warm rose against deep black reads bolder and more nocturnal than the restrained silvered version, while keeping every cue—feuille hands, 2499/3970 pump pushers, convex bezel, the strong crown.

Production figures here are genuinely opaque, and worth treating with caution. Across an estimated 1,000 total 5004s, only around 200 were pink gold—rarer than platinum or yellow gold—and the black-dial subset is a sliver of that. Counts vary by method: Collectability records eleven 5004R-018 examples surfacing at auction, while other scholarship counts only seven 'born-with' black dials, since Patek was known to swap dials at service. Our own prior tally landed near ten. The honest answer is that no public, verified figure exists.

That scarcity is not manufactured. The black-dial 5004R began delivering in the mid-2000s and was, by most accounts, offered chiefly to Patek's most valued clients. Built on the same 407-component calibre CHR 27-70 Q—complete with the 'octopus' isolator that lifts the rattrapante lever to eliminate drag—it represents the height of Patek's complicated Lemania work in its rarest and warmest dress. It is, simply, among the most important and desirable Pateks ever made.

This example appears excellent. It should be noted the extract confirms this dial was installed by Patek Philippe on request at service. So it's not a 'born-with' however that doesn't really mean there's not a substantial premium: there is. It comes with box, caseback, pin, Certificate of Origin, and Extract of Archive.