PATEK PHILIPPE from 1945 to 1980
1945 A Time Capsule in Stainless Steel
2015 SOLD for CHF 3.3M including premium
We duly associate luxury watches and precious metals. The watches of the most prestigious models made of stainless steel are highly rare. They were made on special order or to an experimental reason, and examples are known where an owner replaced the original case by gold.
On May 10, 2015, Phillips sold for CHF 4.6 million including premium over a lower estimate of CHF 1M a Patek Philippe 130 made of steel in 1927. This model corresponds to the development of the single-button chronograph. This result far beyond the expectations shows a growing interest by connoisseurs for exceptional models in unusual configurations.
On November 7 in Geneva, the same auction house sells a Patek Philippe 1436 made of stainless steel in 1945, lot 169estimated CHF 1.5M. This split-chronograph model was a significant technological advance. Only one other steel example is surviving.
The watch for sale, still in an as new condition, has probably never been worked on after leaving the factory. Its movement has clearly never been dismantled.
Lovers of exceptional watches must note the information provided in the catalog that there is no known steel watch in the 2499 and world time models.
On May 10, 2015, Phillips sold for CHF 4.6 million including premium over a lower estimate of CHF 1M a Patek Philippe 130 made of steel in 1927. This model corresponds to the development of the single-button chronograph. This result far beyond the expectations shows a growing interest by connoisseurs for exceptional models in unusual configurations.
On November 7 in Geneva, the same auction house sells a Patek Philippe 1436 made of stainless steel in 1945, lot 169estimated CHF 1.5M. This split-chronograph model was a significant technological advance. Only one other steel example is surviving.
The watch for sale, still in an as new condition, has probably never been worked on after leaving the factory. Its movement has clearly never been dismantled.
Lovers of exceptional watches must note the information provided in the catalog that there is no known steel watch in the 2499 and world time models.
1948 An Observatory Chronometer
2012 SOLD 3.8 MCHF including premium
The continuous improvement of Patek Philippe watches is based on two complementary incentives: meeting the specifications of the observatories and paying attention to the requirements of the most demanding customers.
A wristwatch for sale on November 12 by Christie's in Geneva is resulting from these two trends which of course were in no way incompatible.
Its movement is a chronometer watch made in 1948 to participate in the competition of trials of the Astronomical Observatory of Geneva, in the category of diameters smaller than 30 mm compatible with wristwatch cases.
The technical difficulty of this achievement has led the manufacturer to use a Guillaume balance, so named from the Swiss inventor who won a Nobel Prize for his work on new alloys for the needs of precision instruments.
The collector came four years later, in 1952. In the following of the great pre-war customers like Packard and Graves, this Texan lawyer named Champion wanted an astronomical wristwatch in a luxury case.
Patek Philippe then agreed to provide him with the 1948 movement after assembling it in a case similar to the 2458 model but made in platinum. The dial indicates both the reference to the Observatory and the statement that this piece was made specially for JB Champion.
It is difficult to predict the price of this exceptional and unique watch. It is announced with a very open estimate, CHF 2M to 4M. It is presented with a replacement dial and a platinum bracelet. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This watch is one of the fabulous pieces in the history of Patek Philippe. It was sold CHF 3.8 million including premium.
A wristwatch for sale on November 12 by Christie's in Geneva is resulting from these two trends which of course were in no way incompatible.
Its movement is a chronometer watch made in 1948 to participate in the competition of trials of the Astronomical Observatory of Geneva, in the category of diameters smaller than 30 mm compatible with wristwatch cases.
The technical difficulty of this achievement has led the manufacturer to use a Guillaume balance, so named from the Swiss inventor who won a Nobel Prize for his work on new alloys for the needs of precision instruments.
The collector came four years later, in 1952. In the following of the great pre-war customers like Packard and Graves, this Texan lawyer named Champion wanted an astronomical wristwatch in a luxury case.
Patek Philippe then agreed to provide him with the 1948 movement after assembling it in a case similar to the 2458 model but made in platinum. The dial indicates both the reference to the Observatory and the statement that this piece was made specially for JB Champion.
It is difficult to predict the price of this exceptional and unique watch. It is announced with a very open estimate, CHF 2M to 4M. It is presented with a replacement dial and a platinum bracelet. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This watch is one of the fabulous pieces in the history of Patek Philippe. It was sold CHF 3.8 million including premium.
