Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

New York, Jun 18, 2008

LOT 396

Ref. 5350R, Limited Edition, Annual Calendar with Silicon Escape Wheel and Silinvar Spiromax Balance Spring Patek Philippe, Genève, ?Patek Philippe Advanced Research - Silicon Escape Wheel & Silinvar Spiromax Spring?, movement No. 3686240, case No. 4375130, Ref. 5350R. Made in a limited edition of 300 pieces in 2007. Sold on Sept. 8th, 2007. Very fine, rare and innovative, center seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch with annual calendar, power-reserve indication, moon phases, silicon escape wheel, Silinvar Spiromax balance spring and an 18K pink gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp. Accompanied by a fitted box and certificate.

USD 60,000 - 80,000

EUR 40,000 - 52,000

Sold: USD 74,400

C. Two-body, solid, polished, transparent screwed-down case back with cyclops lens over escape and balance wheels, curved bezel, correctors in the band, concave lugs, sapphire crystals. D. Brushed silver with applied pink gold baton indexes and Arabic quarter hour numerals, luminous dots, outer minute track, subsidiary dials for the days of the week, the months, aperture for the moon phases and the date at 6, up-and-down indication below 12. Luminous pink gold feuille hands. M. Cal. 324/267, stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 36 jewels, straight line lever escapement with silicon escape wheel, the bridge with additional milled opening, Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating free-sprung Silinvar Spiromax balance spring, 21K gold rotor with zirconium ball-bearings. Dial, case and movement signed, back crystal inscribed ?Patek Philippe Advanced Research?. Diam. 39 mm. Thickness 12 mm


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Case: 1

As new
Movement: 1

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Dial: 1-01

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HANDS Original

Notes

Spiromax Balance Spiromax is a totally new type of balance spring made of ?Silinvar?, a revolutionary material based on monocrystalline silicon. It was developed between two partners in the Swiss watch industry and a leading research institute. Patek Philippe?s Advanced Research Department developed a new terminal curve design using the Silinvar balance spring. The patented Patek Philippe terminal curve is noticeably thicker at the outer end, forcing concentric development upon the Spiromax spring.
This causes the expansion and contraction of the spring to be symmetric relative to its center over the entire plane of oscillation. The Patek Philippe terminal curve lies within this plane and can be crafted three times thinner than a spring with Philips or Breguet overcoil, thus facilitating the construction of very thin movements.
Silicon Escape Wheel Ref. 5350 uses the silicon escape wheel first found in Ref. 5250, launched in 2005. The advantages of using silicon is that it is antimagnetic, very hard, lightweight and corrosion resistant, above all the locking tooth faces never need to be lubricated.