Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces

New York, Sep 14, 2011

LOT 319

PATEK PHILIPPE - REF. 2499 - THIRD SERIES Patek Philippe, Genève, movement No. 869474, case No. 2700420, Ref. 2499, third series. Made in 1976, sold June 25th, 1980. Very fine and rare, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with round button chronograph, 30-minute register, perpetual calendar, moon phases with a Patek Philippe buckle. Accompanied by the Extract from the Archives.

USD 300,000 - 400,000

CHF 230,000 - 300,000 / EUR 200,000 - 280,000

Sold: USD 374,500

C. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, concave bezel, fl uted lugs, domed crystal. D. Matte silver with applied yellow gold faceted baton indexes, outer 1/5th seconds track with 5-minute/second Arabic markers, subsidiary dials for the seconds and the 30-minute register, graduation for the date at 6, apertures for the days of the week, the months and the moon phases. Yellow gold dauphine hands. M. Cal. 13"' CC, stamped twice with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodiumplated, fausses cotes decoration, 23 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance with 8 adjustments, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, swan neck micrometric regulator. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 38 mm. Thickness 14 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 1*

As new

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

The Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph, reference 2499, is perhaps the most sought after Patek Philippe complication by the majoprity of collectors. It replaced the earlier, smaller, ref.1518 in 1951 and remained in production until circa 1985 when it was replaced by the smaller diameter ref. 3970. With a now iconic, well-proportioned masculine case design, the ref. 2499 underwent 4 changes until it ceased production, with a total of only 349 made.
- First series: From 1951 to circa 1960, square buttons, feuille hands, applied Arabic numerals, fl uted lugs. - Second series: Square buttons, dauphine hands, applied indexes, Arabic 12. - Third series: From 1960 to 1978, round buttons, dauphine or feuille hands, applied baton indexes. - Fourth series: From 1978 to circa 1985, becomes Ref. 2499/100, uses updated Caliber 13''' CCR, round buttons, sapphire crystal, dauphine hands, applied baton indexes.
The present lot was previously sold by Antiquorum in 2001 as lot number 331, from the collection of Professor Thomas Engel in the theme auction ?A Tribute to Precision and Complicated Timepieces & Professor Thomas Engel Collection?.
Born in 1927, Thomas Engel started his own business in post-war Germany in plastics processing and invented a number of new materials and processing methods. Rather than becoming a manufacturer, Engel decided to sell licenses and collect royalties and was introduced to timepieces by a client in the 1950?s. Engel went on to collect, study, and catalog Breguet timepieces and became a self-taught watch, case and dial maker, creating watches bearing his name. He is the author of the book A.L. Breguet: Watchmaker to Kings.