I'm definitely getting a 5522A, Wait a minute I'm not getting a 5522A?!?!?!?!

[Vipes]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

well maybe the reverse is true. If they are a big AD then maybe they do it because they can as its unlikely Patek is going to do anything about it. If they were a small shop they might be more concerned since they are a small fish to Patek and possibly expendable. Just a thought.

In general the larger the AD and the more locations they have the more shady they become in my experience.

Good point.

[JorgeCCW]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

well maybe the reverse is true. If they are a big AD then maybe they do it because they can as its unlikely Patek is going to do anything about it. If they were a small shop they might be more concerned since they are a small fish to Patek and possibly expendable. Just a thought.

In general the larger the AD and the more locations they have the more shady they become in my experience.

Totally, nothing will happen as a result of this thread (is gonna be shove under the rug). I think the intention is just to create some awareness and help from/for forum members.


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[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by JorgeCCW

Totally, nothing will happen as a result of this thread (is gonna be shove under the rug). I think the intention is just to create some awareness and help from/for forum members.


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agreed. Just saying big AD's tend to have more questionable behavior because they are big and have a lot of other clients. Risking losing a client isn't as big of a deal to them. Still not acceptable, but I'm guessing someone else took the offer unfortunately.

[Alford78]

Is this Govberg? I mean all the hinting around and whispering isn't hiding anything, only making us look like them talking out the side of our mouths. If it is I really hate to hear that bc I truly do respect some people involved with them.

OP you truly deserve a 5522 for sure and only hope the opportunity arises.

I'm sure many ADs are selling these out the back door to grey dealers and Patek should crack down on this. If they were so worried about brown boxes I can't imagine how they feel about true long time customers getting screwed over pieces they went to the exhibition to acquire.

Providing dealers licenses to salons and soley watch retailers would be a step in the right direction to eliminate the extortion. They could still ask customers to purchase harder to move pieces but if PP had already cracked down to the limited sales locations even hinting at extra purchases could be a huge risk by the AD. In my short time being a PP collector I've had crazy insinuations and flat out store policies thrown in my face when was only trying to buy regular production pieces.

It's just so backwards compared to other brands/ADs. I walked into a few stores while on vacation last week with 3 children and my wife and I could feel each of the sales members eyeing every move I made once the manager made a casual signal to them that I was a potential spender (my wife was the one that saw the whole thing unfold in two separate ADs). LEs and all other pieces in the stores was offered without hesitation. I know it wasn't Patek LEs but they weren't hoarding them or selling them out the back door either. This is something that is starting to turn me off in the watch hobby. I truly love watches but crooked dealers are keeping pieces out of collectors hands. It's all about flippers and grey dealers creating market values which the corrupt ADs are to blame.

The 5522 has had so much hate and so much hype at the same time. I loved the watch the first time I saw it for a very good reason. It's truly a unique piece that only displays the time and is fully lumed. Each applied numeral is clearly visible and even the seconds hand can be seen at a glance. There truly isn't another watch on the Earth that is even close to it in terms of quality. I've searched for hours upon hours for a no date, Arabic gold/metal applied numerals that are lumed, 12 complete numbers, lumed hands, and plain dial (blue would be great) but there just aren't any other watches like this. I've found a couple sub $2000 watches that are close but they are smaller and don't meet some of the above criteria. So it is truly a LE in its own right not just a Patek LE.

Sorry for the rant but at this point I just want a similar styled plain watch which seems like a unicorn since I'll never be able to buy the 5522.

