33
Patek Philippe
A highly rare and attractive yellow gold rectangular wristwatch with champagne dial, luminous hands and numerals
Full-Cataloguing
Most notably, the case is incredibly large for the period. At 30 millimeters in width and 43 millimeters in length, it hugs the wrist perfectly. It was a very rare occurrence for any watchmaker to produce a wristwatch of this size, making the present lot an anomaly.
Furthermore, its fantastic state of preservation cannot be understated. Considering that this watch did not have a water resistant screw-down caseback, one would expect the dial to be heavily spotted or tarnished. Indeed, many similar models of this size and from the period have undergone heavy restorations - to present one in such original condition is very noteworthy.
Interestingly, the caseback displays the engraving "Presented to James E. Stiles by his friends in appreciation of his ability, foresight and progressiveness in the creation of the Nassau Daily Review today celebrating its sixth anniversary March 7, 1927." Further research reveals that James E. Stiles was a publisher of The Nassau Daily Review-Star and was an active member of the Nassau community, having served in the Red Cross Road Fund.
Its provenance is particularly impressive, having been offered in the historical The Art of Patek Philippe sale on April 9, 1989.
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.