1949 Eurasia in Cloisonné
2018 SOLD for CHF 970K including premium
The complication of the Heures Universelles (HU) is more spectacular than useful. It was invented by Louis Cottier in 1937, when advances in aeronautics and telecommunications foresaw a globalization of business. The generalization of daylight saving time during the oil crisis of the 1970s makes this concept ineffective. Its mechanical setting is obsolete at the age of the integrated circuit.
Patek Philippe had no exclusivity on the Cottier patent but has never stopped proposing HU variants for prestige. In 2016 I had grouped the announcement of two wristwatches using this system. The 2523 HU was sold for HK $ 19.5M including premium by Phillips on May 31 of that year.
After the ephemeral 96 HU and 515 HU references used by Patek Philippe in the development phase, the reference 1415 HU released in 1939 marks a stabilization of that offer. 115 pieces were made. The 1415 HU was replaced in 1953 by the 2523 HU with double crown.
Launched in 1948 the very rare 1415 HU DE is an aesthetic refinement. DE stands for Décor émail. The dial is illustrated in cloisonné.
Two 1415 HU DE in consecutive serial numbers were prepared in 1949 with the map of Eurasia. The yellow gold watch discussed in this column in 2016 was sold to its first customer in 1954, such a long term storage demonstrating that it was not a special order. It was sold for $ 730K including premium by Sotheby's on June 8, 2016, lot 213, and is estimated CHF 700K for sale by Phillips in Geneva on May 13 in association with Bacs and Russo, lot 268.
Patek Philippe had no exclusivity on the Cottier patent but has never stopped proposing HU variants for prestige. In 2016 I had grouped the announcement of two wristwatches using this system. The 2523 HU was sold for HK $ 19.5M including premium by Phillips on May 31 of that year.
After the ephemeral 96 HU and 515 HU references used by Patek Philippe in the development phase, the reference 1415 HU released in 1939 marks a stabilization of that offer. 115 pieces were made. The 1415 HU was replaced in 1953 by the 2523 HU with double crown.
Launched in 1948 the very rare 1415 HU DE is an aesthetic refinement. DE stands for Décor émail. The dial is illustrated in cloisonné.
Two 1415 HU DE in consecutive serial numbers were prepared in 1949 with the map of Eurasia. The yellow gold watch discussed in this column in 2016 was sold to its first customer in 1954, such a long term storage demonstrating that it was not a special order. It was sold for $ 730K including premium by Sotheby's on June 8, 2016, lot 213, and is estimated CHF 700K for sale by Phillips in Geneva on May 13 in association with Bacs and Russo, lot 268.
1951 Reference 2499 in Pink Gold
2014 SOLD for 2.63 MCHF including premium
2499 was the high end reference of Patek Philippe in the early 1950s. I had discussed this model in 2008 when two examples went at auction a few days apart.
Sotheby's sold a pink gold 2499 for CHF 1.68M including premium on November 16, 2008, lot 220. It comes back now as the star lot of the auction managed by Christie's in Geneva on November 9 celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Swiss brand. It is estimated CHF 1.6M, lot 59.
Here is how I introduced the 2499s in 2008 (including a few improvements) :
Sotheby's tells that when Patek Philippe launched the 2499 in 1950, no other manufacturer was able to produce a watch with such a complication. For this reason, this chronograph wristwatch including perpetual calendar and moon phases remains particularly looked after by collectors. It was produced until 1985.
The example to be sold, dated 1951, is one of the first series, and has the rare characteristic of being in pink gold. Sotheby's announced that its condition of preservation is remarkable.
Antiquorum sells another 2499 on October 16, 2008 in New York. Made in 1956, it is still part of the first series, which is characterized by its square pusher button. This watch was sold for $ 1.5M including premium.
In October 2002, a pink gold 2499 of 1951 was sold for CHF 3.2 M including premium by Antiquorum in Geneva (source: Vox, the magazine of Antiquorum, early 2003 issue).
Sotheby's sold a pink gold 2499 for CHF 1.68M including premium on November 16, 2008, lot 220. It comes back now as the star lot of the auction managed by Christie's in Geneva on November 9 celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Swiss brand. It is estimated CHF 1.6M, lot 59.
Here is how I introduced the 2499s in 2008 (including a few improvements) :
Sotheby's tells that when Patek Philippe launched the 2499 in 1950, no other manufacturer was able to produce a watch with such a complication. For this reason, this chronograph wristwatch including perpetual calendar and moon phases remains particularly looked after by collectors. It was produced until 1985.
