Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

New York, The Grand Havana Room, Sep 20, 2006

LOT 299

?Masonic 2526? Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 760668, case No. 682151, Ref. 2526. Sold on Oct. 1, 1954. Very fine and extremely rare, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with Masonic dial and an 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe buckle. Accompanied by an Extract from the Archives.

USD 35,000 - 45,000

EUR 27,000 - 35,000

C. Two-body, solid, polished, screwed-down and case back, concave lugs. D. Ivorycolored with applied yellow gold Masonic motto: ?Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?, subsidiary seconds dial. Yellow gold "dauphine" hands. M. Cal. 12600 AT, stamped with the Geneva Quality Hallmark, rhodium-plated, "fausses-côtes" decoration, 30 jewels, straight line lever escapement, Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring, ?swan-neck? micrometer regulator, 18Kyellow gold rotor. Case and movement signed. Diam. 35 mm. Thickness: 11 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 3-6-9-01

Good

Slightly oxidized

Scratched

HANDS Original

Notes

Ref. 2526. First launched by Patek Philippe in 1953, this was the first self-winding wristwatch model ever made by the company, with the caliber 12'''-600 AT, bearing the serial number 760,000. It would appear that Patek Philippe produced the Ref. 2526 in 580 examples, mostly with an enamel dial. The latest automatic movement by Patek Philippe at the time, it became the Ref. 3428. The Ref. 2526 is a most appealing wristwatch and is highly sought-after by collectors. There have been four generations of this model which have evolved as follows: - 1st generation: domed screw back, beige enamel dial with applied indexes. The enamel is flared around the holes which hold the indexes, the central hands and the subsidiary seconds hand. - 2nd generation: domed screw back, beige enamel dial with applied indexes. The indexes are inlaid in the enamel surface; the enamel is flared around the holes which hold the central hands and the subsidiary seconds hand. In this particular series, only a very few examples were made with a black dial and even fewer with Breguet numerals. - 3rd generation: identical to the 2nd generation but with a practically flat screw back. Very few examples of this series were produced with a black dial, and only one with a black dial and Breguet numerals is known to date. - 4th generation: practically flat screw back, beige enamel dial with applied indexes. The indexes are luminescent and inlaid in the enamel surface; the enamel is flared around the holes which hold the central hands and the subsidiary seconds hand. The very first wristwatch of this series, Ref. 2526, which is also the first self-winding wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe, is illustrated in "Collecting Patek Philippe Watches?, by Madeleine and Osvaldo Patrizzi, Guido Mondani Editore, Genova, 2000, p. 127. Similar watches are published in "Patek Philippe Wristwatches?, by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, 1998, pp. 213-214 and 216-217.