195
Patek Philippe
Ref. 1436
"Tiffany & Co."
An extremely rare, refined and important yellow gold split-seconds wristwatch, retailed by Tiffany & Co.
Full-Cataloguing
- Split seconds chronograph
- Fresh to the market
- Highly sought-after variation with Tiffany-signed dial; with only 5 other examples confirmed
- First Series example with crown acting as split-second pusher
- Bearing the highly collectible misspelling “Phillipe” buckle
Reference 1436 is one of the most elegant, rare, important and collectible vintage Patek Philippe models. Introduced in 1938, to this day it is considered one of the most refined — both aesthetically and technically - models ever produced by the firm. Not only does it represent an ineffable merging of design and watchmaking proficiency, it is furthermore one of the scarcest models made by the brand. Given the difficulty of assembling a split-second movement, research suggests that the total output for the model is approximately 140 examples, produced throughout the reference's approximate 33 years of manufacture. That means an average of 4 watches per year. This is an exceedingly limited number, even by the production standards of the mid-to-late 20th century.
While Second Series examples feature a co-axial button within the crown, earlier pieces (First Series) feature a crown which also acts as split-second pusher, making the watch one of the stealthiest treasures of vintage watch collecting.
Incredibly enough, the present piece represents a higher collecting tier than a “standard” First Series 1436. As apparent at first glance, it bears a Tiffany & Co.-signed dial, with the retailer signature above the brand. Interestingly, another 1436 with movement number 868980 was also sold at auction with a Tiffany & Co. dial, meaning that they were most probably delivered together as a batch.
One of the most important collaborations in the history of watchmaking, the relationship between Tiffany and Patek goes back more than one-and-a-half centuries and resulted in some of the most important timepieces in history. Testament to this iron-clad relationship is the fact that today Tiffany is the only retailer who is allowed to have their name on the dial alongside “Patek Philippe”.
A final layer of intrigue comes from the “Patek Phillipe” buckle. It is well known that the American hardware supplier made a batch of these incorrectly signed buckles; the mistake was not noticed and the buckles made it to the market. As it often happens in the instance of commercial mistakes - especially on the part of a company as devoted to perfection as Patek Philippe - nowadays these buckles are highly collectible on their own.
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.