Clever Investments: The Patek Philippe Ref. 5990

I love watches. I love collecting watches and my daily muse says as much about my feelings towards brands as it is a statement as an investor. However I am a father to two beautiful children and a traveller so that daily muse cannot be a precious complication, it has to survive. So Basel World 2014 gave me the gift of both worlds in the form of the Patek 5990 1/A, a column-wheel chronograph, dual-time Nautilus in stainless steel that retains all the hallmark Genta styling details. Through the sapphire case back the four complications (chronograph, date, day/night and travel time) of the new self-winding calibre, CH 28-520c FUS remind you of the quality and attention to detail that is the Hallmark of Patek Philippe.

So there is no denying that that Ref. 5990 ticks all the right boxes as the ultimate utility Patek. Solid enough for the school run in durable stainless steel and with enough useful complications to amuse the avid watch collector, it sits proudly on my wrist on a day-to-day basis. Whether the market will be so kind to the Ref. 5990 remains a question. The Ref. 5980 remains the modern cult Nautilus with that dashing blue dial, but I suspect the real connoisseurs will learn to appreciate what the Travel Time has to offer over time. Here is a Nautilus taking the” best of everything” game firmly to its competitors and that’s one reason collectors should take note.

Photo Credit: @Jimmycosmo. If you’d like to hear more about Jimmy’s thoughts on good investments, please follow his Instagram account.