STORY + PHOTO GALLERY: Christie's Announces The Top Lots At The Patek Philippe 175th Anniversary Sale
This year, Patek Philippe celebrates their 175th anniversary. In honor of this occasion, Christie's will be hosting the "Patek Philippe 175" sale at the historic Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva. One hundred of arguably the world's preeminent timepieces, all displaying Patek Philippe's triumphs and rich heritage, will be auctioned off at the sale that evening. As we near the date, I will certainly provide in-depth reports. Until then, I will discuss my two favorite watches offered at this auction--interestingly enough, both have remained in private hands until now.
Plus, scroll down to see a complete gallery of the highlights; this will blow you away.
A PATEK PHILIPPE REFERENCE 2497 IN WHITE GOLD (LOT 63)
Yes, another "white metal" watch on THE WATCH ADVISER. Let me give a better explaination. If you approach a collector with the question of whether they prefer option one, a platinum or white gold Patek, over option two, a yellow gold or pink gold Patek--the likelihood of this collector choosing option one is far greater. White metal Pateks, in most cases, are considered to be the ideal investment watches simply because Patek produces these watches in extremely limited numbers and it's near-impossible to find a complicated, vintage one without doing an intensive search. This 2497 is one of only three known examples cased in white gold and is the earliest white gold 2497 (circa 1953) to be offered to the public EVER.
The complications include a perpetual calendar and mooonphase indicator. The dial is white with Arabic numerals, blue steel hands and the case is accompanied by the original mattone-style 18 karat white gold bracelet. And the estimate? A whopping 1,000,000-2,000,000 CHF (approximately 1.1 million to 2.1 million USD).
A PATEK PHILIPPE REFERENCE 2499 FIRST SERIES PINK GOLD (LOT 59)
Selling a Patek Philippe 2499 is more than just selling a watch, it's a grand accomplishment for any auction house. The fact that this specific 2499 happens to be from the first series (dated back to 1951) is marvelous. The 2499 is Patek's ultimate perpetual calendar chronograph and quite possibly the most treasured perpetual calendar chronograph out there, aside from Patek's 1518. You can read more about the Patek Philippe 2499 HERE. The pre-sale estimate on this piece is between 1,600,000-2,600,000 CHF (approximately 1.7 million to 2.7 million USD).
PHOTO GALLERY:
