206
Patek Philippe
Ref. 1518
An impressive and important yellow gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moonphases
Full-Cataloguing
- Perpetual calendar, chronograph, moonphases
- Exceptional unrestored “long signature” dial, fully retaining all the original graphics
- Large calendar windows
- It appeared only once before on the market, 14 years ago
One of the first “grail” models and recognized by the market as an absolute masterpiece, the 1518 was the world’s first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, created by one of horology’s greatest powerhouses. Launched in 1941, its technical achievement remains remarkable more than eight decades later, as does the understated elegance of its design.
This particular ref. 1518 can be considered a true “scholastic” model by virtue of its spectacular dial. Never restored or washed, its graphics reach to us "as originally intended" by the company. Importantly, Patek Philippe dials of this era (and up to the 1970s), feature the famed “engraved/enameled” graphics: the graphics are first hand-etched onto the dial plate, then the resulting grooves are filled with enamel and the dial is kiln-fired - resulting in extremely durable glass-like material. Enormously costly - and thus abandoned during the quartz crisis - such dials were reserved for the most important models of the house.
In this instance, all the details are perfectly preserved without alteration, including those often lost to time such as the comma, accent and underline of Co.
Furthermore, it features the charming, sought-after and more complex long variation of the signature: “Patek Philippe & Co”, as expected from a 1945 example: in around 1947/1948, the company gradually transitioned to a more modern and compact format: “Patek Philippe”. It is important to appreciate the complexity of the details present in the elided “& Co”: while indeed a minor detail in the overall design, most likely neither the balance sheets nor the artisans were particularly bothered by such simplification.
Other details typical of earlier models and later lost to the modernization of the design are the larger calendar windows, the more compressed “BASE 1000” calibration and the presence of more prominent serifs.
This horological treasure appeared only once before on the auction market: in November 2012. 14 years later, we are honored and delighted to be entrusted with the second public surfacing of this superb 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.