A full guide about the Patek Philippe 5970 (in all its metals)

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We recently had the privilege of seeing all four versions of the Patek Philippe 5970 together: Verga Vintage kindly invited us over for a very special visit. In fact, the last time all four versions of this reference have appeared all in one place was way back in 2016!

Would you like to learn about this model, and why it’s so special? Make yourselves comfortable, because we’ve got another complete IWS Guide for you all.

Picture this…

You’re walking through the sunny streets of Milan one fine spring day, when you pass by your local watch retailer. You pop in for a hello – perhaps a quick coffee and a chat – and you are told that something rather special has just come in. You are offered a first look at this mysterious arrival.

Naturally, you oblige, and you are presented with one of the most stunning references in the history of Patek Philippe. But then, another one appears, and then, two more. What’s going on? All four of the variants of this reference are before you? Yep, it’s your lucky day.

Well, that’s more or less how it went for us! Seeing all four metal variants of a Patek Philippe reference is in itself a hugely special occasion, but when the reference is the incredibly prestigious perpetual calendar chronograph reference 5970 – the rarity of what we experienced was off truly off the charts.


Thierry Stern’s First Challenge

The reference 5970 is hugely significant not only from a horological perspective, but also from a historical one, too.

Let’s travel back in time for just a moment: to the 1930s. Although it was already a successful company back then, Patek Philippe was no stranger to the effects of the Great Depression. In fact, it was on the brink of failure when the Stern family acquired the Patek Philippe brand. After some years, Philippe Stern took the helm of the company.

Like most family-run businesses, sooner or later comes a time when the younger generation is given the reins. This important handover occurred in 2009, when Thierry Stern became the chairman of the board of directors. Although his role in the 5970 project began a couple of years prior (in 2004), his first truly significant test was the release of this reference 5970.

This model was designed as the successor to the 3970: a watch which was already pretty much perfect. The aim was to reinterpret the perpetual calendar chronograph with a modern identity. This would mean refreshing ideas in pretty much every department: from the dimensions to the overall feel – it needed to appeal to this new, younger generation of watch collectors, and overall watch market.


Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronographs

If you were to ask Patek Philippe collectors what their favourite complication was, there’s a pretty good chance that the chronograph and the perpetual calendar would take the 1-2 spot. As you may know, the first one is used to time events, measure distances and calculate heartbeats (etc.), meanwhile the latter is a tool which keeps accurate time and date (accounting for leap years) for hundreds of years… without the wearer needing to adjust anything.

Ever since the advent of the ref. 1518 (Patek’s first perpetual calendar chronograph with mass production), this combination of complications is often seen as the ultimate expression for one’s love and passion for horology.

The 1518 was followed by the 2499, the 3970 and the 5970, with the latest installment being the 5270. It was the penultimate one (the 5970) however, which was and is perhaps one of the most peculiar out of all Patek Philippe references… most certainly the best “modern” (under Thierry’s leadership) reference thus far.


The Patek Philippe 5970

As we explained previously, the 5970 was released between the 3970 and the 5270: a transitional reference, if you will. Official manufacturing dates suggest that this model was produced between 2004 and 2011. Part of Thierry’s challenge was to design and develop a watch which would appeal to older and newer collectors alike.

The Patek Philippe 5970 was a huge success, as it accomplished exactly that. Not only was is a transitional reference in the very definition of the word, but it also bridged the gap between these two generations. An added bonus? His dad, Philippe, was happy, too!

(In case you missed it: we wrote an article detailing the differences between the 5970 and the 5270 a while back… check it out!)

The ref. 5970 combines the design canons from both Philippe’s generation and Thierry’s. The product of which is a totally unique style in the Genevese watchmaker’s portfolio. By looking at the watch in great detail, and comparing it to its predecessors, you can pick out exactly which design features were incorporated from each generation, which ones were left out, and why.

Take its size, for example. The 5970 has a case diameter of 40mm, a huge (by watch standards) increase of 4mm with respect to its predecessor. Despite it utilising the same caliber, this choice was made to accomodate the wrists of the younger generation. With a bigger size also comes better legibility, but, in a way only Patek Philippe knows how, it wasn’t at the expense of ergonomics: it’s just as comfortable on the wrist as the ref. 3970.

Aesthetically speaking, there’s nothing quite like it.

Ask any watchmaker: when it comes to a highly complicated timepiece such as a perpetual calendar chronograph, one of the most difficult things to achieve is a balanced and well-proportioned dial.

In this case, that criteria has been more than fulfilled.

The dial is rich with hands, indicators, signatures… the whole lot! But, somehow, everything has its own designated, uncompromised space. The tachymetric scale is just in the right place, the day and date and month windows are perfectly clear, and the chronograph subdials don’t crowd the dial.
The specially-made case itself is constructed tastefully enough for this piece to (almost!) fly under the radar, as the lugs conform well to the wrist and the pushers don’t protrude too much.

We mentioned earlier that this piece was fairly significant in terms of the overall brand. Another reason for this is because the 5970 was the last of the Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronographs to be powered by the iconic Lemania based movements. After the 5970 (i.e. the 5270), Patek would go on to utilise an in-house movement.

Speaking of the unique case and the Lemania based movement, all 4 metal variants of the 5970 feature a clear caseback so that the CH 27 70 Q movement can be seen in all its glory.


