Patek Philippe - The New York Watch Auction: EIGHT New York Saturday, June 10, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
    Year: 1952
    Reference No: 725-2
    Movement No: 931’082
    Case No: 668’664
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 17-170, 18 jewels
    Dimensions: 46mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1952, and its subsequent sale on November 12, 1954.

  • Catalogue Essay

    From their earliest beginnings in the 19th century, Patek Philippe was at the forefront of quality workmanship and timeless elegance with pocket watches as their main selling product until the rise of wristwatches in the early 20th-century. Today, wristwatches attract the most attention, however their production of complicated pocket watches is incomparable. Through the decades, they produced openface and hunter cased watches in a variety of designs and fashions from plain cased to intricately enamelled watches that command significant results at auction. The reference 725 is part of a line of perpetual calendar pocket watches produced from the early 1940s with the DNA of Patek Philippe’s iconic wristwatch references such as the 1518, 1526, 2497, and 2499. It was offered in a variety of dial configurations with known reference variants of 725-1, 725-2, 725-3, and 725-4, and encased in yellow gold, pink gold, and platinum.

    Beginning in the 1940s the “Bell Pendant” reference 706 was released, followed by the references 715 and 725 like the present watch, which is one of only 10 known yellow gold reference 725-2 examples. With a contemporary and sleek 46mm case, all variants of the reference 725 were housed in Wenger-made cases – the same maker for the vast majority of reference 2499 wristwatches. The -2 dial variant places the leap year indication at the 12 o’clock position with each of the four year sectors containing the months of the year.

    The present example is in excellent overall condition and accompanied by the Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming its production in 1952. This extraordinary pocket watch is a wonderful example of the traditional workmanship of a bygone era, and a rare opportunity for the connoisseur.

  • Artist Biography

    Patek Philippe

    Swiss • 1839

    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.

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52

Ref. 725-2
A rare and highly attractive yellow gold openface perpetual calendar pocket watch with moon phase

1952
46mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement signed

Estimate
$30,000 - 60,000 
CHF27,000-54,000
€27,700-55,500
HK$235,000-469,000
S$40,300-80,700

Sold for $48,260

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
WatchesNY@Phillips.com
 
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: EIGHT

New York Auction 10 - 11 June 2023