196Σ︎
Patek Philippe
Ref. 1463
"Pulsation Dial - Freccero"
An extremely uncommon, highly attractive and superbly collectible pink gold chronograph wristwatch with pulsometer scale, retailed by Freccero; one of three known
Full-Cataloguing
- Chronograph
- Case in pink gold, the rarest material for the model; dial co-signed by Freccero and featuring a pulsometer scale
- One of 3 pieces known in this configuration
- Preserved in excellent condition
One of the most intriguing and collectible examples of reference 1463 to come to auction, the present piece is distinguished by three very attractive traits, beyond its exquisite condition: it is in pink gold, the dial is co-signed by Freccero, and it features an extremely rare pulsometer scale, confirmed by the Patek Philippe archives. Having surfaced only once on the public market in 2005, it is an honor for Phillips to make this treasure available to a new generation of collectors, more than 2 decades after its last appearance.
Rose gold appears to be the most difficult-to-source case material for the model: out of the circa 270 examples appeared at public auction, about 145 are cased in yellow gold, around 75 in steel and only little more than 50 examples in pink gold are known.
The dial is wonderfully preserved and it was made with two different techniques- as often seen in the case of Patek Philippe dials with special scales and/or retailer signature of the time. The Patek signature, the graphics of the subsidiary counters, and the railway divisions (thus amounting to a standard dial without scale) are engraved/enameled. The pulsometer scale and retailer signature are printed. This is a consequence of the production methodology of such dials: most likely, the company had an amount of blank dials engraved/enameled with the basic graphics, and they would later print on them retailer signature and scales as required by the specific commission.
Freccero was based in Montevideo, Uruguay and is known in the collectors’ circles as one of the most sought-after retailer signatures which can be found on a dial. This is due to the fact that the company retailed some of the most landmark watch models of the past century, thus rising to the pinnacle of importance in the minds of collectors. This is further boosted by the rarity of Freccero-signed pieces; for example, only 9 such examples of ref. 1463 are known from the auction market. It is important to point out how the taste of the time in South America heavily focused on rose gold. Thus, of the 9 Freccero 1463, 7 are in rose gold, and only 3 of them are confirmed bearing a pulsometer scale.
These characteristics amount to a “perfect storm” for the collector of rare vintage pieces, who will immediately recognize the present watch as one of the most unusual, important and collectible examples of the model to ever appear at auction.
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.