The example to be sold, dated 1951, is one of the first series, and has the rare characteristic of being in pink gold. Sotheby's announced that its condition of preservation is remarkable.
Antiquorum sells another 2499 on October 16, 2008 in New York. Made in 1956, it is still part of the first series, which is characterized by its square pusher button. This watch was sold for $ 1.5M including premium.
In October 2002, a pink gold 2499 of 1951 was sold for CHF 3.2 M including premium by Antiquorum in Geneva (source: Vox, the magazine of Antiquorum, early 2003 issue).
1954 A Watch for the King of Kings
2017 SOLD for CHF 2.9M including premium
A Patek Philippe wrist watch with a prestigious provenance from the King of Kings had been unexpectedly withdrawn just before a sale by Christie's in Geneva in November 2015. It is now offered in the same place on May 15, lot 166 estimated in excess of CHF 500K.
I discussed it as follows in 2015 :
Patek Philippe is attentive to meet the specific requirements of its customers and lists all its outputs in its ledgers but an impeccable confidentiality still allows breathtaking discoveries several decades later.
The watch that just surfaced was manufactured in 1954 on a special order from an Italian pilot, pioneer of the use of aviation for the modernization of Africa, who immediately presented it to His Majesty Haile Selassie. The Emperor of Ethiopia in turn departed from it a few years later for a diplomatic gift.
The King of Kings. while claiming an affiliation to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, was one of the most important political figures of his continent. He targeted the social improvement of Africa and was a successful opponent to fascism.
This watch is a 2497, which is a variant without chronograph pusher of the prestigious 2499. It is a military watch, meaning a particular attention to the legibility of its Arabic numerals and an increased width of the hands. It has some highly rare features for a Patek Philippe of that period such as the alpha shape of the hands and the auto-luminescence of numerals and hands.
This watch probably unique of its kind had never been opened and even widely preserves the fragile chemical paste that ensures its luminescence.
I discussed it as follows in 2015 :
Patek Philippe is attentive to meet the specific requirements of its customers and lists all its outputs in its ledgers but an impeccable confidentiality still allows breathtaking discoveries several decades later.
The watch that just surfaced was manufactured in 1954 on a special order from an Italian pilot, pioneer of the use of aviation for the modernization of Africa, who immediately presented it to His Majesty Haile Selassie. The Emperor of Ethiopia in turn departed from it a few years later for a diplomatic gift.
The King of Kings. while claiming an affiliation to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, was one of the most important political figures of his continent. He targeted the social improvement of Africa and was a successful opponent to fascism.
This watch is a 2497, which is a variant without chronograph pusher of the prestigious 2499. It is a military watch, meaning a particular attention to the legibility of its Arabic numerals and an increased width of the hands. It has some highly rare features for a Patek Philippe of that period such as the alpha shape of the hands and the auto-luminescence of numerals and hands.
This watch probably unique of its kind had never been opened and even widely preserves the fragile chemical paste that ensures its luminescence.
1954 Prestige in White Gold
2017 SOLD for CHF 2.3M including premium
In the high end Patek Philippe watches from the 1950s, the reference 2497 is beside the 2499 chronograph whose case and dial are very similar in their basic versions.
The brand made much expectations in the 2497. Breaking with its practice of sequentially numbering the elements, it reserved for this model and its waterproof version 2438/1 two hundred movement numbers, from 888,000 to 888,199. Only 115 of these numbers were used for the 2497 which is one of the rarest serially produced Patek Philippe watches.
Scarcity does not prevent the existence of variants. Made by special order for a client who wanted to honor Emperor Haile Selassie, a 2497 assembled in 1954 with a military dial was sold for CHF 2.9M including premium by Christie's on May 15, 2017.
For a long time the wealthy customers demanded only yellow or pink gold cases. Only three 2497 were made in white gold. Without much success ! One of them also assembled in 1954 waited a customer for nine years in the available stocks of Patek Philippe.
This watch has the classic mid-1950s dial with Arabic numerals for some hours. Curiously a magnifier is integrated in the plexi crystal to better see the day and date, a feature which was not regularly proposed by Patek Philippe in its day. Even more rare, a groove in the case facilitates the access of the user to the corrector button without undoing the bracelet. Although the catalog does not consider this hypothesis, a special production is possible for an elderly client who could not take possession of his order.
