to decide the 5016P would be the crowning glory of my watch collection.
Not a pretty or a perfect watch by any stretch of the imagination: too small, too deep, too many font-types used on the dial, but a horological masterpiece nonetheless.
The rose gold version was my chosen watch (to tie in with my 3970ER and my collection of rose gold Annual Calendar watches), and as the resonance of the 18ct gold case is allegedly superior to platinum, my choice was perfect.
However, a price differential of under 3% between gold and platinum made it worth the extra for the noblest of metals...platinum would be my final choice. Afterall, who wants to spend GBP£310,000 to buy a gold watch, for somebody to say "should have paid the extra and got the platinum!"...
So I selected my preferred Patek jeweller, ordered a 5016P with a copper-pink dial and platinum deployant buckle, got approval for my order after 12 months of jumping through hoops, had the order for a pink dial rejected because it isn't a standard 5016 dial (!), selected a standard white dial, had the order accepted, paid the deposit on my £318,100 wristwatch, and went away to start saving up to pay the balance on my watch when I collected it three years later.
My story doesn't have a happy ending with me taking delivery of my Patek minute repeater on my "special" birthday as planned. Allegedly, my status as a watch specialist became known to PP and I was deemed "unsuitable", my order revoked by Patek and my deposit returned...
Interestingly, I saw three new 5016s awaiting delivery or freshly delivered to their new owners (all private individuals)... all three watches were "flipped" almost immediately.
I chose my watch with care and consideration because I wanted it to wear and enjoy. Funny old world...not!