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by goog53

The hype surrounding this watch has been unlike anything I've ever seen in my 10 Years of collecting. I am curious what some members experiences have been in trying to procure this piece. My goal of this post is to vent some frustration and get recommendations for a new AD to start a relationship with.
I have known what used to be "My AD" for 10 years. I was basically introduced to watches through them and bought brands such as Panerai, Rolex, Patek and also referred some friends and family throughout the years and helped the staff sell some pieces as well. I found out that the World Exhibition of Watches would be held in NYC when I was invited to a Patek Minute Repeater Event at HSWA that my AD's store mgr/minority owner kindly invited me to. While at lunch on a break during the event I was sitting next to the Patek sales rep (Jim is amazing!) and he mentioned there would be some special pieces being made for the US market only to celebrate the Exhibition. After the lunch, My AD made a point to say to me "Be sure to set some money aside for one of those special exhibition pieces."
Let's fast forward 10 months and the Exhibition is almost upon Us. In that time period, I had constantly been telling My AD that I definitely would like a piece to remember the Exhibition by, regardless of what it may be. I was reassured no problem and that they would take good care of me. Two days before the opening of the Exhibition, Esquire Magazine shows this special Pilot watch confirming this would be available to the US Market. I texted My AD immediately and let them know that this is the piece that has just leaked and I will gladly pay in advance to procure mine. Myself and a few watch friends as well as our wives all met in NYC and had a wonderful weekend and took in the Exhibition and a special Private Purist Pro Event on site as well. When I returned from the Exhibition, I spoke to the store mgr and sales associate numerous times as I considered them close friends as we've known each other for years and even hung out socially reiterating how badly I wanted this watch. I received an update in August via voicemail from the store mgr stating "I am very confident we'll have the watch on your wrist and am being told by Patek sometime in September." Mid-September comes and I noticed several incomings on the forums and Instagram and was anticipating the arrival of mine. I received a text message from my sales associate stating, "Hi Mike, talked to (mgr's name), you are definitely getting the piece, we would like a substantial jewelry purchase along with the purchase of the watch. The watch is being sold for $58000 on Chrono 24." When I asked what a substantial jewelry purchase meant I was told somewhere between $22,000-30,000 on jewelry in addition to the purchase of the watch which was $21,547. In the 10 years of knowing the staff at this store on a personal as well as professional level I had never been given such an absurd request. I politely told them that I had no use for jewelry but would be willing to purchase a watch such as a 5712/1A or 5164A and should someone already be on the list for those references I would have no problem waiting and prepay for either as well as the 5522A that I was told I was definitely getting via voicemail and through text message confirmations. A couple days had passed and I assumed they were checking on the availability of the watches I offered to purchase in order to get the 5522A, but instead I received a random phone call from (an out of state majority owner) who I met a few years ago for about 5 minutes. He said he wanted to introduce himself to me and let me know that I would not be getting the piece and also regarding any sports models it would be at least a year for any type of Nautilus or Aquanaut variation but if there was anything else I needed to please reach out to him on his cell phone.
To say that this whole experience was insulting would be a huge understatement. People I have known for over 10 years tried to extort money from me and then had a complete stranger who doesn't even work at the store contact me to tell me sorry pal you aren't getting the watch and I can't sell you any sport watches for at least a year but if there is anything else you need then I'm your man. SMH! I let Patek know about this incident and they said they would take it up with the Retailer. They also let me know that my name was in fact never even submitted by the AD for this piece which I found jaw dropping. The idea of a retailer guaranteeing a piece then later saying you can have it under the condition you purchase an additional $22,000-30,000 in jewelry was distasteful and something I definitely would not associate with Patek as I truly love the brand and all it stands for. It was my understanding that Mr. Stern created this piece as a Thank You to existing US customers and he had also hoped it would possibly go to new owners as well.
These are certainly 1st world problems and in the end it is just a watch but it sickens me when retailers choose to act in such poor form. At this point the only thing left for Me is to work with another AD and start a new relationship. Any recommendations of honest and ethical ADs that any members could vouch for would be greatly appreciated. Mr. Stern and HSWA if you happen to read this, Please know that my love for the brand has not changed due to this unfortunate incident and I look forward to buying my next piece some time in the future. I may sound like a broken record having said this many times but I truly believe this...The only thing better than the watches are the people behind them.

Kind Regards,

Mike

***I may not have come away with anything from the US Exhibition but was fortunate enough to get my Salmon 3940 LE made available for the previous London Exhibition***



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You know your watch looks like a 5140, not a 3940 which has been out of production for several years. The font is that of a 5140 and the small 3 and 5 on the date wheel.

[nyc2la]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

You know your watch looks like a 5140, not a 3940 which has been out of production for several years. The font is that of a 5140 and the small 3 and 5 on the date wheel.

