SEALED 2000 Patek Philippe Gondolo Ref. 5100R 10 Day Millennium Limited Edition

As the year 2000 approached, so did speculation among the watchmaking community as to how Patek Philippe would celebrate such a momentous period in history. How could it surpass the brilliance of the Calibre 89 in just 11 relatively short years in watchmaking development terms? The company did not disappoint and unveiled one of its most spectacular creations: the Star Caliber 2000 with 21 complications. In addition, the company launched the ref. 5100 with a revolutionary rectangular movement capable of storing for the first time, ten days’ worth of winding power. Even the Patek Philippe Geneva Salon had its own limited edition, the ref. 5032 Millennium.

 

One of the greatest challenges in horology is the storage of power. Keeping a mechanical wristwatch running for 24 hours is a challenge. It was fitting therefore that to celebrate the manufacture’s entry into the third millennium, Patek Philippe created a wristwatch capable of storing ten days of power, an extraordinary achievement and yet another first for the archives of horology. The ref. 5100 was made in a limited edition of 3,000 pieces, 1,500 in 18K yellow gold with a silvery white dial; 750 in 18K rose gold, with a slate gray dial; 450 in 18K white gold with a midnight blue dial, and 300 in platinum with a black dial.

 

As with the limited edition pieces for the 1997 opening of the workshops, each watch was sold with a commemorative silver coin in honor of the millennium and a C.O.S.C. timing certificate.

 

The story behind the ref. 5100 can be traced back half a century before its introduction to the ref. 2554. Produced from 1950 through the beginning of the 60s, the ref. 2554 was created in a variety of different styles. The most well-known shape of the series is the ‘Manta Ray’, with its distinctive angular, flared sides resembling the majestic marine animal. It was during this time that Gilbert Albert was head of design and there were various designs using different textures and metal combinations. The two-piece cases were made by Markowski, who also made most of the shaped watches such as references 425, 1491, 2441 and 2442. Dials were made by Stern Frères.

 

In fact, it was this unique design that attracted the then curator of the Patek Philippe Museum, Alan Banbery to propose its revival to house a revolutionary new movement to mark the year 2000. Philippe Stern agreed but he wanted a new “plain” movement to be developed in line with his company’s watchmaking philosophy that has no room for gimmicks. But “plain” is not a simple word at Patek Philippe and when the decision was made to create a movement with a 10-day power reserve, it took the company’s highly skilled research and development department three years to develop.

 

The dramatic case design required 188 separate operations to craft the extended and flared bezel edges, and the refined concave-convex case. The result is the rectangular caliber 28-20/220 fitted with the famous Gyromax balance wheel, patented by Patek Philippe in 1949. This 28 x 20 mm movement (height 5.05 mm) comprises 175 parts which produce 240 hours of power reserve. Such an extraordinary power reserve starts simply with turning the crown which enables the rachet to arm the barrel arbor which in turn winds the spring. As this happens, the teeth of one barrel wind the spring of a second barrel. These self-compensating double barrels are critical to produce the power reserve. Although not identical, both barrels are wound at the same time. A slipping spring is fitted to the arbor of the winding barrel to prevent over-tension of the springs and potential blocking of the winding mechanism when the maximum power reserve has been reached. Barrel power is transmitted to the wheel train through the gear train rachet. The Gyromax balance wheel guarantees the stable functioning of the movement, assuring timekeeping accuracy.

 

The power reserve is indicated in a sub-dial at 12 o’clock. Around 100 turns of the crown will fully-wind the movement, as indicated by the sub-dial hand. When the reserve of power is almost empty, the hand of the sub-dial reaches the red warning zone. By this time, 864,000 seconds have ticked away on the seconds hand located below at 6 o’clock.

 

The crown is decorated with the Calatrava Cross, and the edge of the case back is engraved ‘Year 2000 Patek Philippe’. A sapphire crystal case back reveals the magnificent movement. It was a nod to the past and a bold look into the future.

 

So far, around 105 of the 18K yellow gold version have come back to the market, 70 of the rose gold version, 60 of the white gold version and 50 of the platinum version. All the case dies and tools were destroyed when production was completed, so even though the original limited edition total production numbers of 3000 seem relatively high, these pieces are sought after by collectors as each remains a unique, never-to-be-made-again piece.

The watch offered for sale here is one out of 750 Ref. 5100R-001 that features an 18K Rose Gold case and a slate gray dial with Arabic numbers.

 

If this wasn’t scarce enough, the example offered for sale here is preserved in New Old Stock (NOS) condition, remaining factory sealed.

 

It carries the full collectors’ set which includes the special edition millennium outer box and inner box, commemorative millennium plaque with insert silver coin, original envelope with Patek Philippe sticker with reference and serial numbers to carry the limited edition commemorative wallet, Attestation of Authenticity signed by Philippe Stern, Certificate of Origin, Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres (COSC) certificate, and all hang tags included inside the original, sealed, Patek Philippe plastic bag.

 

This is indeed an opportunity to own a museum piece.

 

Macros and videos are available under request.