 |
| Patek Philippe Reference 2499, Second Series. Photo courtesy of Phillips |
Four Patek Philippe watches sold and signed by Tiffany & Co. will be among the top items at the Phillips and Bacs & Russo Geneva watch auction, being held May 13 and 14 at Hôtel La Réserve. Other highlights of the sale include seven rare Rolex watches, a collection of cloisonné enamel timepieces and more collectible Patek watches.
The selection of Patek Philippe watches retailed and signed by Tiffany & Co. are as follows:
Patek Philippe Reference 2499, Second Series (above and top photo)
An extremely rare yellow gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phase retailed by Tiffany & Co., circa 1960, with an estimate of nearly $1 million - $2 million. Reference 2499 was introduced in 1951 and was made for a period of 34 years, in four different series, a total of 349 pieces were made, “making this a highly exclusive reference in the company’s history,” the auction house says. There are only two reference 2499 second series with a Tiffany & Co. signature on the dial that are known, one with Arabic numerals and the other, the piece for sale, with baton indexes.
Patek Philippe World Time Wristwatch, Reference 2523/1
An extremely rare 18k gold dual crown world time wristwatch with 24-hour indication retailed by Tiffany & Co., circa 1963, has an estimate of nearly $900,000 - $1.8 million. Launched in 1953, reference 2523 featured a two-crown system, one for winding the watch and the other at 9 o’clock controlling the city disc. Two versions were available, reference 2523 with larger lugs sitting above the bezel and reference 2523/1 with a slightly larger diameter and thinner lugs. There are believed to be only nine reference 2523/1 known in all case metal and dial combinations, with only one having the Tiffany & Co. signature, according to the auction house.
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar, Reference 3450
This piece is described as a “highly exclusive” yellow gold perpetual calendar watch with moon phases and "red dot" leap year indicator retailed by Tiffany & Co., circa 1985. Its estimate is nearly $220,000 - $320,000. Introduced in 1981 as the successor of reference 3448, Patek Philippe’s first self-winding perpetual calendar watch, the reference 3450 houses the 27-460 QB caliber. There are five accounted for Tiffany & Co. signed reference 3450s to have been offered at public auctions, according to the auction house.
Patek Philippe Reference 2597
A rare gold wristwatch with a separate adjustable hour hand retailed by Tiffany & Co., circa 1961, with an estimate of nearly $70,000 - $120,000. Based on Louis Cottier’s “Time Zone Watch” system developed in 1959, the reference 2597 was made in two versions. The first generation models, such as the one being sold, feature an independently adjustable hour hand using pushers found on the left side of the case for setting the hour hand forward or backwards in one-hour increments, according to the auction house. The second version, launched in 1962, featured an additional hour hand. It is one of only a few known 2597 models with the Tiffany & Co signature.
Other standouts include a selection of vintage and modern timepieces featuring cloisonné enamel, including a Patek Philippe yellow gold pocket watch with cloisonné enamel dial depicting North America, reference 605 HU (estimate at nearly $300,000 - $600,000), and a Patek Philippe mechanical cloisonné enamel dome table clock, ref. 743E, made in 1959 (estimate at nearly $120,000 - $250,000).
Other exceptional Patek Philippe watches include a “fresh-to-the-market” perpetual calendar in rose gold – “The Tasmanian Rose” (estimate at nearly $400,000 - $800,000). This reference 2497 comes directly from the son of the original Australian owner, where it spent nearly 50 years unworn in a vault. Another highlight is a pink gold split seconds chronograph with pink dial, one of only nine known, reference 1436 (estimate at nearly $350,000 - $550,000).
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Cartier’s Tank watch, the sale will include a selection of “rare and highly desirable” variants of the Tank.
Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet, the Forbes website and on Instagram @JewelryNewsNetwork