Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, Nov 11, 2012

LOT 582

PATEK PHILIPPE REF. 1463, STAINLESS STEEL ? ?ASTHMOMETER DIAL? THE ONLY KNOWN STEEL REF. 1463 WITH ASTHMOMETER DIAL ? THE PERSONAL WATCH OF PATEK PHILIPPE RÉGLEUR JACQUES GOLAY, Patek Philippe, Genève, movement No. 868889, No case number, Ref. 1463. Made circa 1950. Extremely fine and exeptionally rare, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch with round button chronograph, 30-minute register, respirations scale and a Patek Philippe stainless steel buckle. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from Jules Golay.

CHF 100,000 - 150,000

USD 105,000 - 160,000 / EUR 85,000 - 125,000

Sold: CHF 194,500

C. Two-body, solid, polished and brushed, inclined stepped bezel, concave lugs, screwed-down case back, inner dust protection cap. D. Matte silver with applied polished steel indexes, subsidiary seconds and 30-minute register dials, outer minute and seconds track with Arabic fi ve-second numerals, outermost scale graduated for 5 respirations. Stainless steel feuille hands. M. Cal. 13''', stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, 23 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance adjusted to 8 positions, blued steel Breguet balance spring, swan-neck micrometer regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 35 mm. Thickness: 13 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

An superb example of the steel reference 1463, the case with crisp and sharp angles and almost no signs of wear, the ?respirations? or asthmometer dial is exceptionally rare in this reference with only one other watch known, a pink gold example that was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, October 4th, 2009. The present watch is quite possibly unique in stainless steel with asthmometer dial, certainly it appears to be the only example to have appeared at auction to date. This watch was the personal property of the famous Patek Philippe régleur Jacques Golay and its interesting history is detailed in a letter from his son Jules which is included with this lot. Upon inspection it was realized that although the movement is numbered 868889, the case is in fact un-numbered but otherwise bearing the 1463 reference number, Patek Philippe signature and the usual case marks. According to Jules Golay, his father Jacques fi nished this watch whilst working in the atelier of Fils de Victorin-Piguet, part of the Patek Philippe group of companies. As Golay made and fi nished the watch for himself the case simply remained un-numbered, never having passed through that process or having been sold in the usual way which may also account for the perhaps unique combination of asthmometer dial and steel case. The asthmometer scale gives the dial a very unusual and visually dramatic appearance, leaving a large blank space in the upper left-hand quarter. Jacques Golay was a famous and highly respected ?régleur?, one of the highly skilled watchmakers able to adjust watches to levels of extreme accuracy. He was awarded in 1941 the Guillaume prize by obtaining the best accurate timekeeping between his watch and the Le Coultre & Cie tourbillon regulator N°34748. The regleurs were the highest paid workers in the watch industry because success in the Observatory trials for watches conferred reputation and prestige on the brand and therefore greater commercial success.
Asthmometer Indicating the number of respirations per minute. Calibrated for 5 respirations, the chronograph hand is stopped after the patient?s 5th respiration; the dial then gives the number of respirations per minute.