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Patek Philippe. A very fine, rare and attractive stainless steel and 18K gold wristwatch with two-tone champagne dial

Signed Patek Philippe & Co., Genève, ref. 1503/2, movement no. 962’044, case no. 642’225, manufactured in 1948

Details

Patek Philippe. A very fine, rare and attractive stainless steel and 18K gold wristwatch with two-tone champagne dial
Signed Patek Philippe & Co., Genève, ref. 1503/2, movement no. 962’044, case no. 642’225, manufactured in 1948
MOVEMENT: manual, cal. 12’’’120, 18 jewels
DIAL: two-tone matte champagne dial, applied gold Roman and dot numerals, outer mirrored chapter ring with railway minute divisions, engine-turned sunken subsidiary seconds with mirrored chapter ring
CASE: stainless steel, 18K gold teardrop lugs, gold crown, stainless steel snap on back, 35 mm. diam.
SIGNED: case, dial and movement
BUCKLE: 18K gold Patek Philippe buckle
ACCOMPANIED BY: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the manufacture of the present watch with raised gold hour markers in 1948 and its subsequent sale on 15 September 1948

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 the first example of a reference 1503/2 to appear in public to date. It charms the beholder with its most unusual, charismatic two-tone dial, combining a champagne centre with applied gold numerals, the for the period typical outer railway minute divisions and subsidiary seconds indications on mirrored chapter rings, all beautifully harmonizing with the steel and gold case.

This fresh to the market watch is furthermore preserved in superb excellent condition, rendering it an extremely attractive and rare collector’s watch.

Reference 1503
The extremely rare reference 1503 is an epitome of minimalist, somewhat military design, representing the historical context during which it was produced. Together with its gold sister reference 1509 it was introduced into the market in 1941 and remained in production only during a few years. Reference 1503 was available in stainless steel or stainless steel and pink gold or yellow gold lugs, named ref. 1503/1. Reference 1503/2, such as the present watch, is a variant of the latter featuring more prominent yellow or pink gold lugs.

Examples of references 1503 and 1503/1 are illustrated in Patek Philippe Steel Watches by John Goldberger, pp. 128 – 133.

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