8040
Patek Philippe
A fine and unusual yellow gold openface keyless minute repeating pocket watch with small seconds and enamel dial
- Estimate
- HK$100,000 - 200,000€11,000 - 21,900$12,800 - 25,600
HK$152,400
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Patek Philippe
- Year
- 1909, Switzerland
- Movement No
- 156’588
- Case No
- 255’705
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Manual, 18’’’ lever escapement
- Dimensions
- 48.5mm diameter
- Signed
- Case, dial, movement and cuvette signed
- Accessories
- Delivered with Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming its date of manufacture of the present timepiece in 1909, its subsequent date of sale on 22nd September 1919 and the case was provided by the customer.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
- Patek Philippe has long been at the forefront of repeater movements, with their mechanisms finely tuned to ensure a rich, clear tone. A marvel to behold when striking, the movement has served as both a work of art and a functional tool since the 19th century.
- The present watch is far from a standard repeating pocket watch. According to the Extract of the Archives, the case was provided by the customer at the time of purchase. It bears both the Swiss assay mark for 18K gold (the Helvetia) and the French import mark for 18K gold (the Owl), confirming that the watch case was imported into France and used to create this piece in Switzerland.
- The reason Patek Philippe chose to have cases made outside their usual suppliers and in a different country in this case remains unclear. One possibility is suggested by the engraving “R.H.W.” on the caseback where the original owner may have specifically requested this case to house a Patek Philippe movement. While the true reason for the existence of Patek Philippe pieces with outsourced cases may forever remain a mystery, their intellectual allure and supreme rarity undoubtedly make them as intriguing as they are collectible.
- Additionally, the watch serves as a sentimental gift, as the cuvette was later engraved in 1959, possibly as a present for the owner’s son, adding another layer of significance to this remarkable timepiece.
- The present watch is far from a standard repeating pocket watch. According to the Extract of the Archives, the case was provided by the customer at the time of purchase. It bears both the Swiss assay mark for 18K gold (the Helvetia) and the French import mark for 18K gold (the Owl), confirming that the watch case was imported into France and used to create this piece in Switzerland.
- The reason Patek Philippe chose to have cases made outside their usual suppliers and in a different country in this case remains unclear. One possibility is suggested by the engraving “R.H.W.” on the caseback where the original owner may have specifically requested this case to house a Patek Philippe movement. While the true reason for the existence of Patek Philippe pieces with outsourced cases may forever remain a mystery, their intellectual allure and supreme rarity undoubtedly make them as intriguing as they are collectible.
- Additionally, the watch serves as a sentimental gift, as the cuvette was later engraved in 1959, possibly as a present for the owner’s son, adding another layer of significance to this remarkable timepiece.
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.
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