Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
New York, Dec 05, 2007
LOT 364
?Pink 5125 - "Wempe" Patek Philippe, Genève, retailed by Wempe, No. 3360406, case No. 4213627, Ref. 5125 R, No 019/125. Made in a limited edition of 125 pieces in 2003 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Wempe. Very fine and very rare center seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch with semi-instantaneous digital triple date annual calendar, moon phases and an 18K pink gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp. Accompanied by a fitted box, setting pin and certificate of origin.
USD 80,000 - 100,000
EUR 55,000 - 70,000
C. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back and crown, protected winding crown, concave lugs, sapphire crystal. D. Matte silver with applied pink gold baton indexes, subsidiary dial for the 24 hours, apertures for the date, the days of the week, the months and the moon phases. Pink gold "dauphine" hands. M. Cal. 315-203, stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 35 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, free-sprung Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring, 21K gold rotor. Dial, case and movement signed. Dial also signed "Wempe". Diam. 37 mm. Thickness 11 mm. Property of Various Owners
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 1 |
As new |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
- 125 examples in 18K yellow gold - 125 examples in 18K white gold - 125 examples in 18K pink gold - 100 examples in platinum
Wempe
In 1878, with 80 Marks in his pocket, young watchmaker Gerhard D. Wempe opened a watch and jewelry business in his aunt Caroline?s house in the small German town of Elsfleth close to Bremen. Business went well for the young entrepreneur and in the years to come he moved his venture to Oldenburg and finally to Hamburg, where he established the ?Stammhaus? or ?flagship store? of the company in 1907. In 1914 Wempe had opened 4 more stores in Hamburg, but with World War I sales dropped considerably. When Gerhard D. Wempe died in 1921, his son Herbert took over, concentrating on exclusive connections to Swiss watch brands like Omega and Longines and further extending the business, buying in 1938 the famous ?Hamburger Chronometerwerke? factory, an important manufacturer of ships chronometers and still in existence today, producing high precision nautical instruments. World War II again brought personal and professional difficulties. Several stores were destroyed, 80% of the workforce were without housing. In 1945 the company management was handed over to a trustee, in 1951 19 year old son Helmut had to take over the business. By 1953 Wempe again had 5 stores in Hamburg, by the 1960?s there were stores in several German cities as well. 1980 finally Wempe entered the international scene with the opening of its now US flagship store in New York on Fifth Avenue, to be followed by stores in Paris, Vienna, London and Madrid. Since 2003 daughter Kim-Eva Wempe, who joined in 1987, officially heads Germany?s most respected watch and jewellery retailer with over 500 employees and 26 branches worldwide, also operating in Hamburg the largest watch repair and service facility of any retailer in Europe.