PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE HOUR HAND
PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE HOUR HAND
PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE HOUR HAND
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PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE HOUR HAND
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Please note, the endangered species strap is shown… Read more
PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE HOUR HAND

REF. 2597 FIRST SERIES, MANUFACTURED IN 1956

Details
PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY RARE 18K GOLD WRISTWATCH WITH ADJUSTABLE HOUR HAND
REF. 2597 FIRST SERIES, MANUFACTURED IN 1956
Movement: Manual
Dial: Silvered
Case: 35 mm.
With: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives
Note: Serial numbers are available upon request
Special notice
Please note, the endangered species strap is shown for display purposes only and is not for sale. For further information please refer to the Conditions of Sale.

Brought to you by

Alexandre Bigler
Alexandre Bigler SVP, Head of Watches, Asia Pacific

Lot Essay

Since 2010, this very rare first series yellow gold reference 2597J HS adjustable hour hand time-zone wristwatch has been part of an important private collection. Undoubtedly a true collector's watch at the highest level, it is defined by mechanical ingenuity and complexity, aesthetic appeal and original condition.

Remaining remarkably untouched over the past 64 years, the first series dial shows some oxidation in places on the border which only serves to enhance its original magic, the hard enamel details of the indexes and signature are beautifully raised and intact. The case equally displays the signs of honest use and again is preserved in appealing vintage condition. The caliber 12’’’ 400 HS movement is stamped ‘HOX’, indicating it was made exclusively for the American market.

Reference 2597 was made in only 75 examples in yellow gold and today, only 48 are known publicly. The model was one of the most expensive of the period. In 1958, the year of launch, the yellow gold 2597J HS was listed at 2480 Swiss Francs. This was only marginally cheaper than the reference 2523J HU DE, the two-crown world time with cloisonné dial that was listed at 2770 Swiss Francs. Between 1958 and 1962, Louis Cottier was given 90 movements to modify with the world time setting function, Cottier’s first movements, including one prototype, were ready in 1958 and the last 10 pieces were delivered in 1962 which may have already featured the third hand of the 2597’s final version.

The watch with the immediately preceding movement (727’302) and case number (309’769) to the present watch was sold by Christie’s New York, 7 December 2017, lot 87.

The Dial
First series, silvered, made by Stern Frères. Distinguished by the long thin enamelled black hour indexes, and applied lapidated gold indexes at 3,6,9 & 12 o’clock. Gold Dauphine hour and minutes hands.

The Case
Serial no. 309’770, made by Antoine Gerlach, Geneva Master case maker mark of number 4 in a key, three-piece, snapped bezel and back, bevelled cut bezel with angled and faceted down turned lugs, solid gold crown.

The Movement
Serial no. 727’303, engraved ‘HOX’, made in 1959, cal. 12’’’ 400 HS (Heures Sautantes) with Louis Cottier’s modification; amagnetic mono-metallic balance, stamped twice with Geneva seal. The calibre 12’’’ 400, evolved from the calibre 12 120, it was made from 1950 and was numbered from 720’000 to 729’999. It was the best 12’’’ calibre with subsidiary seconds of its time with 18 jewels and 18’000 oscillations.

Reference 2597
With the arrival of transatlantic flights in the 1950s, the need for a watch showing both local and home time increased. The main problem was the setting of the hours independently of the minutes, allowing travellers the easy and quick adjustment of the hour indication to their local time zone without losing the correct time in minutes. Various attempts were made but none could compete with Louis Cottier's elegant solution developed for Patek Philippe. The calibre 12''' 400 HS for ‘Heures Sautantes’ or jumping hours was launched in 1958. This highly ingenious system was patented by Patek Philippe in 1959, Swiss Patent 340191 for a "Time Zone Watch". Cottier's design enabled the moving of the cannon pinion and consequently the hour hand in 12 steps around a 12-pointed star-wheel driven by the motion work. Via the two correction buttons in the band, the position of the hand can be changed independently in either direction by exactly one hour. The model was made in two versions, the first, such as the present watch, features an independently adjustable hour hand, whereas the second includes an additional hour hand.
This patented wheel train is today the basis of Patek Philippe's Calatrava Travel Time.

Literature
Examples of reference 2597 are illustrated in: Patek Philippe Wristwatches, Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 238 & 239.
Patek Philippe Museum Book, Patek Philippe, 2014 edition, Vol 2, p. 347.

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