Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: Circa 1930s Reference No: 130 Movement No: 863’092 Case No: 653’999 Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 13”’, 23 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle Dimensions: 33mm diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Literature: A similar example is illustrated in Patek Philippe Steel Watches, John Goldberger, pg. 228-229
Catalogue Essay
With a heritage of manufacturing some of the most important chronograph references ever, vintage Patek Philippe chronographs are on a class of its own. The reference 130 is widely regarded by collectors of where it all began. Being the very first serially produced chronograph wristwatch under the helms of the new owners, the Stern family, the ref. 130 was officially launched two years under the acquisition in 1934.
Inspired from its Calatrava models, the ref. 130 was first released as a monopusher chronograph and later with start/stop and reset pushers. The reference was made available in yellow gold, pink gold and stainless steel and a small number of rare examples in other metals. With its stainless steel examples much rarer than its gold counterparts, the three piece snapback case were made by three different casemakers at the time including Wenger, Croisier and Dubois. It is estimated that only 270 examples of the reference in stainless steel were ever produced from 1934 – 1964, with circa 100 examples known to the public.
Few chronographs of the 20th century enjoy such iconic status amongst scholars and collectors as reference 130 does. In fact, its shape and dial design could be from anywhere between the second half of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Few believe that they’re looking at a watch spanning three quarters of a century of age.
The present example Patek Philippe ref. 130 in stainless steel with Arabic and nipple indexes is a wonderful example from the third series with a case made by Wenger identifiable via the absence of pinholes.
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.
