Assigned in unsuspected times to Vladimir Putin, they are two rare millionaire pulicomplicates made by the Geneva House, protagonists from the very first moment of a real hunt by the wealthiest collectors, who have recognized an undoubted additional value linked to the name of the first assignee. Let us look at their history and that of many other timepieces that belonged to the Russian leader.
When we think of a multi-complicated watch, one that combines perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and maybe even tourbillon, we immediately begin to speculate, more or less competently, about the price it might have. Let's dispel all doubts right away: to buy a grand complication one has to reclaim sums ranging from five to six zeros and often wait a few years to be able to take it back after buying it. This is because production is inextricably linked to the times of the master watchmakers, meticulous people for whom time is an irrelevant variable, only the result that must be "perfect" counts.
Be careful, however, not to make the mistake of reducing everything to a simple matter of money. It is not enough to be "rich" to buy certain models, it is not enough to have a bank account so lavish that one can spend in a few minutes sums that an ordinary person would earn in years of work. To have access to the most important pieces from giants such as Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, or Patek Philippe, one must be known, referenced, and have a "personal history" such that one can fall within the very small number of customers who "can buy" the top models.
This was already made clear by Philippe Stern, father of Thierry current president of Patek Philippe, when he smilingly recounted how in the late 1980s, half of the powerful people on Earth warmly recommended to him that he allow them to purchase a Calibre 89, the king of the multi-complicated. This model imposed itself not only as the most complicated portable timepiece ever made for the time, but also as the symbol of an industry that had definitely shrugged off the burden of quartz movements, moving from the role of a time-measuring instrument to the far more fun role of a valuable male (but also female) complement par excellence.
Thus, we have come to understand how the purchase of an "important" watch is not such a simple operation, especially since the sums spent to put these little ticking jewels in a safe deposit box are often re-evaluated with sly patience over the years.
Often accessing the most expensive pieces are big industrialists, men and women in show business, multimillionaire sportsmen and politicians of international stature. The news, which for a long time remained shrouded in mute transalpine secrecy, is that one of the most powerful and even controversial personalities of recent years, President Vladimir Vladimirovič Putin of the Russian Federation, purchased no less than two important Patek Philippe watches within a month. The certificates of origin speak for themselves: he was given two pieces of extraordinary importance, a perpetual calendar with minute repeater reference ref. 5208P and a Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 6002G .
Thefirst one was "alienated" on December 15, 2015 by London-based Watches Of Switzerland on Regent Street, the second one on January 23, 2016 also by the same seller, so only 38 days later. The story of their withdrawal actually becomes quite nebulous. Indeed, it seems that an oligarch close to the Russian leader had been in charge of them, who for various vicissitudes did not collect the precious timepieces. The latter, by the way, also offer other food for thought: the most important of the two, the Sky Moon Tourbillon from the serial numbers points out that it is the piece used to make the photo shoot for the presentation of the watch itself, a feature that often distinguished pre-series models inevitably destined for the historical archives of the Geneva-based House and certainly not for sale. Could the buyer power not have convinced management to alienate even the piece deemed inalienable?
So we know from reliable sources that Putin did not withdraw these two watches, but there was an advisor who was called in (but his name is not certain) to find the correct location for these pieces. The story tells us how 5208P went almost immediately to auction at Monaco Legend "As far as we know, this watch was purchased by a very important person to be given to Vladimir Vladimirovic Putin ," Annabelle Farras, then Monaco Legend's director of auctions, said at the time via e-mail, but she did not contact the Kremlin about its provenance.
For the other watch, the 6002G fate chose a wealthy "Asian" collector as its owner. Their value, which rose to stellar levels during the 2020/2022 boom, remains very high today and still in the millions of euros range.
One thing is certain, the leader who publicly reports an annual income of just over 100 thousand euros has always worn exceptionally beautiful and valuable timepieces.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5208P Platinum - year 2017
Part of Patek Philippe's Grand Complications line, Reference 5208 is one of the manufacture's masterpieces.This is an extremely rare and important self-winding platinum chronograph with perpetual calendar, single minute repeater pusher and Patek Philippe platinum deployant clasp.
One of the timepieces most frequently seen on Putin's wrist is the Blancpain "Léman Grande Date Aqua Lung" in 43 mm steel with a black dial. On its side, it can boast some important merits for an enthusiast: it is rare, looks good, and provides excellent performance in terms of precision and robustness.
The president also appears to own a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar ref. 5039J in yellow gold with a guilloché bezel with the unmistakable Clous de Paris motif. To stay at the high end, it is impossible not to mention two other outstanding pieces of his: the first is an FP Journe "Chronometer Bleu" reference 1304C, a truly rare and expensive piece, with a tantalum case, a rare dark gray metal with blue overtones, and a multi-complicated movement; the second is A. Lange and Söhne "1815 Up/Down" ref. 221.025 in platinum, a collection designed to commemorate the birth year of founder Ferdinand A. Lange. The list could go on and on, especially since the most important pieces are, of course, also those that for a thousand different reasons he certainly does not wear in "everyday life" and therefore have not been photographed on his wrist.
But what of the two Patek Philippe watches today? Rumors would have them reentered-or rather say entered-the very possession of the powerful buyer assignee of them.
For those who would like to make the same "watchmaking choices" as Putin, we can say that a Ref. 5208P Repeater with Perpetual Calendar in platinum is for sale in Rome at Bonanno's, one of the few in the world able to deal in pieces of this importance. Be careful, however, not to consider it merely a dream or a game: when the stakes are so high, if on the one hand it is passion that dictates the choices, on the other hand it is reason to evaluate such rare models as a serious investment, which in the experience of many who have experienced it, in the long run has always given the right satisfactions.
