FabR
[Senior Patek Moderator]
26166
Definitely, while I expect the original owner (and perhaps an AD...) to get in big trouble over this, I'm super happy for whomever seized such a unique opportunity --- possibly the chance of a lifetime with this artwork! ;-)
The auction winner does totally deserve our most sincere congratulations --- a real watch connoisseur who, I'm sure, is as happy a Patek collector as we are right now! 
Cheers.
Ref. 5089G-020
Introduced in 2014 for the 175th anniversary of Patek Phillipe, this watch is part of the Rare Handcrafts Collection. The craft in question here is wood marquetry. This craft utilises fragments of wood which are assembled and arranged into designs. In thi...
IMO this is of an even higher caliber than their enamel offering
They could even forget to mount the hands, it would still be worth wearing Could to see some wear marks too on this one!
Fantastic, this is of course one of my favorite watches ever, authored by the one and only Jérôme Boutteçon! Note that he's THE ONLY (!) artist in charge of Patek's wood marquetry, hence its incredible scarcity even within our Rare Handcraft lines! :-)
Glad the version in your hands performed so well at the HK auction, definitely a deserved tribute to this amazing craft and the genius behind it! Greetings from one of its siblings, from my personal collection: You can even see here the slivers of wood th...
Glad I got to experience its sibling.
The wood marquetry examples are a rarity among rarities. I do hope to see more of these.
Indeed, even compared to other Rare Handcrafts, the occurrence of wood marquetry pieces at auction is truly a rarity! It's always sad that some collector had to part with this beauty, whichever their reason...
...but I'm happy this gave a chance to other watch enthusiasts to see it (Rare Handcrafts are typically not even available at client events! ) And of course, my HUGE congrats to the auction winner! ;-) Cheers.
Just magnificent.
This art-form is beyond special, in my opinion. I hope one day to provide a home to one of these marquetry wonders.
Thank you Fab, and I have no doubt you are totally right!
These pieces are truly worth any wait, in my opinion. Even if my pursuit goes unfulfilled, I will admire them as purely a lover of the craft. Cheers, my friend.
PS: Speaking of successful Rare Handcrafts at auction, you might have noticed that, quite amazingly, one of your nine 5089G-121 'twins' already changed hands earlier today in HK! (A real shame that it got flipped so soon by its owner, if you ask me! ;-)
For the interested readers, since the information was not in Christie's catalog essay, this spectacular reference was one of three "Lighthouses of France" themes we introduced earlier this year, each limited to 10 pieces. It represents the lighthouse of L...
My goodness!. I was unaware of this event.
My first emotion is similar to yours in that it makes me a little sad to see it change hands so quickly. While we almost never know the circumstances behind such a motivation, I am glad the piece will go to someone that will rightly appreciate it now.
Definitely, while I expect the original owner (and perhaps an AD...) to get in big trouble over this, I'm super happy for whomever seized such a unique opportunity --- possibly the chance of a lifetime with this artwork! ;-)
The auction winner does totally deserve our most sincere congratulations --- a real watch connoisseur who, I'm sure, is as happy a Patek collector as we are right now! Cheers.
Very unfortunate …
Especially since people like myself would gladly jump at an opportunity and keep the piece forever. It sold for less than $150k USD approx. I just don’t understand the thought process ? What’s the retail price $110k or so ? So you get blacklisted after go...
I'm sure you'll find many in agreement with your entire statement, especially given the steep prices increases we have seen recently across the board! :-))
It looks like this beauty retailed for Euros 90,650, when I received mine in Italy in 2015 (while the auction result roughly translates as USD 149,300).👍 Cheers.
