Patek Philippe - The Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN Geneva Saturday, May 12, 2018 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
    Year: 1956
    Reference No: 530
    Movement No: 868'900
    Case No: 516'592
    Model Name: "Two-Tone Dial"
    Material: 18K pink gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 13’’, 23 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold pin buckle signed PPCo
    Dimensions: 36.5mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1956 and its subsequent sale on December 8, 1961.

  • Catalogue Essay

    One must be made of stone to hold this chronograph without a feeling of awe and excitement.

    The present Patek Philippe reference 530 chronograph irradiates with elegance, class and sheer refinement with its large perfect pink gold case and shimmering two tone silver dial.

    Reference 530 was first launched in 1937, and remains one of the rarest chronograph models manufactured by the firm. In fact only 14 examples of the large reference 530 in pink gold are known, the present lot being the latest known example and thus possibly the last one ever produced.

    Even though it takes design cues from its sister model, reference 130, the case size of reference 530 remains substantial even to today’s standards with a whopping 36.5mm. diameter which wears even larger thanks to the very thin bezel.

    The present reference 530, originally property of a French family, explaining the French hallmarks in the caseback, was first offered publicly at Sotheby’s in 1999 and purchased by the current consignor,meaning that it has had only two owners since its creation in 1961! When the present watch appeared at auction for the first time, its dial was unfortunately damaged and unfitting for such a magnificent timepiece.

    The private collector who was now the proud owner of this superlative timepiece decided to offer his watch an immaculate dial worthy of such a rare and important timepiece. To do so, he obviously turned to Cadraniers de Genève, successors to Stern Frères, who not only had the original tooling and “blue print” but also the know-how and expertise to undertake this delicate and daunting task.

    The objective was not to completely redo the dial but to restore the elements that were damaged, using only the techniques originally used in 1956 when the dial left the Stern Frères ateliers. A long and painstaking journey thus started necessitating the intervention of numerous craftsmen, close to 120 different print transfers for the various indications and hand engraving and enameling for the signature resulting in over 50 hours of man work to achieve. For the sake of originality the dial was also stamped "Fab Suisse", an indication of origin requested for the import of timepieces into France.

    The final outcome is nothing short of astounding, no expense and no effort was spared in this quest and the result is a timepiece of transcendental beauty that undoubtedly could be a crown jewel in any collection.

  • Artist Biography

    Patek Philippe

    Swiss • 1839

    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.

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Ref. 530
An extremely rare, important, attractive and large pink gold chronograph wristwatch with tow-tone dial, tachymeter scale and applied Arabic numerals

1956
36.5mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
CHF200,000 - 300,000 
€171,000-257,000
$212,000-318,000

Sold for CHF348,500

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Sale
+41 22 317 81 81
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN

Geneva Auction 12-13 May 2018