Patek Philippe. A very fine and rare 18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases, original certificate and box
Many of the watches offered for sale in this catal… Read more
Patek Philippe. A very fine and rare 18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases, original certificate and box

Signed Patek Philippe, Genève, ref. 2499, third series, movement no. 869'471, case no. 2'700'429, manufactured in 1977

Details
Patek Philippe. A very fine and rare 18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases, original certificate and box
Signed Patek Philippe, Genève, ref. 2499, third series, movement no. 869'471, case no. 2'700'429, manufactured in 1977
MOVEMENT: manual, cal. 13’’’, stamped twice with the Geneva seal, 23 jewels
DIAL: silvered matte, applied gold baton and square numerals, outer fifth of a seconds combined with Arabic five minutes divisions, two windows for day and month in English, three subsidiary dials for constant seconds, 30 minutes register, moon phases and date
CASE: 18K gold, downturned lugs, snap on back, two round chronograph buttons in the band, 37.6 mm. diam.
SIGNED: case, dial, movement
STRAP/BUCKLE: Patek Philippe crocodile leather strap, 18K gold Patek Philippe buckle
ACCOMPANIED BY: Patek Philippe Certificate or Origin, original fitted presentation box and outer packaging, Patek Philippe letter stating that this reference 2499 was manufactured in 1977 and sold to M. Haller, Cortaillod, on 4 November 1977. The Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirms production of the present watch with silvered dial and laped yellow gold indexes in 1977 and its subsequent sale on 4 November 1977

Special Notice
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 third series reference 2499 is a highly attractive representative of this celebrated model. Purchased by the father of the present owner and fresh to the market it has always been treated with respect and care. The full case proportions, the well-defined fluting to the lugs and the clearly visible hallmark to the right band are evidences for sensible polishing. The oxidation traces to the case band underline the fact

The dial has undergone an ever so gentle cleaning only, displaying full signature and scales. Over time, a charismatic ivory-coloured has formed, enhancing its overall great looks.

The combination of highly appealing overall condition, private provenance, freshness to the market and the presence of the original certificate and box render this third series reference 2499 an extremely attractive offering for the connoisseur of this legendary model.

Reference 2499
Widely acknowledged as one of the world's greatest watch models ever created, reference 2499 has undoubtedly strongly influenced the designs of many of the most renowned watchmakers. Introduced to the market in 1950 it replaced the legendary reference 1518, the world's first perpetual calendar wristwatch with chronograph made in series.

Over a period of 35 years, reference 2499 was made in four series in a total production of only 349 pieces, the majority cased in yellow gold. The rarity of this model becomes evident when considering that an annual average of only 9 watches left Patek Philippe's workshops.

Reference 2499 is generally divided into the following four series:
- first series: square chronograph buttons, applied Arabic numerals and tachymetre scale
- second series: round chronograph buttons, either applied baton or applied Arabic numerals and tachymetre scale
- third series, the present watch: round chronograph buttons, applied baton numerals and outer seconds divisions
- fourth series: round chronograph buttons, applied baton numerals, outer seconds divisions and sapphire crystal

Reference 2499 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp. 302 & 304, and in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches, Volume II, pp. 306-307.

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