Important Watches
Geneva, Mar 20, 2010
LOT 466
Patek Philippe, Ref. 5004R Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 5004R-014. Made circa 2007. Extremely fine, rare and important, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch with coaxial round button split-seconds chronograph, registers, perpetual calendar, moon phases and an 18K pink gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp. Accompanied by a fitted box, Certificate of Origin, setting pin, additional 18K pink gold case back and booklet.
CHF 215,000 - 270,000
USD 200,000 - 250,000 / EUR 150,000 - 185,000
Sold: CHF 222,000
C. Three-body, solid, polished, stepped rounded bezel, fluted lugs, coaxial push button in the crown for the split-seconds function, screwed-down transparent case back to view the movement, sapphire crystals. D. Silver with applied pink gold Arabic numerals, subsidiary dials for the 30-minute register and leap year at 3, the seconds and the 24 hours at 9, graduation for the days of the month at 6, apertures for the days of the week, the months and the moon phases. Pink gold feuille hands. M. Cal. CHR 2-70/150, stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 28 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, Gyromax balance, shock absorber, self-compensating free-sprung Breguet balance spring. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 36 mm. Thickness 15 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
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Case: 1 |
As new |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
What is a split seconds chronograph? A split-seconds chronograph is a type of chronograph watch with 2 coaxial superimposed center seconds hands that are controlled by 2 push buttons. One push button controls the split-seconds hand to stop or join the chronograph hand. The other push-button controls both hands and the start/ stop functions of the chronograph, while a third button will reset everything to zero. The chronograph hand and the split-seconds hand are used for timing several events that start simultaneously, but are of different durations. To operate the split-seconds chronograph, both hands are started and remain superimposed. Then at the end of the first duration, the split-seconds hand can be stopped, while the chronograph hand continues to move. The duration of the first event can be read. After recording, the split-seconds hand can be released to instantly move and join the chronograph hand, synchronizing with it and thus being ready for another recording. At the end of each event the hands then can be stopped and returned to zero.
The split seconds chronograph, in its present form, was introduced in 1880. Split-seconds chronograph wristwatches were commercialized circa 1922 by Patek Philippe. The first known wristwatch of this kind was Patek Philippe No. 124824, case No. 235326, which was sold by Antiquorum as lot 448 on November 14, 1999 for US $1,918,387, at the time the highest price ever realized for a wristwatch at auction. This timepiece appeared 5 years prior to the official release of the split-seconds chronograph, making Patek Philippe the first manufacture to create this complication in a wristwatch. As they require a highly complicated and technical mechanism, these watches are desirable and very collectible. They are extremely difficult to produce, which accounts for their rarity.