Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, Nov 12, 2006

LOT 377

Yellow Gold Ref. 2499 "Fourth Series" Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 869386, case No. 2666326, Ref. 2499. Made in 1970, sold on July 9, 1971. Very fine, rare, and important, astronomic, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with round button chronograph, 30-minute register, perpetual calendar, moon phases and an 18K gold Patek Philippe buckle. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.

CHF 380,000 - 450,000

EUR 240,000 - 285,000 / USD 300,000 - 360,000

Sold: CHF 436,100

C. Three-body, solid, polished, concave bezel, fluted lugs, domed crystal. D. Matte silver with applied yellow gold baton indexes, subsidiary dials for the seconds and the 30-minute register, graduation for the days of the month, apertures for the days of the week, the months and the moon phases. Yellow gold ?Feuille? hands. M. Cal. 13'''CC, rhodium-plated, "fausses-côtes" decoration, 23 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, 8 adjustments, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, micrometer regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 38 mm. Thickness 13 mm. Property of an Italian Collector


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

Produced in 349 examples from 1951 to 1985, very few with tachometer, the majority in yellow gold, and a very few examples in pink gold. - First series: from 1951 to circa 1960, square buttons, "Feuille" hands, applied Arabic numerals, fluted lugs. It is extremely rare to find models in this series with dials with painted bâton indexes; no watches with black dials are known. - Second series: round buttons, "Feuille" hands, applied Arabic numerals. No watches with black dials are known in this series. - Third series: round buttons, "Dauphine" hands, applied indexes, Arabic numeral 12. No watches with black dials are known in this series. - Fourth series: from 1960 to 1978, round buttons, "Dauphine" or "Feuille" hands, applied "bâton" indexes. In this series, only four watches with black dials are known. Only one split-seconds chronograph with waterproof case is known bearing this reference, specially made by Patek Philippe for Gobbi, Milano, in 1982. See "Collecting Patek Philippe Wristwatches" by Osvaldo Patrizzi, Guido Mondani Editore, 2004, vol. II, pp. 164- 167 - Fifth series: From 1978 to circa 1985, round buttons, sapphire crystal, "Feuille" or "Dauphine" hands, applied "bâton" indexes. Very few examples were made with tachometer or telemeter scale and three pieces only with sapphire crystal back. In this series, models with the tachometer indication are extremely rare. Only one example is known with a black dial. This reference was produced in: yellow gold and in pink gold, and only two examples in platinum, of which one was sold by Antiquorum in Geneva on April 9, 1989, "The Art of Patek Philippe", lot 34, for SFr. 418'000 (US$ 253,300). A similar watch is published in "Collecting Patek Philippe Wristwatches? by Osvaldo Patrizzi, Guido Mondani Editore, 2005, vol. I, pp. 144-145.