Patek Philippe Watches for Sale

 

Buying preowned Patek Philippe is a necessary step for 90% of prospective owners. Due to limited supply and high demand, buying a preowned Patek Philippe watch is like a ritualistic journey for many. Extremely technical timepieces combined with well over 100 years of watchmaking excellence makes buying preowned Patek Pilippes well worth that journey.

 

Watchmaking excellence is the key reason to buy a preowned Patek Philippe. One of the things Patek is known for, its complications. Quite a few times in their continuous 182 year existence, they have had the honor of manufacturing the most complications into a wristwatch. This excelence is what maintains Patek Philippe at the top of the Swiss watch hierarchy. 

 

Here are some of the top reasons to purchase a preowned Patek Philippe.

 

• Excellence in Watchmaking
• The Most Expensive Brand at Auction
• A Number of Watchmaking Inovations

 

Excellence in Watchmaking

 

After liquidating the original company with Franciszek Czapek in 1845, Antoni Patek joined the watchmaker Adrien Philippe, the inventor of the keyless winding mechanism. Queen Victoria had two marvelous keyless pendant watches designed to be pinned to clothing, then 17 years later, the newly found Patek, Philippe & Cie. created the first wrist worn Swiss watch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary. 

 

Since the first wristwatch, Patek Philippe watches have been the forefront of movement engineering. In 1933, the Henry Graves Supercomplication was the most complicated watch in the world. It contained 24 complications(functions). It held the title until Patek Philippe released the Calibre 89 in 1989 with 33 complications. Since then, there have been a couple more watches, both pocket and wrist, that have come out with more.

 

Buying a preowned Patek Philippe connects you to this long history of excellence, and one can truly enjoy the years of quality innovation that has been a staple of the Patek Philippe history.

 

The Most Expensive Brand at Auction

 

Of the top ten most expensive watches sold at auction, only two have not been Patek Philippe watches. In 2019, the Grandmaster Chime 6300a-010 sold for a ridiculous $31.2m. It beat the previous record of $24m set by another Patek Philippe in 2014, the Henry Graves Supercomplication. Outside of Paul Newman´s own Rolex Daytona, the only other $10m auction was a Patek Philippe 1518 in steel. 

 

While you may never buy one of these ultra rare, and ultra expensive Patek Phillipes, there are plenty of preowned watches for sale that you are sure to love just as much. For starters, why not buy a preowned successor to the 1518, the 3970. These can be had under six figures. If you don’t mind that six figure watch, but don’t have the millions required for the steel 1518, this style has been updated, but never far removed, from the original. There are plenty of these updated models available to buy preowned.

 

If you want to continue down the list, out of all the watches sold at auction above the 2m price point(there are 75 of them), only 20 have not been Patek Philippe watches. Even further out, the top 115 watches are dominated by Patek Philippe, with 85 of them, meaning only 30 were not Patek Philippe watches. These are extreme examples, but buying a preowned Patek Philippe has this air about it. There is a reason they dominate the million dollar market at auctions. They are extremely technical timepieces, with superior finishing and build. You can not go wrong buying one, and it will last you for years.

 

A Number of Watchmaking Innovations

 

One thing that has been a constant in the Patek Philippe history is innovation. Adrien Philippe was a renowned watchmaker that had already invented the keyless winding system(yes watches of the time had to be wound with a key). He joined Antoni Patek in 1845, and continued raising the technological bar. Patent after patent was handed to Patek Philippe and it is easy to see why they have been in continuous operation for so long. 

 

One of the largest milestones for Adrien with Patek was the first wristwatch from Switzerland. It was created for the Hungarian Countess Koscowicz in 1868. There were others beforehand, but the Swiss, while being masters with clocks and pocket watches, had never released a wristwatch before. Originally seen as a female jewelry piece, there wasn’t much use for one in the Swiss world. Patek Philippe had some major foresight here. The future of Swiss timepieces would be the wristwatch.

 

Just a few years later, Patek Philippe patented a perpetual calendar mechanism for pocket watches. This is only the second perpetual calendar mechanism and the first in just over 100 years. It became a Patek Philippe staple, and in 1898, Patek Philippe made the first woman’s pendant watch with a perpetual calendar complication. Just about every top Patek Philippe watch will have one of these complications outside of their sport models.

 

In 1891, Adrien Philippe handed his position to his youngest son Joseph Philippe. He passed away in 1894, but the innovation did not stop with Adrien. In 1902, Patek Philippe patented a double chronograph, and in 1923 launched the first wristwatch with the complication. Two years later, the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch was released by Patek Philippe. 

 

More innovations included the Gyromax balance, which increased the allowed diameter of the balance for aerodynamic benefits, the most precise mechanical watch ever, and multiple silicon based springs and escapements. If it can be better, Patek Philippe will make it better. This is why it is never a bad idea to buy a preowned Patek Philippe watch.

 

If we were to stop here, we would be doing one man a grave disservice. While not originally a Patek Philippe idea, the luxury sport watch came along to save the Swiss industry during the quartz crisis. Gerald Genta, the man responsible for the first luxury sport timepiece, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, was designated for this task. It was time for Patek Philippe to produce a sports watch with the highest quality of finishes. In 1976, the Nautilus was released, and on the 30th anniversary the 5711 and 5712 came out and became one of the most popular models in the Patek Philippe lineup.

 

Things to Look out for When Buying a Preowned Luxury Patek Philippe

 

As with any major Swiss watch, they are going to be hit by the counterfeit bug. Fakes are becoming so good now, it’s becoming more difficult to tell the difference. Fortunately Patek are on an entirely different level so when dealing with the right seller, you can be sure they will get you that authentic Patek Philippe. Buying preowned does have its benefits, if you are smart and do it right.

 

If you do find a Patek Philippe you would like to buy preowned, then you can reach out to a trusted dealer and he will be able to find it for you, if he doesn’t already have it. If you just want to buy one, and haven’t picked out the perfect Patek Philippe yet, you can just reach out to him and he can guide you to the watch that will fit your needs.

 

If a watch deal seems too good to be true, it almost always is buying a preowned Patek Philippe that is going for $50,000 means spending $50,000, not $10,000. A trusted seller will stand by his product and will guarantee it’s authenticity. They will care more about you and your purchase than their wallet. 

 

Where Can You Find Patek Philippe Watches For Sale?

 

Finding a quality Patek Philippe can be difficult. When you are ready to purchase your own preowned watch, just check out Value Your Watch. We have a few already for sale, and we have multiple dealers on the site that can find one for you.

 

You may find that you have a great deal on a watch, but then are hit with fees, especially tax. This can be thousands of dollars on a watch of this caliber. Value Your Watch is not required to collect sales tax, and the dealers are not either unless you are dealing with someone in the same state. There are no fees at all for using Value Your Watch.

 

Alway remember, when buying any preowned watch, you have to know who the seller is. The right seller is trustworthy, and honest. They will get you the best watch for the best value, and you can be assured that your purchase will be effortless on your part.