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Lot Essay
Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Identity and Guarantee of Origin dated 4 September 1974, Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1961 and its subsequent sale on 26 July 1974, original fitted presentation box.
Purchased by the present owner at Patek Philippe's retailer Stäuble in Zermatt in 1974, this is the first time that this watch appears in public. Only seldom used it is preserved in an excellent, original overall condition.
Production of the reference 2597 with movement calibre 12'''400 HS, for heures sautantes or jumping hours, was launched in 1958, the first movement numbered 727'300. This highly ingenious system was invented by Louis Cottier and patented by Patek Philippe in 1959, Swiss Patent 340191 for a "Time Zone Watch".
Reference 2597 was made in two versions, the first featuring an independently adjustable hour hand whereas the second, such as the present watch, includes an additional hour hand. According to our researches, a total of less than 30 examples of reference 2597 in yellow gold with three hands were made out of which this watch is one of less than 10 examples to appear in public to date.
With the arrival of transatlantic flights with jet aircrafts in the 1950s, the need for a watch showing both local and home time increased. Various attempts were made but none could compete with Louis Cottier's elegant solution developed for Patek Philippe.
The main problem was the setting of the hours independently of the minutes, allowing travellers the easy and quick adjustment the hour indication to their local time zone without losing the correct time in minutes.
Cottier's design enabled the moving of the cannon and consequently the hour and in 12 steps around a 12-pointed star-wheel driven by the motion work. By pushing the two correction buttons in the band, the position of the hand can be changed in either direction by exactly one hour while maintaining its correct relationship to the minute hand.
This patented wheel train is the basis of several versions of Patek Philippe's Travel Time models, such as ref. 3619 (see lot 146 in this auction) launched in the 1970s, ref. 5110 and 5113, launched in the late 1990s (see lots 149 and 255).
Both versions of reference 2597 are illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp. 239 - 239.
Purchased by the present owner at Patek Philippe's retailer Stäuble in Zermatt in 1974, this is the first time that this watch appears in public. Only seldom used it is preserved in an excellent, original overall condition.
Production of the reference 2597 with movement calibre 12'''400 HS, for heures sautantes or jumping hours, was launched in 1958, the first movement numbered 727'300. This highly ingenious system was invented by Louis Cottier and patented by Patek Philippe in 1959, Swiss Patent 340191 for a "Time Zone Watch".
Reference 2597 was made in two versions, the first featuring an independently adjustable hour hand whereas the second, such as the present watch, includes an additional hour hand. According to our researches, a total of less than 30 examples of reference 2597 in yellow gold with three hands were made out of which this watch is one of less than 10 examples to appear in public to date.
With the arrival of transatlantic flights with jet aircrafts in the 1950s, the need for a watch showing both local and home time increased. Various attempts were made but none could compete with Louis Cottier's elegant solution developed for Patek Philippe.
The main problem was the setting of the hours independently of the minutes, allowing travellers the easy and quick adjustment the hour indication to their local time zone without losing the correct time in minutes.
Cottier's design enabled the moving of the cannon and consequently the hour and in 12 steps around a 12-pointed star-wheel driven by the motion work. By pushing the two correction buttons in the band, the position of the hand can be changed in either direction by exactly one hour while maintaining its correct relationship to the minute hand.
This patented wheel train is the basis of several versions of Patek Philippe's Travel Time models, such as ref. 3619 (see lot 146 in this auction) launched in the 1970s, ref. 5110 and 5113, launched in the late 1990s (see lots 149 and 255).
Both versions of reference 2597 are illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp. 239 - 239.