It is always a pleasure to introduce a never-before-seen timepiece to the market, when however said timepiece is a pink gold Patek Philippe ref. 2508 in almost new-old-stock condition, pleasure gives way to sheer exhilaration.
The present fresh-to-the-market piece represents indeed one of such incredibly rare occasions. Freshly discovered in Italy, it is truly a textbook example of how such a watch would look like when lying in the display of a shop in the 1950s. All factory finishes are perfectly unmolested, the “waterproof” sticker to the back is present. Even the bracelet is the original one, obviously never used and still featuring the original paper sale tag.
We are in the presence of a timepiece that would make the most demanding purist cry in awe - and a unique opportunity for any enthusiast of the field.
Launched in 1951, at 35.5mm reference 2508 was quite a large timepiece for the time, when typical gentlemen’s wristwatches measured a mere 33mm diameter. The model 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 on a small minority of vintage Patek Philippe’s production. Reference 2508 most notably features center seconds, powered by the calibre 27SC (SC for Secondes au Centre), one of the most appreciated vintage, manually-wound, center seconds calibers made by any manufacturer. The caliber 27SC also serves the base for the movements used in some of the most hallowed complicated Patek Philippe vintage models such as the reference 2497. The Taubert-sourced case features the gently downturned and curvaceous lugs seen on the venerable reference 1463.