This white gold 2497 is for sale by Phillips in Geneva on November 12, lot 231 estimated CHF 1.5M. The blog of the auction house reminds that it was auctioned for a similar price in 2005 (I did not find another information on this ancient result). It stays in an excellent original condition.
The brand made much expectations in the 2497. Breaking with its practice of sequentially numbering the elements, it reserved for this model and its waterproof version 2438/1 two hundred movement numbers, from 888,000 to 888,199. Only 115 of these numbers were used for the 2497 which is one of the rarest serially produced Patek Philippe watches.
Scarcity does not prevent the existence of variants. Made by special order for a client who wanted to honor Emperor Haile Selassie, a 2497 assembled in 1954 with a military dial was sold for CHF 2.9M including premium by Christie's on May 15, 2017.
For a long time the wealthy customers demanded only yellow or pink gold cases. Only three 2497 were made in white gold. Without much success ! One of them also assembled in 1954 waited a customer for nine years in the available stocks of Patek Philippe.
This watch has the classic mid-1950s dial with Arabic numerals for some hours. Curiously a magnifier is integrated in the plexi crystal to better see the day and date, a feature which was not regularly proposed by Patek Philippe in its day. Even more rare, a groove in the case facilitates the access of the user to the corrector button without undoing the bracelet. Although the catalog does not consider this hypothesis, a special production is possible for an elderly client who could not take possession of his order.
This white gold 2497 is for sale by Phillips in Geneva on November 12, lot 231 estimated CHF 1.5M. The blog of the auction house reminds that it was auctioned for a similar price in 2005 (I did not find another information on this ancient result). It stays in an excellent original condition.
1955 America and World
2012 SOLD 2.8 MCHF including premium
2523HU is one of the most prestigious references in the history of Patek Philippe. Realized on a principle developed by a Swiss watchmaker before the Second World War, this World Time watch indicates the time in major cities around the world by a system of rotating circles.
We already know this model in this group. A very nice copy, in excellent condition, went at auction at Christie's on November 15, 2010. This pink gold watch with a beautiful blue enamel dial, made in 1953 and sold in 1957, reached CHF 2.7 million including premium on an estimate of CHF 1.5 M.
For this reference, the copies with the figures of the continents are slightly less rare than with monochrome dials. These variants may display Europe, North America or (known as a single specimen) South America.
A North America (including Central America and Cuba) in pristine condition is estimated CHF 1.6 million, for sale by Christie's in Geneva on May 14. The dial is a superb polychrome cloisonné enamel. Already in 1955, it had been successful: unlike the monochrome copy mentioned above, it was sold the very year of its manufacture.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, CHF 2.8 million including premium, is consistent with the other result cited in my article. Both watches were in perfect condition.
Another prestigious model by Patek Philippe got also a great price in the same sale: CHF 2.55 million including premium for a reference 2499 manufactured in 1950.
We already know this model in this group. A very nice copy, in excellent condition, went at auction at Christie's on November 15, 2010. This pink gold watch with a beautiful blue enamel dial, made in 1953 and sold in 1957, reached CHF 2.7 million including premium on an estimate of CHF 1.5 M.
For this reference, the copies with the figures of the continents are slightly less rare than with monochrome dials. These variants may display Europe, North America or (known as a single specimen) South America.
A North America (including Central America and Cuba) in pristine condition is estimated CHF 1.6 million, for sale by Christie's in Geneva on May 14. The dial is a superb polychrome cloisonné enamel. Already in 1955, it had been successful: unlike the monochrome copy mentioned above, it was sold the very year of its manufacture.
Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, CHF 2.8 million including premium, is consistent with the other result cited in my article. Both watches were in perfect condition.
Another prestigious model by Patek Philippe got also a great price in the same sale: CHF 2.55 million including premium for a reference 2499 manufactured in 1950.
1957 World Time in Geneva
2010 SOLD 2.7 MCHF including premium
In the early 1930s, Louis Cottier, son of a watchmaker of Carouge, developed the prototype of a world time watch. He thus realized an idea on which his father had worked when the time zones were standardized half a century earlier.
The Heures Universelles watch of Cottier is a masterpiece of simplicity for the user to read.
The central dial is classic, with time indicated by two hands. Around this dial is inserted a rotating bezel marked with the 24 hours, day and night being differentiated. A fixed outer ring shows the names of world cities. Just read the position of the bezel in front of the city to identify the time in that location.
