Golden Jubilee: A celebration between Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch

Patek Philippe Honorary President Philippe Stern proposed a special watch to Cortina Watch founder Anthony Lim for the retailer’s 25th anniversary, and it was Ref. 5057. We have reported on this watch and how it came about, and the relationship between the Stern and Lim families in an extensive story in 2019. Only 100 pieces of the Patek Philippe Cortina Jubilee 5057R 18K Rose Gold Limited Edition Automatic were made, and this reference boasted a moon phase display, date and power reserve indication alongside a small seconds subdial. Uniquely, it is distinguished as a watch that began as a special creation, but remained in the Patek Philippe offering, in one way or another since its debut 25 years ago.

INTRODUCING PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 5057G-010

A new Patek Philippe Ref. 5057G-010 in white gold has been made specially for the Golden Jubilee celebrations. It features the same triple row guilloched “Clous de Paris” hobnail bezel as the first model created for Cortina Watch back in 1997, and is the same size, at 36mm. This time, the watch features a charcoal grey sunburst dial with a black- gradient rim, white transfer-printed Roman numerals and white gold, pear-shaped hands.

Powered by the Calibre 240 PS IRM C LU, the watch has indications for the date, moon phases and power reserve on two subdials. There is also a small seconds display between the four and five o’clock position. This is an ultra-thin, automatic movement with 48 hours (maximum) of power reserve. Interestingly, this calibre is quite rare, being used in only one other reference that we know of, the Nautilus Ref. 5712, which the story on WatchesbySJX supports. The transparent sapphire caseback features the commemorative inscription “Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Since 1972”. The watch is a limited edition of just 100 pieces.

The size of the watch and the hobnail bezel are highly distinctive characteristics, with Calibre 240 PS arguably benefitting from the more conservative proportions. Of course, the movement features all the signature technical upgrades that mark all current production Patek Philippe, even if the case and dial are throwbacks. This includes the Gyromax balance and the Spiromax hairspring, and quite possibly ceramic ball bearings in the winding system. This concern for how the heart of the watch performs also speaks to Patek Philippe’s relationship with a key partner such as Cortina Watch, which was the brand’s first authorised Singapore retailer all the way back in 1978.

STORED VALUE

This was a difficult time for Patek Philippe as it weathered the Quartz Crisis, and a key moment for the fledgling Cortina Watch, which opened its first store just six years earlier at Colombo Court. Both family-owned businesses doubled down on mechanical watches, staking their futures on quality rather than the ephemeral performance of quantity. If nothing else, Cortina Watch and Patek Philippe proved in the 1970s and ’80s that patient and steadfast commitment to the values of fine watchmaking would pay off handsomely. Speaking of which, the values of traditional watchmaking are best represented in super-sized form...

Patek Philippe’s unique dome table clock comes in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel for the 50th anniversary celebration. This Ref. 20145M-001 “Singapore Skyline” showcases Singapore’s picturesque urban garden environment, from the Merlion to the Central Business District, Gardens by the Bay, the Esplanade, and Marina Bay Sands, where the second Patek Philippe boutique was opened in Singapore by Cortina Watch.

To bring to life the depictions of the city skyline and its recognizable landmarks, Patek Philippe shaped by hand a total of 9.2m of gold wire with a cross section of just 0.2mm x 0.6mm. A palette of 50 enamel colours was used and each enamelled plate required 10 to 14 firings at temperatures between 890o and 910o Celsius. Fifty gold stars and fireworks, made from gold and silver dust, light up the skyline.

Apart from the other intricate details and embellishments, also present is the subtle engraving of “Cortina Watch – 50th Anniversary – Since 1972”. The clock is powered by the Calibre 17’’’ PEND mechanical movement, which is wound up by an electric motor.

SINGAPORE SPECIALS

Celebrating the strong partnership that spans five decades, Cortina Watch and Patek Philippe will co-host an exhibition to present the limited edition Ref. 5057G-010 and Ref. 20145M- 001 “Singapore Skyline” dome table clock, together with the Ref. 5057R-001 25th anniversary model. Also included is Cortina Watch’s collection of several other unique Patek Philippe creations, such as Ref. 1677M “Esplanade”, created for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee in 2015; Ref. 20094M-001 “Bay of Singapore”, created for the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition, hosted in Singapore in 2019; Ref. 20040M-001 “Twilight Taipei”, created to commemorate the first Patek Philippe boutique established in the city’s most famous skyscraper.

To view these precious timepieces along with the other aforementioned exhibits, one can visit the travelling exhibition which shall be held at the Patek Philippe boutiques across the region. The tour began at ION Orchard and Marina Bay Sands and subsequently moved to Bangkok and Taipei. It will be heading to Kuala Lumpur this October 10 to 23 before heading back to Singapore towards the end of 2022.

You can come to grips with this story in person over the course of 2022 at these Patek Philippe boutiques, starting at the Patek Philippe boutique managed by Cortina Watch at ION Orchard. That store opened in 2009, and expanded to become the largest Patek Philippe boutique in Southeast Asia in 2016, at 265.48 square metres. This happened during a minor downturn in the fortunes of watch brands overall, but both Patek Philippe and Cortina Watch remained bullish. Among the key Patek Philippe boutiques in the region, its largest store in Asia is also managed by Cortina Watch, in Taipei, Taiwan.