141,000 CHF
Patek, Philippe & Cie. , Genève, No. 25308, Retailed by Pena, Madrid, probably ordered on the occasion of the Duke of Montpensier's marriage to Princess Luisa Fernanda on Oct 10, 1864.Very fine, rare and important 18K gold, keyless, astronomical watch with fly-back retrograde perpetual calendar and phases of the moon. Notes Some of Patek Philippe's legendary equation watches were ordered by Pena, the most important watch dealer in Madrid, for his aristocratic clientele. Although their whereabouts are unknown today, they were so important that the company took pictures which are still preserved in the company's archives. Some of them are published in "Patek Philippe, Geneva", by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, Geneva 1982, pp. 175, 181.The present watch features several very unusual characteristics. The case with its back glazed to protect the engraved coat-of-arms is very rare. Breguet produced some cases with glazed backs, (see Antiquorum, October 19, 2002, lots 112 and 113) and some cases are designed to protect enameled and repoussé watches, but the arrangement of the present watch is almost never encountered.The perpetual calendar, built as an integral part of the pillar plate, is completely different from that of other examples, in which the perpetual calendar is built on an additional steel plate. The mechanism is very well made, with the retrograde lever terminating with a roller.
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2002-11-16
