Important Collectors Wristwatches, Po...
Geneva, Nov 14, 2009
LOT 184
5125G White Gold "For Wempe" Patek Philippe, Genève, retailed by Wempe, movement No. 3360125, case No. 4213395, Ref. 5125G, No. 032/125. Made in a limited edition of 125 pieces in 2003 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Wempe. Sold on July 17th, 2003. Very fine and very rare, center seconds, self-winding, water resistant, 18K white gold wristwatch with semi-instantaneous digital triple date annual calendar, moon phases and an 18K white gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp. Accompanied by a fitted box, additional solid 18K white gold case back, and Certificate of Origin. To be sold without reserve
CHF 40,000 - 60,000
USD 40,000 - 60,000 / EUR 27,000 - 40,000
Sold: CHF 85,200
C. Three-body, solid, polished, screwed-down transparent case back and crown, protected winding crown, concave lugs, sapphire crystals. D. Matte silver with applied white gold baton indexes, subsidiary dial for the 24 hours, apertures for the date, the days of the week, the months and the moon phases, outer dot minute divisions. White gold dauphine hands. M. Cal. 315-203, stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes 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 12 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 1 |
As new |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
In 1878, with 80 Marks in his pocket, young watchmaker Gerhard D. Wempe opened a watch and jewelry business 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 to Oldenburg and finally to Hamburg, where he established the ?Stammhaus? or ?flagship store? of the company in 1907. By 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 extending the business, in 1938 buying the famous ?Hamburger Chronometer Werke?, an important manufacturer of ships? chronometers, producing high precision nautical instruments. World War II again brought personal and professional difficulties.
In 1945 the company?s management was handed over to a trustee, and in 1951, Helmut, the 19 year-old son, had to take over the business. By 1953 Wempe again had 5 stores in Hamburg, and by the 1960?s there were stores in several German cities as well. In 1980 Wempe entered the international scene with the opening of its US flagship store on New York?s Fifth Avenue, followed by stores in Paris, Vienna, London and Madrid. Since 2003 daughter Kim-Eva Wempe, who joined the company in 1987, officially heads it. Wempe is Germany?s most respected watch and jewelry retailer with over 500 employees and 26 branches worldwide, also operating in Hamburg the largest watch repair and service facility of any European retailer