Patek Philippe. A fine 18K gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with phases of the moon
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Patek Philippe. A fine 18K gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with phases of the moon

Signed Patek Philippe, Genève, ref. 1526, movement no. 963'258, case no. 657'222, manufactured in 1949

Details
Patek Philippe. A fine 18K gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with phases of the moon
Signed Patek Philippe, Genève, ref. 1526, movement no. 963'258, case no. 657'222, manufactured in 1949
MOVEMENT: maunal, cal. 12'''120 Q, 18 jewels
DIAL: silvered matte, applied gold Arabic and dot numerals, windows for day and month in English, subsidiary dial for date combined with constant seconds and phases of the moon
CASE: 18K gold, downturned lugs, snap on back, 34 mm. diam.
BUCKLE: 18K gold Patek Philippe buckle
ACCOMPANIED BY: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with gold raised numerals in 1949 and its subsequent sale on 29 May 1951
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 a very honest example of the celebrated reference 1526, distinguished by its very attractive overall condition. During a servcing most likely in the workshops of Patek Philippe the dial has been professionally restored, now displaying a great shine, signatures and scales still nicely raised. The case has not been subject to careless polishing, the hallmarks still clearly visible.

Reference 1526
Reference 1526 is doubtlessly one of Patek Philippe's most elegant and timeless models, produced in an exceedingly small series of only 210 examples. With the exception of a unique piece in steel, this reference was available predominantly in yellow gold such as the present watch and a fraction in pink gold.

In production from 1940 to 1952, this masterpiece of elegance combines a Calatrava-style case and a minimalist dial audaciously ahead of its time. In fact, a similar style of dial layout - with a subsidiary dial at 6 o'clock and openings for day of the week and month at 12 - can be found in Patek Philippe perpetual calendar watches over the following three decades, most notably references 2497, 2438/1, 3448 and 3450.

Reference 1526 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, first edition, p. 215, and in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches Volume II, pp. 288-289.

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