Featuring an exceptionally rare and striking grey dial, this yellow gold Patek Philippe Reference 5050J-023 is part of the ultra-exclusive ‘London Edition’ series, created in 2015 at the special request of Philippe Stern. Crafted using new old stock cases and movements, this edition is believed to be limited to no more than five pieces, available only to collectors personally known to Mr. Stern. To the best of our knowledge, this example is only the fourth publicly known, further underscoring its rarity. Preserved in outstanding condition, it is accompanied by its full set of accessories.

Such ‘out of series’ late-production timepieces captivate collectors and rank among the rarest iterations of the reference. The standard Reference 5050, an automatic perpetual calendar with a retrograde date was originally introduced in 1993 and discontinued in 2002. Notably, the case of this example dates to 1994, while its movement, Caliber 315-136, originates from 2004. This also explains why the movement is stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva even though Patek Philippe stopped using the seal in 2008.

This places the case within the first two years of Reference 5050’s production, while the movement was manufactured near the end of the production run for its successor, Reference 5059, which utilised the same caliber before being discontinued in 2006.