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Lot Essay
Offered in very good overall condition and with the Certificate of Origin, the present ‘Dome Clock’ is a superb and ravishingly beautiful example of Patek Philippe’s iconic unique enamelled dome clocks.
This unique piece was chosen by Patek Philippe as part of their prestigious exhibition 'KunstWerkUhr' of October 2013 at the Kunsthalle, Munich. The three cloisonné enamel curved side panels, dome and dial feature artistic flower and foliage motifs inspired by designs of the famous Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory in Munich.
Patek Philippe’s dome clocks are not only highly collectable but are appreciated as entirely unique hand-decorated works of art by some of the finest contemporary artists working in enamel. Now becoming much harder to obtain and rarely offered on the open market, these stunning and functional timepieces perfectly represent Patek Philippe’s mastery of both advanced technology and rare handcrafts.
Philippe Dome Clocks Patek Philippe launched the solar-powered dome clock in the mid-20th century. They boast lavish and uniquely decorated cases featuring engravings of varying pattern or cloisonné enamel scenes. Still in production today, most likely due to their continued popularity, they were made in three series.
First series - Produced in the 1950s and 1960s with a mechanical 17’’’250 E pocket watch movement powered through the solar panel in the dome, the number ‘17’ derived from the diameter measurement of the movement which comes from an old industrial measurement tradition whereby measurement was carried out using candle wicks in ‘lines’ or ‘lignes’, ‘250’ for the thickness, and ‘E’ for electric. The large solar panel supplies power to the cylindrical storage device which then transmits energy to wind the movement. The beauty of this patented mechanism allowing the clock to be functional in the dark. At the time, this patented technique was seen as revolutionary, Patek Philippe were seen as being able to “master the energy of light.”
Second series - Beginning in 1970, dome clocks were produced with Quartz movement with a smaller solar panel that seemed to have a higher position on the dome, becoming even smaller in the 1990s.
Third series - The only dome series with cell battery movement. This has a smaller solar panel or no solar panel seen from 2007 onwards.
Towards the end of the 1940's, the Swiss watchmaking industry revived the technique of cloisonné enamel which had been used since the Byzantine period. This technique uses fine bands (filaments) of gold to outline the design subject, which are then soldered to the surface of a plate. The empty spaces are then filled with ground enamel and fired multiple times at varying temperatures between 700 and 900 degrees centigrade to achieve different colors. Patek Philippe's enamellers can take up to one year to complete such a dome clock and less than a handful can be complete each year at their workshops. The artistry had been perfected over the decades and the artists could eventually miniaturize it to be made on wristwatches seen only from 1949 at Basel.
This unique piece was chosen by Patek Philippe as part of their prestigious exhibition 'KunstWerkUhr' of October 2013 at the Kunsthalle, Munich. The three cloisonné enamel curved side panels, dome and dial feature artistic flower and foliage motifs inspired by designs of the famous Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory in Munich.
Patek Philippe’s dome clocks are not only highly collectable but are appreciated as entirely unique hand-decorated works of art by some of the finest contemporary artists working in enamel. Now becoming much harder to obtain and rarely offered on the open market, these stunning and functional timepieces perfectly represent Patek Philippe’s mastery of both advanced technology and rare handcrafts.
Philippe Dome Clocks Patek Philippe launched the solar-powered dome clock in the mid-20th century. They boast lavish and uniquely decorated cases featuring engravings of varying pattern or cloisonné enamel scenes. Still in production today, most likely due to their continued popularity, they were made in three series.
First series - Produced in the 1950s and 1960s with a mechanical 17’’’250 E pocket watch movement powered through the solar panel in the dome, the number ‘17’ derived from the diameter measurement of the movement which comes from an old industrial measurement tradition whereby measurement was carried out using candle wicks in ‘lines’ or ‘lignes’, ‘250’ for the thickness, and ‘E’ for electric. The large solar panel supplies power to the cylindrical storage device which then transmits energy to wind the movement. The beauty of this patented mechanism allowing the clock to be functional in the dark. At the time, this patented technique was seen as revolutionary, Patek Philippe were seen as being able to “master the energy of light.”
Second series - Beginning in 1970, dome clocks were produced with Quartz movement with a smaller solar panel that seemed to have a higher position on the dome, becoming even smaller in the 1990s.
Third series - The only dome series with cell battery movement. This has a smaller solar panel or no solar panel seen from 2007 onwards.
Towards the end of the 1940's, the Swiss watchmaking industry revived the technique of cloisonné enamel which had been used since the Byzantine period. This technique uses fine bands (filaments) of gold to outline the design subject, which are then soldered to the surface of a plate. The empty spaces are then filled with ground enamel and fired multiple times at varying temperatures between 700 and 900 degrees centigrade to achieve different colors. Patek Philippe's enamellers can take up to one year to complete such a dome clock and less than a handful can be complete each year at their workshops. The artistry had been perfected over the decades and the artists could eventually miniaturize it to be made on wristwatches seen only from 1949 at Basel.