- Year
- 2026
- Condition
- Unworn
- Set
- Box and papers
- Movement
- Self-winding
- Size
- 34.5 × 39.5 mm
Set and condition
Complete set
This Rare Handcrafts Donjons on the Cliff is accompanied by its original presentation box, warranty card and supporting documentation. The watch and included items are inspected by an expert watchmaker before sale. Additional photographs and video of this piece are available on request.
Original presentation box
Original presentation box and packaging.
Original papers
Warranty card and supporting documentation.
Inspected prior to sale
Reviewed for condition, completeness and functionality. Additional details and photographs are available on request.
Condition photography
Additional close-up images of specific areas are available before purchase.
Overview
The Golden Ellipse as a canvas
The Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts Donjons on the Cliff, reference 5738/50R-021, a Golden Ellipse in rose gold with a dial in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel and miniature painting showing Keiss Castle above the sea, on a grained navy blue calfskin strap. Self-winding calibre 240, hours and minutes only; 34.5 × 39.5 mm, 6.58 mm high.
The rose gold execution 5738/50R-021 shows Keiss Castle in Caithness, the partly ruined seventeenth-century fortress with the Z-shaped plan Patek Philippe says is typical of Highland defences, with the sea breaking at the foot of its cliff. The building took about 32 cm of gold wire (~0.22 g); the waves, the walls and the leaden sky are filled from transparent and opaque enamels in 18 colours, and miniature painting on enamel in 6 colours adds the stonework, the foam and the birds in the wind. Each dial took 11 to 12 firings at 820°C. Patek Philippe presents it as a limited edition of fifteen watches, on a grained navy blue calfskin strap with a rose gold prong buckle.
The reference 5738/50 is the Golden Ellipse of Patek Philippe's Rare Handcrafts collection: the elliptical case whose proportions the brand traces to the ancient golden section, here 34.5 × 39.5 mm and 6.58 mm high, with a solid case back. The dial carries only hours and minutes, read from cheveu-style hands stamped in the case metal.
The movement is the self-winding calibre 240, which Patek Philippe lists as ultra-thin: 27.5 mm across and 2.53 mm high, with 152 parts and 27 jewels, wound by a 22K gold minirotor set off-centre in the movement rather than a full rotor turning above it. It runs at 21,600 semi-oscillations an hour on a Gyromax® balance with a Spiromax® balance spring, has a power reserve of at least 48 hours and carries the Patek Philippe Seal. A calibre 2.53 mm high is what lets the case close at 6.58 mm over a dial built up in fired enamel or veneer. Patek Philippe describes the case as humidity- and dust-protected only, not water-resistant.
For collectors
Across the family the case and the movement do not change, so the executions are compared by the dial: Patek Philippe gives each one its own figures — the length and weight of gold wire in a cloisonné dial, the number of enamel colours, the firings and their temperature, or the count of veneer parts and wood species in a marquetry dial — and each is a limited series whose size the brand states. The solid case back is part of the design; the calibre 240 is not on view.
Key details
Design and engineering
- Golden Ellipse caseAn ellipse of 34.5 × 39.5 mm, 6.58 mm high, in rose gold; Patek Philippe traces its proportions to the ancient golden section. Humidity- and dust-protected only, not water-resistant.
- Case backSolid, in the case metal; the movement is not on view.
- DialGrand Feu cloisonné enamel of Keiss Castle above the sea: about 32 cm of gold wire (~0.22 g) for the building, transparent and opaque enamels in 18 colours for the waves, walls and sky, and miniature painting on enamel in 6 colours for the stonework, the foam and the birds; 11 to 12 firings at 820°C.
- HandsCheveu-style hour and minute hands, stamped in the case metal.
- Strap and buckleHand-stitched calfskin, grained navy blue, on a rose gold prong buckle whose shape follows the ellipse of the case.
Calibre 240
- Self-winding, 22K gold off-centre minirotor
- Hours and minutes; listed by Patek Philippe as ultra-thin
- 27.5 mm across, 2.53 mm high; 152 parts, 27 jewels
- 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 Hz), Gyromax® balance, Spiromax® balance spring
- Power reserve min. 48 hours
- Patek Philippe Seal
The reference
Technical specifications
| Reference | 5738/50R-021 |
|---|---|
| Collection | Rare Handcrafts |
| Calibre | Caliber 240 |
| Movement | Self-winding |
| Functions | Ultra-thin |
| Case dimensions | 34.5 × 39.5 mm |
| Case thickness | 6.58 mm |
| Case material | Rose gold |
| Water resistance | Not water-resistant |
| Strap | Calfskin, hand-stitched, grained navy blue |
| Clasp | Rose gold prong buckle |
| Jewels | 27 |
| Power reserve | min. 48 hours |
| Frequency | 21,600 semi-oscillations/hour (3 Hz) |
| Piece | Donjons on the Cliff |
Buying with HYPA
Purchase with confidence
- Original warranty card included, dated 2026
- Free insured delivery within Australia and Hong Kong · elsewhere quoted
- Payment by bank transfer
- Registered Australian dealerHYPA International Pty Ltd · Registered Victorian second-hand dealer, Registration No. SHD-0018017.
- Direct specialist supportSpeak with the HYPA team before, during and after the purchase.
- Rated 5.0 on Google · 11 reviewsFrom clients of HYPA International on Google. Read the reviews
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