Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, May 13, 2007

LOT 690

Ref. 2499, Yellow Gold ?Third Series? Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 868746, case No. 2611724, Ref. 2499. Made in 1953, completed and cased in 1960. 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 yellow gold Patek Philippe bracelet. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives mentioning that the watch was sold by Patek with a gold bracelet.

C. Three-body, polished, inclined bezel, corrector in the band, downturned lugs. D. Matte silver with applied yellow gold baton and dot indexes, outer minutes/seconds and 1/5th seconds divisions, 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, outer tachometer scale. Yellow gold ?dauphine? hands. M. Cal. 13???, rhodium-plated, ?fausses côtes? decoration, 23 jewels, stamped with the Seal of Geneva Quality Mark, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance with 8 adjustments, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, swan-neck micrometer regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 38 mm. Thickness 14 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good

Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense

Dial: 3-6-01

Good

Slightly oxidized

HANDS Original

Notes

This watch have a transitional dial between the third and fourth series.

Ref. 2499 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 baton 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 "baton" 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.

Ref. 2499/100: - Fifth series: From 1978 to circa 1985, round buttons, sapphire crystal, "feuille" or "dauphine" hands, applied "baton" 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, in pink gold and only two examples inplatinum, of which one was sold by Antiquorum in Geneva on April 9, 1989, "The Art of Patek Philippe", lot 34. Similar watches are published in "Patek Philippe Wristwatches", by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, 1998, pp. 230-231 and in "Collecting Patek Philippe Watches" by O. Patrizzi, Guido Mondani Editore, Genova, 2004, Vol. I, pp. 129, 140-145; Vol II, pp. 164- 165, 167.