61: Chapter 61 Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar

Su Ye's favorite slogan for Patek Philippe is: "You never actually own a Patek Philippe; you merely look after it for the next generation."

This is not merely a slogan, but a declaration of reverence for the art of watchmaking by the Stern family and the brand's artisans, as well as an invitation to every wearer to safeguard an eternal legacy.

It reveals that the value of a top-tier timepiece lies not in the fleeting pleasure of possession, but in becoming a witness to time that connects life stories and bridges generational gaps.

When people fasten a Patek Philippe onto their children, what is passed down is not just precision machinery, but the pursuit of excellence, a commitment to the family, and a profound agreement that "true luxury stands the test of time."

This philosophy allows Patek Philippe to remain sober and unique in the noisy world of luxury goods—it is not just a watch manufacturer, but a guardian and architect of heritage within the long river of time.

Of course, if one were to say that this slogan hasn't been lived up to, it would naturally be a huge joke, but Patek Philippe has achieved it, which is why it has become an invisible golden aura inscribed upon the brand.

The facts are indeed as Patek Philippe claims; for most Patek Philippe watches, the price of a new one is not necessarily that high, but if it is a vintage watch passed down, the price in the secondary market will often multiply several times over.

"Su—Su Ye, the watch you mentioned is over a million?"

Su Ye, his thoughts interrupted by Jiang Bai's words, looked up at the two shocked individuals and smiled: "That's right. Don't just look at the high price; in reality, after several years or a decade, its value will very likely multiply several times over. You can search for the current secondary market prices of several well-known Patek Philippe watches from ten years ago."

Upon hearing this, the two hurriedly lowered their heads to search on their phones.

"Knock, knock, knock!" A series of knocks sounded, and then the door to the private appraisal room opened. Service Consultant Luo Lan entered, holding a glass box with a wooden base in both hands.

Gently placing the glass box on the table, Service Consultant Luo Lan let out a sigh of relief. After all, it was a million-dollar item; if it were to suffer any bumps or scratches in her hands, she would likely have to work for half a year or even a year for free, even with her salary of tens of thousands per month.

"Mr. Su, this is our Patek Philippe Annual Calendar series 6159G. Please, take a look."

Su Ye, Jiang Bai, and Liu Xueer all fixed their gazes on the glass box. Under the light of the private appraisal room, the translucent sapphire crystal dial with a gray metal-sprayed finish seemed to shimmer, and the perpetual calendar mechanism underneath was faintly visible, presenting a hazy sense of mechanical aesthetics.

The strap used composite materials and was paired with a new white gold triple-folding clasp, reflecting specks of white light.

If it weren't for the Patek Philippe brand, the three might just remark that the watch was good-looking, but with the Patek Philippe brand attached, it seemed to carry various added values.

Under normal circumstances, one might be required to verify assets to view this watch, but Su Ye's M2-level private bank card was the best proof of assets.

Service Consultant Luo Lan crouched slightly to open the box and introduced: "Mr. Su, ladies, our Patek Philippe Annual Calendar series features a retrograde date hand, which automatically jumps back to the 1 o'clock position on the 1st of every month, offering a more dynamic viewing experience compared to traditional window displays."

"The day, month, leap year cycle, and moon phase are arranged in windows around the dial, creating an extremely strong sense of visual balance. It has been rated by Watch Home as 'the ceiling level of retrograde perpetual calendar layouts'."

"The movement plate features Geneva stripes and perlage decorations. The 21K gold central rotor is engraved with the Calatrava cross emblem, and the escape wheel jewel bearings are equipped with gold chatons. All visible and invisible parts meet top-tier polishing standards."

"The sapphire crystal dial achieves a gray metal-sprayed effect through vacuum ion plating technology, which both retains transparency and enhances the sense of depth through metallic luster. This design is extremely rare in the history of Patek Philippe and has been called 'a breakthrough in 21st-century mechanical aesthetics' by the Time and Art column."

After listening to Service Consultant Luo Lan, Su Ye took the long white gloves she provided, put them on, and then wore the 6159G on his wrist, examining it back and forth. Su Ye, who already possessed an extraordinary temperament, now appeared even more distinguished in the eyes of Service Consultant Luo Lan, Jiang Bai, and Liu Xueer. The 4000K neutral white light shining on Su Ye seemed to form a white halo around him, leaving the three of them momentarily stunned.

"Very nice." Su Ye did not take off the watch but asked directly: "What is the allocation ratio for this watch?"

Service Consultant Luo Lan was startled back to reality by Su Ye's voice. Hearing Su Ye ask about the allocation, she knew this deal was in the bag, and she would also receive a considerable commission, so she hurriedly said: "Mr. Su, the current allocation ratio for the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar series 6159G is 1:1."

"And the retail price of the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar series 6159G is 1.0475 million. Of course, if you take this watch now, you definitely won't lose money, because as far as we know, the premium for this watch in the secondary market has already reached 10%-15%."

Su Ye knew it was his good luck; otherwise, in a couple more days, this watch would definitely have been bought by someone else. After all, one could make a 10% profit just by reselling it, and many watch speculators make their money exactly this way.

Of course, you must first have the matching financial strength and connections to earn this money; otherwise, if you can't afford it or can't sell it after buying it, it's just empty talk.

Many people might not know what "allocation" means. Simply put, in high-end luxury brands, if you want to own certain models above the entry level, you need to have the qualifications for it. This qualification might mean you first have to spend a certain amount of money, or buy an item of a certain style as a prerequisite.

Of course, there is also the matching ratio. For example, since the price of the 6159G Su Ye is looking at is 1.0475 million, Su Ye would need to buy another 1.0475 million worth of items.

Su Ye thought to himself: 1:1 is not expensive at all; it's a perfect opportunity to buy gifts for Mom and Dad, as well as Li Yi, Gu Qingyan, and Jiang Bai.

Thinking of this, he glanced unobtrusively at Liu Xueer, who was still in shock: Forget it, Liu Xueer can count as an extra.

He then said: "That works, no problem. I won't take this watch off. As for the allocation, please help me put something together. I want to give gifts to my parents, a brother, and three young ladies. See what would be a suitable combination; keep the budget within 1.5 million."

Hearing Su Ye's words, Service Consultant Luo Lan looked enviously at Jiang Bai and Liu Xueer. The two of them were truly lucky, considering that the lowest price for a Patek Philippe is around 200,000.

She then nodded and said: "Very well, Mr. Su, I will go prepare that for you right away."

As for paying upfront? Service Consultant Luo Lan was not stupid enough to think that. With over 50 million in deposits in his card, would he be unable to come up with these two million plus?