Yes, he knows. It’s a remarkably special and LE watch he has.

[lapince]

WOW that is just jaw dropping of dishonesty and really low regards, to tell you yes but try to scam you into getting 20-30k of jewelry is just OMG, thought this kind of things happened in Asia or other places, but not in the US, I think they should hear from Patek very soon, and to think you know these guys even socially 10 years is nuts I have what I consider a good AD but in CH, he got me, and a member here and his friend, 5712's in very quick time, not sure he could have gotten me some special piece like the 5522, I am not a top client, but did get a 5711 and Dayto C very quickly, these guys are unbelievable to ask you to pay 20-30k of jewelry for the watch, and not even complying with your offer to get a sports watch from them, just amazing how low the moral compass of some people is, amazed really

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by nyc2la

Yes, he knows. It’s a remarkably special and LE watch he has.

indeed it is

[lapince]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

You know your watch looks like a 5140, not a 3940 which has been out of production for several years. The font is that of a 5140 and the small 3 and 5 on the date wheel.

He knows, it's a London special LE of 5 pieces made

[goog53]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

You know your watch looks like a 5140, not a 3940 which has been out of production for several years. The font is that of a 5140 and the small 3 and 5 on the date wheel.

Bob, I can't thank you enough for your valuable insight. Of course you would know my watch much better than Me (the actual owner) When I posted an incoming thread for this piece a year ago these were my exact words but I'm sure you already knew this...

"The case is 36mm which works well for my wrist. The dial has elements of the 5140 with the small 27 and 5 around the moonphase and the hour and minute hands for this piece are leaf hands which match the subdials when in the past Patek has chosen to use sword hands on their PCs for the hour and minute hands. They have chosen to use square hour markers for 3-5-7-9 which I do not believe has been done before. Also, The movement has the Geneva Seal on it vs the PP seal as this reference was retired in 2007. I also noticed at the bottom of the dial it does not say Swiss Made which I found interesting. My guess is they wanted to maximize the space on the dial and decided to forego that. All of these little details make the watch very interesting and special to Me."

[thomaspp]

Originally Posted by goog53

Bob, I can't thank you enough for your valuable insight. Of course you would know my watch much better than Me (the actual owner) When I posted an incoming thread for this piece a year ago these were my exact words but I'm sure you already knew this...

"The case is 36mm which works well for my wrist. The dial has elements of the 5140 with the small 27 and 5 around the moonphase and the hour and minute hands for this piece are leaf hands which match the subdials when in the past Patek has chosen to use sword hands on their PCs for the hour and minute hands. They have chosen to use square hour markers for 3-5-7-9 which I do not believe has been done before. Also, The movement has the Geneva Seal on it vs the PP seal as this reference was retired in 2007. I also noticed at the bottom of the dial it does not say Swiss Made which I found interesting. My guess is they wanted to maximize the space on the dial and decided to forego that. All of these little details make the watch very interesting and special to Me."

Very polite response for an not to polite remark. Bravo to you.

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by goog53

Bob, I can't thank you enough for your valuable insight. Of course you would know my watch much better than Me (the actual owner) When I posted an incoming thread for this piece a year ago these were my exact words but I'm sure you already knew this...

"The case is 36mm which works well for my wrist. The dial has elements of the 5140 with the small 27 and 5 around the moonphase and the hour and minute hands for this piece are leaf hands which match the subdials when in the past Patek has chosen to use sword hands on their PCs for the hour and minute hands. They have chosen to use square hour markers for 3-5-7-9 which I do not believe has been done before. Also, The movement has the Geneva Seal on it vs the PP seal as this reference was retired in 2007. I also noticed at the bottom of the dial it does not say Swiss Made which I found interesting. My guess is they wanted to maximize the space on the dial and decided to forego that. All of these little details make the watch very interesting and special to Me."

Thanks Mike for the information on your watch. truly a beauty. You wear it well.

