Details

CIRCA: 1910
CASE MATERIAL: 18k gold
CASE DIAMETER: 47mm
DIAL: Champagne
MOVEMENT: Manual
FUNCTIONS: Minute-repeating
CALIBER: 16'''
BOX: No
PAPERS: No
ACCESSORIES: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming manufacture date of 1910 and sale date of April 28, 1922







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Lot Essay

Made as the highest quality repeater, all wheels and arbors are jeweled including the repeater train as well as the repeater hammers. The entire escapement is jeweled and capped to assure control not only in the side-shakes but also in the end-shakes.
It is superbly adjusted to positions and to isochronism, meaning that it will keep the same time regardless of the state of winding - if wound up and runs with all the spring’s strength it will keep the same rate as if wound down and is run by the remnants of the spring’s torque. It has temperature compensating balance with gold adjustment screws assuring that it will keep time regardless of the variations in the temperature.

The plate and the bridges are made of Maillechort, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc with good machinability, low oxidation, and high durability developed in 1819 and used for some of the best watches, including the most complicated Patek Philippe watches of the time such as the famous Graves watch, as well as the Packard.

The adjustment of watches made to the highest standard varies within a few seconds per week. Therefore, a standard regulator is not enough. Patek Philippe employed here a micrometric regulator, patented in 1867 by George P. Reed.

The winding wheels are of so called wolf-shape which are of higher robustness assuring centuries of smooth windings. The caliber on which the movement is based was not used often by Patek Philippe, most likely due to the cost of the production. It is found in a few special watches. One of them, a small minute repeater of this model, is in the Patek Philippe Museum, Inv. P-803.

The vast majority of Patek Philippe watches from this period have white enamel dials. This watch has a gilded silver dial with the center engine turned in sunburst pattern and the edge engine turned in barley-corn pattern. The dial was first engraved with numerals and with the minute track and then a black enamel was inserted into the groves and fired. These are the most durable dials the company ever made.

Notably, the attractive case is also special with the hinge of the back cover made almost invisible. This was done not only to please the eye but also to make sure that it will not catch a thread in the pocket when worn.



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