Patek Philippe - Hello Patek fans, This rare piece belongs to a pseudo lurker (he wrote a few replies previously and has not posted for over a year) whom I met at a GTG recently. The story behind this piece is so wonderful because it…

Hello Patek fans, This rare piece belongs to a pseudo lurker (he wrote a few replies previously and has not posted for over a year) whom I met at a GTG recently. The story behind this piece is so wonderful because it…

Mar 03, 2021,07:20 AM

demonstrates our unspoken bond via our horological passion.

A little while back, I saw a 5212 from “horoloupe” on Instagram and was intrigued with the blue strap & how great it looked with the watch. Upon a closer inspection by enlarging the photo, I found the Tiffany stamp and then it clicked on me why “horoloupe” installed the blue strap. Immediately I was deeply poisoned !

Recently I attended a GTG with many watches from different brands but one stood out. It was a 5212 with a similar blue strap. Upon taking a closer look, I notified the Tiffany stamp and then approached the owner and mentioned that I saw a similar one on Instagram. Little did I know that I just met “horoloupe” !

We introduced ourselves and had a chat over coffee and then, of course, drinks. He told me he had liked the 5212 very much since it was announced but never thought he would get one from Tiffany. He then explained his 5212 journey.

Over the course of time, he became good friends with a particular Instagram follower out of over 100,000+ followers because of their similar passion for watches, horological philosophy and age. Due to this strong 3 year friendship, “horoloupe” eventually helped this friend to secure an allocation of an AP limited edition.

Serendipitously, when this follower/friend bought a 5212 from Tiffany, he was somehow not excited and then offered it to “horoloupe” without knowing “horoloupe” was pursuing this piece. Furthermore, he offered it at cost and even shipped it to a hotel that “horoloupe” was going to arrive at without receiving funds upfront. Given this totally unexpected 5212 arrival, “horoloupe” concluded that he was destined to look after this watch for his next generation, even though his next generation is yet to arrive !

What do you guys think about this story of horological bromance ?

Hopefully this post will draw out “horoloupe” out from the dark !

Comments: view entire thread

Beautiful story - thank you for sharing. I'm luck to have found many of my own "horoloupe" equivalents here on PP!

By: Epilogue : March 3rd, 2021-07:36

Great to hear that you have your...

By: GLau : March 4th, 2021-06:29

own horoloupe !

Great story. :)

By: russell996 : March 3rd, 2021-07:42

The whole Tiffany stamp thing is something I simply don't understand - what's the attraction?

It is all about the rarity, I suppose. Besides, Tiffany is a prestigious brand itself, which adds value to the reference.

By: joenghenry : March 3rd, 2021-07:59

The rarity went up...

By: GLau : March 5th, 2021-17:22

a couple of years ago when Tiffany was bought by a watch industry player. Wonder if the “change in control” clause existed and whether it would be triggered.

For some people, probably rarity is a factor, and also the special bond of the two brands, which goes back to the 1800's...Or much less romantically, today that extra "T" is somehow considered "fashionable", see e.g. Instagram... ;-)

By: FabR : March 3rd, 2021-08:15

Personally, I don't have a specific interest and never sought one, but I don't mind it and can understand why it's certainly more special/attractive to other collectors ;-) Cheers.