Lot Essay
It appears that this watch is one of the earliest chronographs made by Patek Philippe and has been exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. The chronograph mechanism is based on spring levers, similar to the spring detents in chronometers. Later the chronographs were based on pivoted levers with separate springs.
According to the letter from the Observatoire de Genève and copy of the Bulletin de Dépot, this watch has been deposed at the Observatoire de Genève on 20 January 1876 in order to participate at the Chronometer Adjustment Contest. It appears that a Bulletin d'Observatoire has been delivered which unfortunately cannot be traced anymore as the archives at the Observatoire de Genève from the lat 1870's have disappeared.
According to the letter from the Observatoire de Genève and copy of the Bulletin de Dépot, this watch has been deposed at the Observatoire de Genève on 20 January 1876 in order to participate at the Chronometer Adjustment Contest. It appears that a Bulletin d'Observatoire has been delivered which unfortunately cannot be traced anymore as the archives at the Observatoire de Genève from the lat 1870's have disappeared.