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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming manufacture of the present watch with enamel dial in 1957 and its subsequent sale on 18 November 1957.
Patek Philippe post-war wristwatches made with plain enamel dials are a rarity per se. Collectors around the world associate only two "time only" models with this highly elegant yet uncommon feature, costly to manufacture and sensitive to careless handling: the celebrated reference 2526 and its successor reference 3428.
Reference 2577, the third in this league, must however be considered one of Patek Philippe's rarest models ever made. According to literature, its production was launched in 1958, in fact the year following the year of manufacture and sale of the present specimen. The model went most likely never beyond either a prototype or "special order" status as until to date, only two examples of this ultra-rare reference are known to have survived, both in pink gold cases and both with enamel dials:
-Movement no. 747'434, case no. 699'579, pink gold case, the present watch, dated 1957
-Movement no. 749'008, case no. 699'584, pink gold case, dated 1958
Interestingly, the case numbers are extremely close to each other, stressing the hypothesis that reference 2577 may have been made to special order only. The enamel dials could be another evidence for this theory.
A paragon of understated sophistication and preserved in very good, original overall condition, the present reference 2577 is furthermore the only example of the series enhanced with the prestigious retailer's signature of Freccero & Cia. at 25 De Mayo 563 in Montevideo, Patek Philippe's retailers in Uruguay.
Patek Philippe post-war wristwatches made with plain enamel dials are a rarity per se. Collectors around the world associate only two "time only" models with this highly elegant yet uncommon feature, costly to manufacture and sensitive to careless handling: the celebrated reference 2526 and its successor reference 3428.
Reference 2577, the third in this league, must however be considered one of Patek Philippe's rarest models ever made. According to literature, its production was launched in 1958, in fact the year following the year of manufacture and sale of the present specimen. The model went most likely never beyond either a prototype or "special order" status as until to date, only two examples of this ultra-rare reference are known to have survived, both in pink gold cases and both with enamel dials:
-Movement no. 747'434, case no. 699'579, pink gold case, the present watch, dated 1957
-Movement no. 749'008, case no. 699'584, pink gold case, dated 1958
Interestingly, the case numbers are extremely close to each other, stressing the hypothesis that reference 2577 may have been made to special order only. The enamel dials could be another evidence for this theory.
A paragon of understated sophistication and preserved in very good, original overall condition, the present reference 2577 is furthermore the only example of the series enhanced with the prestigious retailer's signature of Freccero & Cia. at 25 De Mayo 563 in Montevideo, Patek Philippe's retailers in Uruguay.