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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1960 and its subsequent sale on 25 June 1963.
The present split seconds chronograph is a superb example of the celebrated reference's 1436 second generation model. It harmoniously combines modern watchmaking techniques and a traditional dial featuring the typical 1940s railway track or "chemin de fer" for the fifths of a second, omitted on the very last models.
Fresh to the market, preserved in very attractive, unmolested condition and with formidable provenance, this watch incorporates all elements crucial to the demanding collector: the captivating dial free of any cosmetic enhancement, the hard enamel signature and scales are consequently as raised as the connoisseur expects. The case, barely polished, not only retains the original proportions to an excellent extent but also shows beautifully the Swiss gold mark between the lugs.
Reference 1436
Patek Philippe reference 1436 is one of the most synonymous wristwatches for the modernization of society in the 20th century. Whether in action to measure time intervals at a car race at Le Mans or a manned mission into orbit, the use of the split second chronograph fascinates today as much as when this reference was introduced in 1938. It was predominantly cased in either yellow or pink gold, no examples are known to date in white gold or platinum. The elegant reference 1436 and its high quality and complex movement certainly marked a peak in the evolution of technical wristwatches - an area in which Patek Philippe has been foremost for generations.
During over 30 years of production, reference 1436 saw a fascinating development both technically and aesthetically. Numerous dial designs have been given to this model. Until production of reference 1436 was discontinued in the early 1970s, it has seen two different constructions in regard to how the chronograph seconds hand would be split. On the first generation of this model, made until the late 1940s, the crown would serve as a button to split and reunite the two seconds hand. The second generation, such as the present watch, was fitted with a co-axial push button within the crown for the split seconds function.
The model is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 273, pl. 422 (first generation) and p. 274, pl. 423 (second generation).
The present split seconds chronograph is a superb example of the celebrated reference's 1436 second generation model. It harmoniously combines modern watchmaking techniques and a traditional dial featuring the typical 1940s railway track or "chemin de fer" for the fifths of a second, omitted on the very last models.
Fresh to the market, preserved in very attractive, unmolested condition and with formidable provenance, this watch incorporates all elements crucial to the demanding collector: the captivating dial free of any cosmetic enhancement, the hard enamel signature and scales are consequently as raised as the connoisseur expects. The case, barely polished, not only retains the original proportions to an excellent extent but also shows beautifully the Swiss gold mark between the lugs.
Reference 1436
Patek Philippe reference 1436 is one of the most synonymous wristwatches for the modernization of society in the 20th century. Whether in action to measure time intervals at a car race at Le Mans or a manned mission into orbit, the use of the split second chronograph fascinates today as much as when this reference was introduced in 1938. It was predominantly cased in either yellow or pink gold, no examples are known to date in white gold or platinum. The elegant reference 1436 and its high quality and complex movement certainly marked a peak in the evolution of technical wristwatches - an area in which Patek Philippe has been foremost for generations.
During over 30 years of production, reference 1436 saw a fascinating development both technically and aesthetically. Numerous dial designs have been given to this model. Until production of reference 1436 was discontinued in the early 1970s, it has seen two different constructions in regard to how the chronograph seconds hand would be split. On the first generation of this model, made until the late 1940s, the crown would serve as a button to split and reunite the two seconds hand. The second generation, such as the present watch, was fitted with a co-axial push button within the crown for the split seconds function.
The model is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 273, pl. 422 (first generation) and p. 274, pl. 423 (second generation).