It’s become a common complaint to criticize the contemporary design decisions of luxury fake Patek Philippe UK – their vintage watches are just that incredible that anything but the very best can feel substandard. It’s an enviable – if difficult to manage – position to be in. But when those conversations come up, I just think of certain high end replica watches such as the ref. 5959, seen here, and remember that Patek still has the juice to come up with best quality replica watches that look incredible, maintain horological merit, and pay homage to the company’s past.
Swiss fake Patek Philippe crafted just 15 examples of the 5959R-001 across a single year, from 2016 to 2017. This particular example was sold by Tiffany & Co. in New York, although it does not feature the much-desired retailer signature, and it does in fact come from the Kairos Collection. The top super clone watch, at first glance, looks like a vintage watch even though it has the shine and luster of a brand-new one.
That’s because perfect replica Patek Philippe modeled the design after the company’s first-ever split-seconds chronograph wristwatch from 1923 (check it out here), including screw bars and an oversize crown, with the primary exception of the monopusher mechanism via the three o’clock crown and the use of a snap-on caseback rather than a hinged one. You’ll immediately notice the lovely combination of a polished 18k rose gold case with a black opaline dial featuring printed gilt Breguet numerals – just stunning. Oh, and did we mention it measures just 33mm in diameter? Yeah. Where else can you find a complicated chronograph that is as beautiful and as traditional as this? Nowhere, just 1:1 copy Patek Philippe.
The last and only other time (that I can find) that we saw an AAA quality fake Patek Philippe 5959R come for auction, it was four years ago at Phillips in Geneva, where it sold for CHF 352,800. (We have, however, seen the high quality replica Patek Philippe’s platinum-cased sibling, the 2005 5959P appear more often, most recently at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.) Christie’s is seemingly basing its estimate on those previous results, with lot 65 carrying a figure between CHF 140,000 and 230,000.
