Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 1910/1929 Movement No: 156'875 Case No: 416'300 Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Manual, cal. 18''', 31 jewels Dimensions: 49mm. Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by a Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming year of production of the movement in 1910, encased in 1929, and the subsequent sale of the watch on October 14, 1960
Catalogue Essay
Patek Philippe has manufactured pocket watches since its founding in 1839, and established its world class reputation by creating many of the world’s most complicated and spectacular watches. The present minute repeating pocket watch is certainly part of this exclusive family, and stands out with its solid, 49 mm case diameter. Displaying a very sober and elegant design, it is one of a very small production run of complicated pocket watches with a silver dial, instead of more commonly seen enamel.
Its generous size gives it an immense sound, thanks to the correspondingly large hammers and longer gongs enabled by the case-filling caliber housed within. The chimes are crisp and clear, with proper timing for each individual strike of the hours, and when present, the quarters and minutes. Enhancing this masterpiece is the fact that it was sold by the prestigious retailer, Tiffany & Co., as is clearly visible with the strong signature found at 12 o’clock. The dial is unrestored and immaculate, as evidenced by the strong accent still present on the word “Genève”. The applied gold baton hour markers have beautifully aged and the PPC hallmark on the bow remains very crisp. The case is in very good condition and is attractively engraved with the initials DHC, with an inner case back engraved with an endearing message from his wife.
Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.
Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.