Produced in 281 examples from 1941 to 1954, in yellow and pink gold, only four examples known to date in stainless steel. There are four distinct series of the 1518 although they did not advance chronologically as such but were available at the same time. - First series: with applied gold Arabic numerals from 1941 to 1954. - Second series: presented at the Basel Fair in 1942 with enameled hour indexes, the 12 in applied gold Arabic numerals. - Third series: with applied gold indexes, the 12 in applied gold Arabic numerals. - Fourth series: with applied gold baton indexes. With only 281 examples having been made in total, finding a fresh to the market 1518 is becoming rarer and rarer (for another fresh to the market reference 1518, please see lot 144 of this sale).
Consigned by the original family, the watch has been kept in all original condition. Still displaying thick lugs as well as a clearly visible punch mark to the underside of the lug, the dial has oxidised over the years changing to an attractive champagne color that matches the case perfectly. An extremely rare opportunity to acquire one of the unknown to the market 1518’s.