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Patek Philippe

Ref. 2508

Calatrava étanche

A fine and very rare yellow gold wristwatch with center seconds, luminous dial and screw back

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Launched in 1951, reference 2508 was quite a large timepiece, considering the fashion of the time. Boasting a 35.5mm case, the watch was intended for a more intensive and professional use than the usual Patek Philippe dress watch, even featuring a screw-down case back, enabling the watch to be water resistant - a feature found in a small minority of the vintage Patek Philippe production. Reference 2508 most notably features center seconds thanks to calibre 27SC (SC for Secondes au Centre), unarguably one of the most appreciated vintage manually-wound center seconds calibers made by any manufacturer (and the base for the movements used in some of the most hallowed complicated Patek Philippe vintage pieces such as ref. 2497).

The present example is fresh to the market and offered by a distinguished Swiss lady. The watch was treated with utmost respect throughout its entire life and has only recently undergone a conservative restoration at Patek Philippe which brought both case and dial back to their original splendour. The presence of luminous numerals - confirmed by the Patek Philippe archives - is an additional layer of appeal for the connoisseur of fine timepieces.

Patek Philippe

Swiss | 1839

Since 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.

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