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Geneva Watch Auction: Eight

Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo unveils the highlights from the upcoming Geneva Watch Auction: Eight scheduled for the 10th and 11th November, 2018 at the Hotel la Reserve in Geneva. The collection will feature over 220 lots including the assumedly the most complicated Patek Philippe references to be created in the last 30 years and some rare Rolex Chronographs. Highlights below.
Gurvisha Ahuja

04 Oct 2018

Author

Gurvisha Ahuja
Geneva Watch Auction: Eight

Single-button chronographs are amongst the rarest gems within the family of complicated Patek Philippe wristwatches. One of the earliest Patek Philippe chronographs, the present watch is the earliest to have left the Patek Philippe ateliers. This timepiece is also part of an extremely low production run of 27 single-button chronographs of which 16 had an officer case like the present model. It is not only collectible because of its exceptional condition and ultimate rarity, but also and perhaps most importantly because of its historical relevance.

Reference 1436 is the first split seconds chronograph wristwatch that Patek Philippe ever produced in a series. Originally launched in 1938, the model was used as a "tool watch" to time horse or automobile racing, along with scientific experiments. The present watch is not only one of these ultra-limited timepieces but it is only one of 16 known examples in yellow gold to feature applied Breguet numerals and as confirmed in the Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives.

The movement beating in the heart of this masterpiece is Patek Philippe’s caliber 27RQ, a 6.80mm thick movement comprised of 467 components. This ultra-complex mechanism is housed in a case whose downturned stepped lugs are reminiscent of another of Patek Philippe’s iconic timepieces: the perpetual calendar chronograph reference 2499. Patek Philippe turned to Jean-Pierre Hagmann (whose initials are proudly stamped inside the solid caseback and inner lug), a living legend among case makers, to create a case that would not only be a beautiful frame for the watch but could also act as a superb sound carrier for the repeater’s delicate chimes. Patek Philippe discontinued this reference in 2000, and given how complex it was to manufacture, very few examples were made over its 11-year production period. In fact, the present example is only the eighth known in platinum.

This timepiece most notably does not have a reference or serial number, as it was never manufactured for commercial purposes. The movement number, 0005073, is incredibly close to another known example illustrated in 100 Superlative Rolex Watches by John Goldberger, which bears the movement number 0004547 and is almost identical in appearance to the present example. The other known example also does not bear any serial or reference numbers.

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