The “1518” has been a reference point for high-end Patek Philippe collectors since the very beginning of the field. Its status has only strengthened in recent years, thanks to the knowledge about important timepieces becoming more and more widespread. Any watch enthusiast today knows that it is the first perpetual calendar/chronograph made in series by the company, that it is incredibly scarce (with a total production of 281 pieces) and that if owning a yellow gold version is an aspirational dream for most people, variations in different metals are, without exaggerating, stellar timepieces. Only the most dedicated collectors - often after years or even decades of efforts - manage to make their way into the “pink 1518” club, given the fact that at any given time it can count a few dozens members at most.
The present timepiece is indeed a representative of this rarefied category, as it bears a pink gold case, furthermore preserved in stellar condition. Not only it retains its original “blank” crown (while service replacements bear the Calatrava cross); the lugs are as full as the connoisseur would expect, the pinholes for removing the bars are well defined and do not present rounding to their edges and the satin finish to the band is wonderfully preserved. Most notably, the hallmark found on the band of the watch - a location obviously very sensitive to polishing - is incredibly crisp and deep, testament to the superior condition of this case.
The dial features a subtle but important peculiarity: it is fully engraved/enameled. This is not always the case, as it is quite common to find dials with most of the graphics enameled, but the outer scale printed - and obviously cost-conscious solution, which allows at the same time less labor on a single dial, and the possibility of having “simple” engraved dial which can be stamped with the appropriate scale as needed. In this instance, instead, the tachymeter scale is also engraved enameled, making this dial much more rare and important than its peers with printed scale, and also much more costly to produce in the first place.
It is furthermore highlighted by its superb condition, featuring its original engraved/enamel graphics. A detail which will impress the most jaded connoisseur is that day, month and moon discs are the original 1940s one, all the three of them bearing the full movement number engraved to the back. This is just a little short of miraculous as it is common occurrence on such models to find at least one of them changed with a service one, as it was a standard Patek Philippe procedure during service.
From a provenance point of view the watch does not disappoint either. It has been residing in one of the world’s most important collection since the last time it appeared at public auction in 2005, nearly 20 years ago, and it had previously appeared on the market - of course in the same configuration - also in 1991 and 1990. This allows us to pinpoint its location over the course of the past 32 years and cements its status as one of the most studied and appreciated pink gold examples of the reference. Highlighting the “ultimate watch” status of the pink 1518, it is worth noting that a sibling of this watch, with case and movement numbers only 1 digit away from the present example, was sold by Phillips at our inaugural Geneva Watch Auction 1 sale and it now resides in the OAK collection, one of the most important vintage Patek Philippe collections in the world.
The iconic 1518 has always been considered a stellar timepiece, but in recent times its monumental collectability and importance has being truly understood and its status as Ultimate Grail unarguably recognised by the collector’s community.
