Special Order Black Dial 5970R-019 Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

The 5970R we know and love usually has a silver dial. Those who were lucky enough to be able to place a special order, though, could opt for this black. Only one other has come to auction, this will be the second. Patek Philippe have a long history of granting their best clients an ability to prod and alter their classics. This is less so today, but does still happen. It happened a lot in the time of 5970, and the number of editions is hard to keep up with. This began in earnest with the Saatchi pieces, carried on in the blue sunburst for charity, and then exploded in black, Romans, Breguets, red accents, and many many others. Like NSO Cartier, many of the pieces which have remained the most steadfastly desirable over time were the more discreet specifications. This dial code corresponds to -019, and it’s the business.

Photography here is courtesy of an example sold prior by European Watch Co and the example coming for sale at Phillips. 

The R of the 5970 was only produced in an estimated 1000 pieces to begin with. And that’s not even the least common gold. The case metal production numbers for the 5970 were reversed from those prior. It was initially released in pink and white gold in approximately 1000 examples each, followed by yellow gold in 2008 in 500 examples, then platinum in 2009 in 500 examples. 5970 production ended in 2011 after only 6 years, the shortest of any Patek PCC reference—though not due to a lack of demand. Near the mid-2000s, in-house movement design became a necessity for clients. Needing to align with the shifting priories of the market, likely combined with a desire to time a new release with the 70th anniversary of Patek’s first serially produced PCC (ref. 1518), Patek Philippe shortly thereafter introduced the ref. 5270. As a consequence, there are virtually no 5970 series, as there are with other references; all dial and case configurations are consistent across production. Point is, this was a brief last dance with Lemania, gone quickly.

And yet, it’s not even just black dials in rose that exist. You’ll find black with pulsations scale, black with Roman and dot, black with Breguet. They weren’t all commissioned by Eric Clapton or our friends Horology Ancienne, it’s quite interesting to see the spread of creation all these years later. Any of them are hugely valuable today. The 5970 is already a classic of the PCC genre, but these few pieces will remain the summit for many. Being the second to auction in this climate, fireworks are a near certainty.

This example feature a strong case with all you'd want to see well preserved. The set is complete. It comes as part of Phillips upcoming NY sale.