Classique Reference 5070R, a rose gold manual wristwatch with chronograph, Circa 2004

Favored for its sporty, elegant design, Ref. 5070 is among the largest wristwatches ever made by Patek Philippe. Introduced in 1998, the model marked Patek Philippe’s return to the manufacture of pure chronograph wristwatches (i.e., those without the addition of calendar work); such chronographs had been absent from the company’s production for almost 30 years, since the cessation of Ref. 1463 in the late 1960s. The inspiration for Ref. 5070 was Ref. 2512, a split-seconds chronograph produced by Patek Philippe between 1950 and 1952; indeed, the case and dial designs of the 5070 and 2512 are very much alike. The 5070 model has now been discontinued and, at Basel World in Spring 2010, the firm unveiled Ref. 5170 as its only gentleman’s "simple" chronograph.