The Art of Patek Philippe, Legendary ...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Nov 14, 1999

LOT 531

Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève, No. 868605,case No. 2611730, Ref. 2499, third series, circa 1960.Extremely rare and fine, probably unique, astronomic, 18K pink gold gentleman's wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, tachometer, perpetual calendar and moon phases with leather strap and 18K pink gold Patek Philippe buckle.

CHF 0 - 0

Sold: CHF 1,653,500

C. three body, massive, polished, concave bezel with flat edge, fluted lugs. D. matte silver with applied pink gold indexes, auxiliary dials for the seconds, the30-minute register, for the days of the month, outer tachometer graduation, apertures for the days of the week, the months and the moon phases. "Dauphine" pink gold hands. M. Cal. 13''' CC, punched with the Poinçons de Genève, rhodium plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 23 jewels, lever escapement, cut bimetallic balance, 8 adjustments, Breguet balance spring, micrometer regulator.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 37 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good

Movement: 2

Very good

Dial: 2 - 01

Notes

This watch is extremely rare for its pink gold case. During the last decades, no more than two or three pink gold wristwatches Ref. 2499, third series, have appeared on the Market or at Auction. This model bears also a tachometer function which is rarely seen, and with a pink gold case, that makes it probably unique; the usual concave bezel, typical of this series, however, has a rather wide and large flat edge on top of the bezel. In addition, the tachometer graduation comes right to the gold bzel, whereas usually, on regular models, there is a blank space.Ref. 2499Produced in 349 examples from 1950 to 1985, with the calibre 13''' CC, among which are very few with tachometer, the majority in yellow gold, rarely in pink or white gold.- First series from 1951 to circa 1960, square buttons, "Feuille" hands, applied Arabic numerals, fluted lugs. A similar watch is published in Patek Philippe Wristwatches, by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, 1998 Edition, p. 304.- Second series square buttons, "Dauphine" hands, applied indexes, the 12 in Arabic numerals.- Third series from 1960 to 1978, round buttons, crystal glass, "Dauphine" or "Feuille" hands, applied "Bâton" indexes. Very few examples were made with tachometer or telemeter scale, some of these have applied Arabic numerals.- Fourth series from 1978 to circa 1985, it becomesRef. 2499/100, with the calibre 13''' CCR, round buttons, sapphire crystal, "Dauphine" hands, applied "Bâton" indexes. Very few examples were made with tachometer or telemeter scale, and three examples only with sapphire crystal back. A similar watch is published in Patek Philippe Wristwatches, by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, 1998 Edition, p. 302. Two examples are known to date in platinum, one was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, on April 9, 1989, The Art of Patek Philippe, lot 34, for SFr. 418'000 (US$ 253,300).Poinçons de GenèveThe voluntary quality control of watches at the Geneva Observatory, was established by a law dated November 6, 1886. Conditions were laid down for the attribution and stamping of the Poinçons de Genève, punch-marks designed as the coat-of-arms of Geneva. Pocket watches, or wristwatches which carry the Poinçons de Genève, considered as an equivalent to a Bulletin Officiel de Marche, punched on a bridge and on the main plate of the movement, were qualified to be officially termed "chronometers".