Launched in 1951, reference 2508 was quite a large timepiece, considering the fashion of the time. Boasting a 35.5mm case, the watch was intended for a more intensive and professional use than the usual Patek Philippe dress watch, even featuring a screw-down case back, enabling the watch to be water resistant - a feature found in a small minority of the vintage Patek Philippe production. Reference 2508 most notably features center seconds thanks to calibre 27SC (SC for Secondes au Centre), unarguably one of the most appreciated vintage manually-wound center seconds calibers made by any manufacturer (and the base for the movements used in some of the most hallowed complicated Patek Philippe vintage pieces such as ref. 2497).

The present example is fresh to the market and offered by a distinguished Swiss lady. The watch was treated with utmost respect throughout its entire life and has only recently undergone a conservative restoration at Patek Philippe which brought both case and dial back to their original splendour. The presence of luminous numerals - confirmed by the Patek Philippe archives - is an additional layer of appeal for the connoisseur of fine timepieces.