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Patek Philippe
Ref. 605
A very well preserved and fresh to the market pink gold worldtime pocket watch with salmon dial
Full-Cataloguing
- Worldtime
- One of only 3 pieces known in pink gold, salmon dial and silver city ring
- Fresh to the auction market
Of the 5 known pink gold ref 605 with salmon dial only 2 were known to feature a silver city disc (the others had a salmon city disc). The present example is fresh to the auction market and is consequently the 6th known ref 605 in pink gold and the 3rd with silver city ring make it a truly covetable collector piece.
In the early 1930s, celebrated Geneva watchmaker Louis Cottier (1894-1966) invented a functional complication that would allow the wearer to instantaneously know the time in 42 different cities. Designed to be simple to operate, the local or mean time is set through the crown (the 24 hour ring will revolve in the opposite direction to the hands). The two-tone, 24-hour ring indicates world locations that are in night time by the grey section and daytime by the silvered section.
By the late 1930’s travel was becoming more common and some of the most prestigious watchmakers such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Rolex presented this complication in pocket or wristwatches.
Reference 605 represents the Patek Philippe pocket incarnation of the World Time (Heures Universelles) mechanism invented by Louis Cottier. Between 1930 and 1964, Cottier delivered to Patek Philippe 95 modified 17-170 movements (considered one of the best time only movements of its time), most of them employed in ref. 605, rendering this an astoundingly rare model with a total output below 100 pieces.
The present example in pink gold with salmon dial is in absolutely superb condition with minor oxidation on the bezel and no service marks inside the caseback.
The balance bridge is engraved HOX meaning the watch was destined for the American market.
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.