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Patek Philippe. A rare 18K white gold rectangular horizontal driver's wristwatch with faceted sapphire crystal

Signed Patek Philippe & Co., Genève, ref. 139, movement no. 200'509, case no. 611'127, manufactured in 1922

Details

Patek Philippe. A rare 18K white gold rectangular horizontal driver's wristwatch with faceted sapphire crystal
Signed Patek Philippe & Co., Genève, ref. 139, movement no. 200'509, case no. 611'127, manufactured in 1922
MOVEMENT: manual, cal. 8'''
DIAL: silvered matte, applied white gold and enamelled baton numerals, outer railway minute divisions
CASE: 18K white gold rectangular horizontal, snap on case back, faceted sapphire crystal, 27.5 mm. width, 15.5 mm. length
BUCKLE: 18K white gold Patek Philippe buckle
ACCOMPANIED BY: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with silvered dial, enamelled and white gold raised indexes in 1922 and its subsequent sale on 25 April 1935.

Special Notice

On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 8% on both the premium as well as the hammer price. Many of the watches offered for sale in this catalogue are pictured with straps made of endangered or protected animal materials such as alligator or crocodile. These endangered species straps are shown for display purposes only and are not for sale. Christie’s will remove and retain the strap prior to shipment from the sale site. At some sale sites, Christie’s may, at its discretion, make the displayed endangered species strap available to the buyer of the lot free of charge if collected in person from the sale site within 1 year of the date of the sale. Please check with the department for details on a particular lot.

Lot Essay

The present watch is one of the exceedingly rare examples of the so-called "drivers" reference 139; to the best of our knowledge only five other ref. 139 in white gold cases have appeared in public to date.

Reference 139
Reference 139, one of Patek Philippe’s earliest references, was launched in 1933, the “horizontal” pendant to references 137 and 138. It remained in production until around 1936 and was available in yellow and white gold. The name “drivers’ watch” is derived from its horizontal lay-out, allowing to wear it on the side of the wrist for easier reading of the time while driving.

Reference 139 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 118 & 119, pl. 156 & 165, a similar white gold example in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches, Volume II, p. 212.

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