97Σ︎
Patek Philippe
Ref. 1526
A very fine yellow gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with moonphases "double circle"
Full-Cataloguing
- Perpetual calendar
- Early version of the very first perpetual calendar wristwatch made in series
Patek Philippe’s groundbreaking reference 1526 is a landmark model, being the very first serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatch. Launched in 1941 and produced until 1952, it set a new standard for the brand and established the blueprint for future perpetual calendar references.
The apparent simplicity of the case and dial belies the intricately complicated movement, which mechanically calculates the length of each month throughout the year while also accounting for leap years. During its production run, only 210 examples of reference 1526 were made, the vast majority in yellow gold, a very limited number in pink gold, and only one known example in stainless steel. The case was crafted by Emile Vichet, renowned for producing the legendary cases of the reference 1518 and many of the early series reference 2499.
The present example features the characteristic double-ring layout around the moonphase aperture: the inner ring indicating the running seconds and the outer ring displaying the date of the month.
Patek Philippe
Swiss | 1839Since 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.