The Sandberg Watch Collection

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 358

Patek, Philippe & Co, Genève, No. 27461, circa 1870.Amusing and rare 18 ct. gold and enamel pendant form watch in the shape of a book, with a folding frame for four photographs.

CHF 8,000 - 10,000

USD 5,000 - 6,000

Sold: CHF 14,950

C. Five-body, hinged, spring-loaded front cover with a painted enamel medallion with a lady reading from a tablet, a laurel leaf crown beside her, the back cover in azure enamel with gold damascened motif, gold, hinged cuvette, inside the back cover a hinged frame for photographs, engraved clasp. D. White enamel, Roman chapters, outer minute divisions. Blued-steel 'spade' hands. M. 18.7 x 24 mm, rectangular, gilt brass bar calibre, 10 jewels, cylinder escapement, plain gilt three-arm balance, flt balance spring.Signed on the cuvette.Dim. 27 x 23 mm. Published in the Sandberg book, pages 482-483.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

Patek, Philippe Lot CoThe company known today as Patek Philippe was founded in Geneva in 1839 by an exiled Polish nobleman, Count Antoine Norbert de Patek and his compatriot Francois Czapek. The earliest watches were signed Patek, Czapek Lot Co. until 1845 when Czapek left the partnership. Several years later the company was joined by French watchmaker, Jean Adrien Philippe, who later became the inventor of their famous stem-winding and hand-setting mechanism,a modern and reliable concept.From May 1845 to January 1851 the firm was known as Patek Lot Co.; Philippe lent his name to the company in 1851 when he became a full partner. Among the reasons for their initial success was the high standard of watchmaking and practicality of Philippe's new stem-winding system. In the early years of the partnership, Queen Victoria of England herself was already a client.From the middle of the 19th century, Patek Philippe assumed a leading role in the Swiss watchmaking industry by raising the standards of workmanship and timekeeping through the introduction of technical improvements (the free mainspring, the sweep-seconds hand), in addition to implementing improvements to regulators, chronographs, and perpetual calendar mechanisms. As early as 1867 at the Paris exhibition, Patek Philippe displayed watches featuring functions that were to become the standard foromplicated watches at the beginning of the 20th century, namely a perpetual calendar, a repeater and a chronograph with split-seconds.The two most complicated watches of all time were made by Patek Philippe. The first, made for Henry Graves Jr. of New York, was completed at the beginning of the century, and the second, the Calibre 89, the world's most complicated watch, completed in 1989 (hence the name) to mark the firm's 150th anniversary.In 1932 Patek Philippe changed hands, and its new owners became Charles and Jean Stern. Today, the third generation of this family still owns and manages the company. Shortly after World War II, Patek Philippe established an electronics division, and in the 1950s the company pioneered quartz technology, filing several patents and winning multiple awards.