186
Patek Philippe
Ref. 570
"Calatrava"
A highly rare, large and attractive stainless steel and pink gold wristwatch with black lacquer dial, retailed by Eberhard Milan
完整圖錄內容
The watch is furthermore fitted with an exquisite black lacquer dial, which is fortuitously confirmed by the Extract from the Archives. The gilt text shines through beautifully, the copper tone adding depth and charisma to the dial. Underneath the hands is the signature of Eberhard Milan, the prestigious Italian retailer has retailed some of the most impressive watches of the 20th century.
Reference 570 was Patek Philippe's very first "large" Calatrava model that was produced in a series. At the time of production, the reference was the largest time-only wristwatch produced by the firm. Manufactured from 1938 to 1972, the model was cased predominantly in yellow gold, and rarely in pink gold, white gold, stainless steel and platinum. The reference featured a multitude of dial variations. While some were fitted with Breguet numerals, others were two-tone in design.
Despite the myriad of design variations available, no other reference 570, to the best of our knowledge, features the present characteristics. As such, this watch not only includes every exclusive feature that any collector craves, it is also possibly unique, distinguishing it beyond any of its peers.
This watch formerly belonged in the collection of Gordon Bethune. The CEO of Continental Airlines from 1994 until his retirement at the end of 2004, Bethune is also a well-known watch collector. An avid aviator himself, Bethune has led a long, storied life, beginning his aviation career in the U.S. Navy at the age of 16 by fixing electronic and mechanical systems on jet planes. After 20 years, he retired as a Naval Lieutenant.
In 2012, Bethune pledged 50 of his best watches for auction, the present watch being one of the key highlights in the sale, achieving 518,500 USD - a record price for any reference 570 at the time.
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.