The Four Metals

Now that we’ve got all of the Patek Philippe 5970 lore out the way, let’s get into the actual details of these 4 splendid watches.

Okay, one last thing though.

We’d like to point out something very cool. All four watches that appear in this article were SOLD by the Orologeria Luigi Verga boutique, and have now been “bought back” by the Verga family for their Vintage Watch Sales Program.

They have lived a life full of appreciation by a sole owner, who has kept them for over 10 years. As their saying goes, you never really own a Patek Philippe – you merely look after it for the next generation.

As we mentioned in the beginning, the last time the world had ever seen four 5970s together in one place was at a 2016 Christie’s auction… just to give you an idea as to how special this moment is.

Patek Philippe 5970G (White Gold)

Don’t get us wrong: we absolutely adore all of these.
But we begin with perhaps the least popular variant. Sadly, the “white on white” combination is one which is rather underappreciated nowadays, undeservedly in my opinion.

In fact, when it comes to balancing a crowded dial, I think this version does the best job doing just that. The white dial, paired with the slightly blued hands and indices, as well as the black typewriter font has an effect like no other when it comes to giving the feeling of legibility and “cleanliness” in the dial.
Although the stark white appears less formal, this design feature would appeal more to a younger audience – one which is just getting into the world of Patek Philippe perpetual calendars.

Patek Philippe 5970R (Rose Gold)

From a numbers perspective, this isn’t the rarest of the lot, but it’s one of my favourite. I’m not a fan of rose gold in general, so that’s really saying something.
There’s just something about the warmth of the case colour paired with the dial which sets it apart from the yellow gold version.

I mentioned before that you can tell which aspects were incorporated to appeal to the different generations. Normally, modern rose gold alloys tend to have a more pronounced red hue to them, but in this case, a softer, rosey shade was chosen. This is something which definitely is more vintage-inspired.

Alongside the white gold version, the rose gold 5970 was the first variant which was introduced in 2004, and remained in production until 2009.

Patek Philippe 5970P (Platinum)

One word: versatile.
Platinum with a black dial. There really is no better combination, is there?

It comes as no surprise that this is one of the more-sought-after Patek Philippe 5970s. Aside from the black dial, which has steadily grown in popularity amongst enthusiasts, the platinum alone could be responsible for the astronomical demand. After all, platinum is indeed the most precious out of the precious metals when it comes to wristwatch cases. The 5970 is no exception to this rule.

No one asked, but this one is my absolute favourite 5970.

The platinum version of the 5970 was the last variant to be introduced. Production started in 2010 and ended in 2011, marking the end of the entire reference, further increasing its appeal. The only exception before this was the even more rare platinum version with diamonds (5971P), which was released in 2007.

Quick bit of trivia regarding the platinum variant: it’s the only one out of the 4 chronographs whose tachymeter scale is not interrupted by the “Swiss” signature at the 6 o’clock position. Furthermore, the font is different to the other versions – this is most apparent through the thickness of the minute track.


The Patek Philippe 5970J and the Yellow Gold Paradox

There are two types of people in this world when they are told to picture a Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph: those who think “yellow gold, white dial”, and those who lie.

Call it classic, call it an obvious choice. Heck, call it cliché, if you want. But, you’d be surprised to learn that the yellow gold version is actually the rarest variant out of the 4 if we’re talking numbers.

If we look at the timeline of events, the yellow gold variant was somewhat of a latecomer to the collection, being introduced in 2009 as a substitute to the aformentioned rose gold white gold versions. It was only in production for one year, though, and as we now know, was replaced by the platinum version.

Speaking of 2009, that year turned out to be quite a special one for Patek Philippe: they introduced an all new chronograph movement (at the time, exclusive to ladies’ watches) as well as their own new quality Seal. As we explained in this article here, this move fortified Patek Philippe’s stance on watchmaking excellence, and their own quality seal would go on to replace the traditional Geneva Seal.

The timepiece in this image features a Geneva Seal, meaning that it dates back to the beginning of the year at the latest.


Final Remarks

So, to summarise, these are timepieces which feature Lemania based movements and Patek’s own quality seal engraving, as well as being the first watch to be introduced under Thierry Stern’s leadership, and it was cosigned by his dad Philippe?
The Patek Philippe 5970 truly is something special.

There are some aspects which we certainly don’t like: principally, the fact that it was in production for such a short time, especially when considering its complication and sophistication. Furthermore, it’s a shame it wasn’t in production for longer because, in my opinion, it’s far better than the 5270 in terms of wearability and getting the perfect balance between modern and vintage tones.

As a result, all that we can do now is simply admire it and wish that we could own one.

Whilst these 4 variants are all the 5970s which were in the catalogue, there were some which weren’t in: we’re talking piece uniques, including some versions with diamonds and all that jazz. Unfortunately, we didn’t have them with us when we visited the Verga Vintage team, but it’s probably for the best – we probably wouldn’t have been able to control ourselves if we saw one.

We would like to thank the Verga Family and the Verga Vintage team for their time and hospitality, as well as congratulating them on managing to regain possession of the very pieces they sold many years ago. We are grateful for vendors and distributors like them for bringing an element of passion and enthusiasm to this industry, and allowing us to get up close and personal with these true masterpieces.

Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into the wonderful world of Patek Philippe complications, particularly that of perpetual calendar chronographs. What do you think of the ref. 5970? Let us know in the comments!

A thank you also to Orologi&Passioni for

-Translated by Patrick R.

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