Comments:
credit: @bluepatek (1), @jonbinla (2-4), @minutesdevoyages (5-8) & Sotheby’s
credit: Watch Collecting Lifestyle & Patek Philippe
credit: Monochrome
credit: @benoit.watches (1), Phillips (2-8) & Sotheby’s (9-10)
The Certificate of Origin of this possibly unique piece is dated February 29, 2020 and stamped by German retailer Oeding-Erdel. The watch comes with additional solid caseback.
credit: @kevincureau (1) & Phillips
credit: Patek Philippe
Ref. 5531R-014 is a limited edition of fifteen pieces created in honor of the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Tokyo 2023. The center of the dial depicts a map of central Tokyo.
credit: k2luxury
The Certificate of Origin is dated January 29, 2022.
credit: @minutesdevoyages (1-3) & Phillips
Ref. 5531R-016 was introduced as a limited edition of 9 pieces in the 2024 Rare Handcrafts collection. The center of the dial features a scene of Lake Thun inspired by Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918).
Ferdinand Holder, Thunersee mit symmetrischer Spiegelung - 1905 (Lake Thun with symmetrical reflection - 1905)
credit: @repeticiondeminutos & Swiss Watches Magazine
Ref. 5531G-001 has a white gold case and a dial motif depicting one of the famous steamships of the Belle Époque fleet still sailing on Lake Geneva today.
credit: k2luxury (1), @platinumtimesco (2-5), @hoangdiep_watch (6-10) & @patekpurist (11)
BONUS: PROTOYPE OF THE REF. 5531 (displayed at the 2017 New-York The Art of Watches Grand Exhibition)
credit: Prototype-@igwatchlover, @hockeyandlegos (reddit) & @keyiness
Overview of the Patek Philippe ref. 5531
Introduced in 2017 at Patek Philippe’s Art of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York, the original release of the World Time Minute Repeater ref. 5531 was a limited edition of 10 pieces, split between two cloisonné enamel dial variants:
- Five pieces with a daytime Manhattan skyline: ref. 5531R-010
- Five pieces with a nighttime Manhattan skyline: ref. 5531R-011
The case measures 40.20 x 11.49 mm and the watch is powered by caliber R 27 HU.
A/ MANHATTAN SKYLINE (2017)
1/ DAYTIME REF. 5531R-010
credit: @bluepatek (1), @jonbinla (2-4), @minutesdevoyages (5-8) & Sotheby’s
2/ NIGHTTIME REF. 5531R-011
credit: Watch Collecting Lifestyle & Patek Philippe
B/ LAVAUX VINEYARD TERRACE SCENE OVERLOOKING LAKE GENEVA (2018)
The two references 5531R-001 and 5531R-012 were introduced at BaselWorld 2018, as a follow up of the two Manhattan references introduced in New-York a year before.
1/ REF. 5531R-001 (featuring HONG-KONG)
credit: Monochrome
2/ REF. 5531R-012 (featuring BEIJING instead of Hong-Kong)
credit: @benoit.watches (1), Phillips (2-8) & Sotheby’s (9-10)
3/ REF. 5531/1R-010 (featuring HONG-KONG)
credit: @kevincureau (1) & Phillips
C/ CITY MAPS (2019-2023)
1/ SINGAPORE, REF. 5531R-13
Ref. 5531R-010 is a limited edition of five pieces created in honor of the Patek Philippe's 2019 Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Singapore. The center of the dial depicts a map of Singapore's downtown bay.
credit: Patek Philippe
2/ TOKYO, REF. 5531R-014 (2023)
credit: k2luxury
3/ GENEVA, REF. 5531R-015 (2022)
credit: @minutesdevoyages (1-3) & Phillips
D/ LAKE THUN (2024)
Ferdinand Holder, Thunersee mit symmetrischer Spiegelung - 1905 (Lake Thun with symmetrical reflection - 1905)
credit: @repeticiondeminutos & Swiss Watches Magazine
E/ LAKE GENEVA STEAMBOAT, REF. 5531G-001 (2023)
credit: k2luxury (1), @platinumtimesco (2-5), @hoangdiep_watch (6-10) & @patekpurist (11)
BONUS: PROTOYPE OF THE REF. 5531 (displayed at the 2017 New-York The Art of Watches Grand Exhibition)
credit: Prototype-@igwatchlover, @hockeyandlegos (reddit) & @keyiness
Thanks for reading.
Best, Emmanuel
Yes, the lake views are beautiful, especially the Lavaux one, imo.