[AK797]

Very sorry to read about this but I guess it is a sign of the times... and of all times. Money corrupts men of lesser will, always has and always will, most of the vast fortunes that were made in the past were built on things done secretly which if made public would have those billionaires in jail and their names wiped from history. Still happening today I read over there.

[RussW]

Would be interesting to hear if anyone else bought a 5522 from Govberg and what their experience was.

[KarlS]

You remember the Govberg saga over my Nautilus 40th poll when they voted that the watch sucked ...ha ha and then the begged for me to authorize the thread to be deleted to save them the embarrassment....which I did!!! Wish I hadn't now!!! At times I am truly great Gül for dealing in the UK where we may not get discounts but the AD's generally behave like gentlemen!

[RussW]

Originally Posted by KarlS

You remember the Govberg saga over my Nautilus 40th poll when they voted that the watch sucked ...ha ha and then the begged for me to authorize the thread to be deleted to save them the embarrassment....which I did!!! Wish I hadn't now!!! At times I am truly great Gül for dealing in the UK where we may not get discounts but the AD's generally behave like gentlemen!

I knew there was something that had previously happened with Govberg - that was it. Thanks, it was really annoying I couldn’t remember!

[HL65]

Mike: Love your 5140 - never saw one with that dial before.

[Socal to az]

Note to self- never buy from Govberg.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by HL65

Mike: Love your 5140 - never saw one with that dial before.

Yes Ken that what is known as the trout dial.

[goog53]

Originally Posted by HL65

Mike: Love your 5140 - never saw one with that dial before.

LMAO! I love it when you bust my chops

[HL65]

Originally Posted by goog53

LMAO! I love it when you bust my chops

I couldn't help myself my man!

As for what happened to you...That plain stinks! Sorry my man!

Go TRIBES!!

[remz07twos]

This is a joke. Govberg has gotten so wrapped up in charging 32k for used nautliuses that they’re too worried about losing the grey market profit to a 10 year client. ADs need to stick to being ADs and need to not try to get their little piece of the grey market pie whenever there’s an opportunity to make an extra buck.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by Alford78

The 5522 has had so much hate and so much hype at the same time. I loved the watch the first time I saw it for a very good reason. It's truly a unique piece that only displays the time and is fully lumed. Each applied numeral is clearly visible and even the seconds hand can be seen at a glance. There truly isn't another watch on the Earth that is even close to it in terms of quality. I've searched for hours upon hours for a no date, Arabic gold/metal applied numerals that are lumed, 12 complete numbers, lumed hands, and plain dial (blue would be great) but there just aren't any other watches like this. I've found a couple sub $2000 watches that are close but they are smaller and don't meet some of the above criteria. So it is truly a LE in its own right not just a Patek LE.

Sorry for the rant but at this point I just want a similar styled plain watch which seems like a unicorn since I'll never be able to buy the 5522.

This is the closest I've found (as I also like simple watches). Not a Patek, however still a very respectable piece in that tier. Glashütte Original actually has some pretty nice finishing on a lot of models IMO:

[Alford78]

Originally Posted by dmash

This is the closest I've found (as I also like simple watches). Not a Patek, however still a very respectable piece in that tier. Glashütte Original actually has some pretty nice finishing on a lot of models IMO:

Yea but that isn't even close. I'll PM you what I've found though since you too have similar tastes.

[socalwatchcollector]

Originally Posted by ap1

They OWE him a 5522

+1

[dmash]

It's definitely a finicky style to mimic, that was the most similar thing I found

The font of their brand name and that emblem on the seconds hand is a huge turn off for me though.....kind of kills it.

[Calatrava r]

Originally Posted by goog53

LMAO! I love it when you bust my chops

And when you bust mine

[goog53]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

And when you bust mine

You're a good guy Bob! No worries at all my friend

[Mikegp]

Wow. Sorry to hear that. This sucks. I hope you can source one from another AD. I have to admit it’s growing on me, I’m thinking about calling my ad. It’s a long shot but u never know


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[thomaspp]

Originally Posted by dmash

This is the closest I've found (as I also like simple watches). Not a Patek, however still a very respectable piece in that tier. Glashütte Original actually has some pretty nice finishing on a lot of models IMO:

Nice looking Watch actually


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