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Patek Philippe
Ref. 531JR, The only known example
The only known and highly rare two-tone yellow gold and pink gold wristwatch with center seconds and hooded lugs
Full-Cataloguing
- The only known two tone ref. 531 to appear
- Long Patek Philippe signature
- Confirmed by the Extract from the Archives
- Away from the auction market for 21 years
Reference 531 is one of those Patek Philippe numbers that barely exists as a series at all. Within the vanishingly small number of examples, the present watch is the only known two-tone example to have appeared. After twenty one years away from the auction market and confirmed by the Extract from the Archives, it is not simply another scarce vintage Patek. It is a document of how Patek Philippe worked when a client, or a designer, asked the maison to interpret the period’s architecture in gold.
Sized at 33mm, its fancy hooded lugs and a crown in pink gold give the watch its two-tone character against the yellow gold. Hooded lugs were never a default Patek solution; they belong to a small family of 1930s and 1940s cases in which the lug is drawn forward over the strap like a visor, compressing the silhouette and giving the watch a more architectural and sculptural presence.
A chemin de fer minute track runs the minutes, across the upper half of the dial sits the correct long Patek Philippe signature. Still carrying the raised hard enamel that collectors look for, the marker are in stick and pearl form with 12 and 6 o’clock in numerals. Feuille hands complete the composition with blued centre seconds.
Only one other unique example in yellow gold is recorded. Made for Richard Bordenache, the Romanian architect. The dial reads Cette montre a été faite par Patek Philippe & Co. sur dessin de Mr Richard Bordenache 1938 surrounding its hours, a minute track was etched on the bezel.
There were never enough of them for the market to teach itself what “typical” looks like. This one, the only two-tone example known is certainly one that should not be missed.
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.