But I find them a bit too expected.
I think I would choose the Geneva map, but I have to say that I don't find any of them fully compelling, unfortunately.
Best, Emmanuel
I think I would choose the Geneva map, but I have to say that I don't find any of them fully compelling, unfortunately.
Best, Emmanuel
The G has my preference, but all these dials are work of Art. And they sound! And they are WT, too. Crazy.
Yes, impressive pieces, but none of them fully appeal to me.
I find the lake views a bit too expected and I have mixed feelings about the NY views and the maps.
However, I think my favorite is the Geneva map.
However, I think my favorite is the Geneva map.
Amazing post, amazing watches.
Thanks, Emmanuel.
Good to see these altogether here.
The G and Singapore are my favorites.
Good to see these altogether here.
The G and Singapore are my favorites.
Unfortunately, I don't feel strongly attracted to any of them.
I find the lake views a bit too expected and I have mixed feelings about the NY views and the maps.
But I think my favorite is the Geneva map...
Best, Emmanuel
But I think my favorite is the Geneva map...
Best, Emmanuel
They definitely are.
But, sadly, none of them fully appeal to me.
I find the lake views a bit too expected and I have mixed feelings about the NY views and the maps.
However, I think my favorite is the Geneva map.
Best, Emmanuel
I find the lake views a bit too expected and I have mixed feelings about the NY views and the maps.
However, I think my favorite is the Geneva map.
Best, Emmanuel
Thank you, Emmanuel. Gordon will be so excited to see all these various versions of 5531 in one go!
I hope our enamel addict and specialist will be delighted! ;-)
Have a great week-end.
Best, Emmanuel
Best, Emmanuel
Yes, fantastic pieces.
But none of the decorations really thrill me. I find lake views a bit too expected and have mixed feelings about NY and maps. That said, I think my favorite would be the Geneva map.
I think the lake views reveal the high sense of pride a true Swiss carries.
Hence, it is a very local thing to appreciate 😊
Interesting ! I certainly understand that.
And the Lavaux view is absolutely charming. I like it better than the Thun or the steamer ones. Do you have a favorite among the three?
I think the Lavaux for me is the preferred location as well. So this one for me as well. Enjoy the Sunday Emmanuel! All the best, Alex
Thank you, Alex, I'm glad you tend to prefer the Lavaux scenery too.
As always, I think the beauty of these pieces would be even more obvious in real life.
When judgement is based on photos only, it tends to be overly critical: I try to keep this fact in mind, but tend to forget it, unfortunately.
When judgement is based on photos only, it tends to be overly critical: I try to keep this fact in mind, but tend to forget it, unfortunately.
Hi Emmanuel, you absoluetly
SMASHED it with this 5531 post ! I read it several times over a few days and thought long & hard before I replied now.
Amazing research you did and thank you so much because you made yours truly, the self-proclaimed enamel slave/addict on WPS, wanting more of the 5531 drug ! I kept having dreams of this reference. I would be happy to have any of them because Anita Porchet & team made them ALL, even though I would lose limbs and a liver !
The Manhattan skylight and the Swiss boat with flag tie for first in terms of motif because Manhattan is my favorite city away from home whereas this GRAIL reference truly deserves a Swiss flag ! Between the two, I place Swiss boat ahead because it is signed "AP" ! To an enamel addict, the AP signature on the dial is the epitome for 5531 !
Interesting point is that both 2017 NYC Exhibition (Manhattan skylight) and the "regular" production since 2018 with Geneva lake do not have the AP signature. For the Singapore LE and other LEs with maps they have AP signature. Starting in 2023 with the "regular" production of the version with steam boat, AP is present on the dial. Perhaps I should ask Anita what transpired and caused the AP signature to start appearing ?
Thank you so much, Gordon, I'm glad you enjoyed this post.
I would indeed be very interested to know why her signature isn't present on all dial variants. And I completely agree with you that if you're going to own such a work of art, it might as well be signed (it even needs to be). For this reason, my personal pick would be the Geneva map: like you, I think such a masterpiece deserves a Swiss related dial, but, unlike you, I don't really respond to the steamboat/red flag scenery, whereas I find the Geneva map very nice.
Another "mystery" I would love to solve is why the lake views feature four dot markers at 3, 6, 9 & 12, whereas the other dials don't. Wouldn't these lake views be just as beautiful, or even more so, without these markers?
I wish you a great week ahead, full of 5531 dreams!
Best, Emmanuel