1072
Patek Philippe
A large, rare and of incredible quality, pink gold openface watch with repoussé work depicting 'Enlevement d'Europe', original certificate and fitted presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
The present open face watch displays "Enlevement d'Europe", a favored History Painting scene, which is engraved on the case back. This mythological narrative was often depicted by the masters, ranging from Peter Paul Rubens to Titian. The scene shows Zeus’s seduction and capture of Europa. She is carried away in by a bull, while her friends and cherubs remain on the shore, horrified.
This example absolutely stands out due to its pristine state of preservation. The enamel has no cracks, and is free of visible imperfections. The painstaking chase work has been untouched in its over-a-century lifespan, which is extremely remarkable, especially since this watch retains its original Certificate of Origin and fitted presentation box.
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.