Golden Ellipse 5738 Yellow Gold / Chinese Festival

The Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 5738/50J-014 5738/50J-014 debuted in 2026 as a limited series of three pieces within the Golden Ellipse line, distinguished by a dial in miniature painting on enamel and hand-engraving. The subject is drawn from Qingming Festival on the Banks of the River, the large-scale painting created in 1736 after the original 12th-century work by Zhang Zeduan, here reduced to a single river scene within the elliptical format of the Golden Ellipse. Its yellow gold case follows the collection’s established proportions derived from the golden section and measures 34.5 x 39.5 mm, with a thickness of 6.58 mm. The watch is humidity- and dust-protected only and fitted with a solid case back. As with other Rare Handcrafts Golden Ellipse references, the case remains deliberately restrained, allowing the dial work to define the watch. The dial was first hand-engraved with a pattern of wavelets and then coated with translucent blue enamel to create the effect of flowing water. This base was subsequently enriched with miniature painting on enamel in eight colours to render the people and architectural details taken from the original composition. Several coats of transparent flux enamel were then applied to protect the decoration and intensify the colours. Each dial required an average of 15 firings at temperatures ranging from 780°C to 830°C. Time is indicated by yellow gold cheveu-style hands. Inside is calibre 240, Patek Philippe’s ultra-thin self-winding movement. It measures 27.5 mm in diameter and 2.53 mm in thickness, consists of 152 parts, uses 27 jewels, and operates at 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. The movement is wound by an off-centre 22K gold mini-rotor and provides a minimum power reserve of 48 hours. Its regulating organ comprises a Gyromax balance and Spiromax balance spring, and it bears the Patek Philippe Seal. The watch is fitted with a hand-stitched shiny bottle green alligator leather strap with square scales, secured by a yellow gold prong buckle shaped to echo the elliptical case.