In Geneva, the success of Cottier's invention was total: at the end of the 1930s, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Agassiz, Rolex offered world time watches. These models of wristwatches became the best chic with the rise of aviation, telephone, radio. The story is complicated since some countries use daylight saving time and winter time, but a few major brands still include in their catalogs some models on this principle.
On April 13, 2002, Antiquorum sold in Geneva CHF 6.6 million including premium a platinum 1415HU Patek Philippe created by 1939. In October of that year (2002), the same auction house recorded CHF 1.76 million including premium on a copy of the model 2523HU started in 1953, also by Patek Philippe.
For sale by Christie's in Geneva on November 15, another 2523HU has three qualities that let it expecting to exceed its estimate of CHF 1.5 M.
It is made in pink gold. Its central enamelled dial is a nice royal blue, plain (not illustrated with a map as were many other examples) with only the identification of Patek Philippe Genève and of the retailer Gobbi Milano. It is new on the market, having not been seen since Gobbi sold it in 1957.
POST SALE COMMENT
Christie's had perfectly explained why this watch was exceptional, and I expected it to go further than the lower estimate. Done: sold CHF 2.7 million including premium, it approached the higher estimate.
The Heures Universelles watch of Cottier is a masterpiece of simplicity for the user to read.
The central dial is classic, with time indicated by two hands. Around this dial is inserted a rotating bezel marked with the 24 hours, day and night being differentiated. A fixed outer ring shows the names of world cities. Just read the position of the bezel in front of the city to identify the time in that location.
In Geneva, the success of Cottier's invention was total: at the end of the 1930s, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Agassiz, Rolex offered world time watches. These models of wristwatches became the best chic with the rise of aviation, telephone, radio. The story is complicated since some countries use daylight saving time and winter time, but a few major brands still include in their catalogs some models on this principle.
On April 13, 2002, Antiquorum sold in Geneva CHF 6.6 million including premium a platinum 1415HU Patek Philippe created by 1939. In October of that year (2002), the same auction house recorded CHF 1.76 million including premium on a copy of the model 2523HU started in 1953, also by Patek Philippe.
For sale by Christie's in Geneva on November 15, another 2523HU has three qualities that let it expecting to exceed its estimate of CHF 1.5 M.
It is made in pink gold. Its central enamelled dial is a nice royal blue, plain (not illustrated with a map as were many other examples) with only the identification of Patek Philippe Genève and of the retailer Gobbi Milano. It is new on the market, having not been seen since Gobbi sold it in 1957.
POST SALE COMMENT
Christie's had perfectly explained why this watch was exceptional, and I expected it to go further than the lower estimate. Done: sold CHF 2.7 million including premium, it approached the higher estimate.
1966 Time around the World
2016 SOLD for HK$ 19.5M including premium
The improvement of telecommunication and transportation creates new needs. The invention of Louis Cottier allows to equip wristwatches with the Heures Universelles function (HU), World Time in English.
The stationary bezel displaying the names of 41 cities around the Earth is set so that the reference city is positioned at 12 o'clock. Just inside the bezel, a disc indicating the hours in Arabic numerals rotates counterclockwise. The knowledge of the time in any of the 41 cities is direct and simultaneous.
Patek Philippe uses the Cottier patent from 1937 in the 96HU and 515HU models. The reference 1415HU appears in 1939. An exceptional 1415HU made in 1939 in platinum was sold on April 13, 2002 by Antiquorum for CHF 6.6M worth at that time US $ 4.4 million, including premium.
From 1948 Patek Philippe offers as an option for the World Time watches an enamel dial with a figure of a continental map. A very rare 1415HU with Eurasia made in 1949 is estimated $ 600K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on June 8, lot 213.
The 2523HU is released in 1953. The names of the cities have now left the stationary bezel for an adjustable ring between the bezel and the disc of the hours, allowing to easily change the time reference when traveling. Here are two results including premium by Christie's : CHF 2.7M on November 15, 2010 and CHF 2.8M on May 14, 2012.
The 2523 is too expensive and some mechanisms were left unused. Its 2523/1 evolution launched in 1957 is an attempt to simplify the assembly by changing the design of the lugs. Once more the customers do not follow and both variants are extremely rare. A 2523/1 assembled in yellow gold in 1965 and sold by the brand in 1973 was sold for CHF 1.12M including premium by Christie's on May 16, 2016.
