Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...

Hong Kong, Jul 10, 2005

LOT 158

?Enamel Dial? Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève, No. 764784, case No. 2602808, Ref. 2526, 3rd generation. Made in the 1950s. Very fine and rare, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.

HKD 190,000 - 260,000

EUR 19,000 - 27,000 / USD 24,000 - 34,000

Sold: HKD 299,000

C. Two-body, solid, polished, screwed case back. D. Off-whitesoft-enamel with applied yellow gold indexes, auxiliary secondsdial. Yellow gold ?dauphine? hands. M. Cal. 12???-600 AT,stamped with the Seal of Geneva, rhodium plated, ?faussescôtes? decoration, 30 jewels, lever escapement, Gyromax balanceadjusted for heat, cold, isochronism and five positions,shock-absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring,swan neck micrometer regulator,18K gold rotor.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 35 mm. Thickness 11 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

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

Notes

Ref. 2526. First launched by Patek Philippe in 1953, this was the first selfwinding 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 soughtafter 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. For this reference, Patek Philippe offered the choice of 9 different types of gold bracelet. In different colors of gold or in platinum, they were designated by letters from A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and K and were made by Gay Frères and Ponti Gennari.