question for Patek Philippe expert

[brax]

I am traveling through Mandalay, Myanmar and came across an intriguing find: a beat-up watch that purports to be a Patek Philippe. My first unanswerable question is whether it is genuine. Surrounding circumstances support its legitimacy. I saw few western goods and no other purports to be luxury item. It was in the back of the store with no prominence so it was not a hook to bait people in. The watch was heavy enough to be a real Patek. The face was done in great detail. There was a "swiss made" sign on either side of the numeral six. It said Geneve not Geneva. The back was scratched and the crystal was chipped so I doubt that anyone would go through the trouble of faking the watch and then beating it up. The back also has number "5052" etched on it (the reference number?) But is there a sine qua non that I may be missing concerning its authenticity?

My second question has to do with value. How much would an old, beat-up Patek 5052 that needs the crystal replaced and a complete refurbishing go for? Would I be undertaking a refurbishing project that would eclipse the value of the watch? If it helps, the date placement was unusual. It was between the 4 and 5.

Thanks.

 

[kerry76]

This kind of good things don't happen, especially when you are travelling in a country like Myamar.

 

[Saturdays]

If its just the back and crystal, depending on the model it might be worth it. If not for value, for personal pleasure.

Fixing it and slapping it on your hand - if no one knows it was damaged at one point, it would be a great watch to keep on your wrist.

My dad's somewhat of an expert, but only has one Patek. He said he would do the same if the initial price of buying from that shop was low.

 

[MRMan]

A quick internet search shows there are some decent knock-offs of this model with automatic ETA movements as well.

Not to advertise for another forum, but if you are able to take a photo, you will likely get an accurate answer to your authenticity question by posting on the Patek sub-forum of timezone.com. You will likely find someone to give you a sense for estimated worth as well. Good luck! I hope you have made an excellent discovery.

 

[Cant kill da Rooster]

+1 on the photo. Or better yet, post the pic on TZ Patek forum.

If it's cheap, you might want to take a chance on it but if you send it to PP to clean up expect $$$$. If you have someone local who can do it for you on the side and you aren't looking for resale, then it would be maybe a couple of hundred.

The most important thing is, you are not an expert. I wouldn't buy anything expecting it to be legitimate if I didn't know anything about it.

 

[shoefan]

I don't believe Patek has ever made a Ref 5052. This number seems to be a common number in the replica market. Almost surely bogus.

 

[texas_jack]

The chance of it being real is virtually zero

 

[Saturdays]



I don't believe Patek has ever made a Ref 5052. This number seems to be a common number in the replica market. Almost surely bogus.

Yeah the biggest tell tale is if its steel/silver in back and it says 18K. If it says 18K it should be golden.

5052 doesn't refer to any unique model from what I see so I'm leaning towards fake as well

 

[brax]

@Rooster But I'm only an expert in craft beers and antique beer sucks.

Thanks for the advice guys. I posted the same message at TZ and the 5052 is a legitimate model but is very often counterfeited. This coupled with Saturday's note that the 18k etching means that the back should be gold (it isn't) has led me to stay away.