A 2523/1 in pink gold and guilloché dial assembled in 1966 and sold by the brand in 1973 is estimated HK $ 12M for sale by Phillips in Hong Kong on May 31, lot 373.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
Phillips : HK$ 19.5M
Sotheby's : $ 730K
The stationary bezel displaying the names of 41 cities around the Earth is set so that the reference city is positioned at 12 o'clock. Just inside the bezel, a disc indicating the hours in Arabic numerals rotates counterclockwise. The knowledge of the time in any of the 41 cities is direct and simultaneous.
Patek Philippe uses the Cottier patent from 1937 in the 96HU and 515HU models. The reference 1415HU appears in 1939. An exceptional 1415HU made in 1939 in platinum was sold on April 13, 2002 by Antiquorum for CHF 6.6M worth at that time US $ 4.4 million, including premium.
From 1948 Patek Philippe offers as an option for the World Time watches an enamel dial with a figure of a continental map. A very rare 1415HU with Eurasia made in 1949 is estimated $ 600K for sale by Sotheby's in New York on June 8, lot 213.
The 2523HU is released in 1953. The names of the cities have now left the stationary bezel for an adjustable ring between the bezel and the disc of the hours, allowing to easily change the time reference when traveling. Here are two results including premium by Christie's : CHF 2.7M on November 15, 2010 and CHF 2.8M on May 14, 2012.
The 2523 is too expensive and some mechanisms were left unused. Its 2523/1 evolution launched in 1957 is an attempt to simplify the assembly by changing the design of the lugs. Once more the customers do not follow and both variants are extremely rare. A 2523/1 assembled in yellow gold in 1965 and sold by the brand in 1973 was sold for CHF 1.12M including premium by Christie's on May 16, 2016.
A 2523/1 in pink gold and guilloché dial assembled in 1966 and sold by the brand in 1973 is estimated HK $ 12M for sale by Phillips in Hong Kong on May 31, lot 373.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM
Phillips : HK$ 19.5M
Sotheby's : $ 730K
1971 A Perfect 2499
2017 SOLD for CHF 2.8M including premium
On November 12 in Geneva, Phillips sells as lot 187 a highly desirable Patek Philippe wristwatch estimated CHF 1.5M : high-end model, prestigious metal, pristine condition, variant in the dial.
Introduced in 1941 with reference 1518, the perpetual calendar chronograph is a useful complication that meets the expectations of wealthy users. The great success of this combination continued up to current day with new references among which the 2499 lasted 34 years from 1951 to 1985. The later references are 3970, 5970 and 5270.
The piece that comes for sale is a watch from the third series of the model 2499 for which an advance was made in the elegance of the dial, with the marks of the seconds pushed away to the periphery. With this series the baton marks sometimes applied on the previous series for the hours are systematically replacing the Arabic numerals.
This watch features a variant in the dial which is exceptionally rare including a simplification of the batons plus pretty arrows at 3, 5, 7 and 9 o'clock where the full length of the baton should come in conflict with the position of the sub-dials.
It is one of only six known in pink gold from the third series. The pink gold is particularly sought after by collectors of this model. Reminding two prices for the first series : CHF 3.2M including premium by Antiquorum in October 2002 (at that time the Swiss franc was less expensive than today) and CHF 2.63M including premium by Christie's on November 9, 2014.
Made in 1971 the watch for the next sale has been preserved for almost half a century in a sensational mint condition.
Introduced in 1941 with reference 1518, the perpetual calendar chronograph is a useful complication that meets the expectations of wealthy users. The great success of this combination continued up to current day with new references among which the 2499 lasted 34 years from 1951 to 1985. The later references are 3970, 5970 and 5270.
The piece that comes for sale is a watch from the third series of the model 2499 for which an advance was made in the elegance of the dial, with the marks of the seconds pushed away to the periphery. With this series the baton marks sometimes applied on the previous series for the hours are systematically replacing the Arabic numerals.
This watch features a variant in the dial which is exceptionally rare including a simplification of the batons plus pretty arrows at 3, 5, 7 and 9 o'clock where the full length of the baton should come in conflict with the position of the sub-dials.
It is one of only six known in pink gold from the third series. The pink gold is particularly sought after by collectors of this model. Reminding two prices for the first series : CHF 3.2M including premium by Antiquorum in October 2002 (at that time the Swiss franc was less expensive than today) and CHF 2.63M including premium by Christie's on November 9, 2014.
Made in 1971 the watch for the next sale has been preserved for almost half a century in a sensational mint condition.
