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Lot Essay
US$23,000-32,000
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the movement of this present watch in 1957, encased in 1969 and its subsequent sale on 15 July 1969. Furthermore delivered with Patek Philippe fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Reference 2526 is commonly known with an enamel dial with applied gold baton numerals. Very few examples exist with different numerals, such as diamond indexes, more commonly on white metal watches, or Breguet numerals, such as the present watch.
Research shows that only 6 other examples of reference 2526 were fitted with applied Breguet numerals, amongst them formerly one in Andy Warhol's watch collection.
An interesting consideration regarding the sophistication of this enamel dial is based on the manner the gold Breguet numerals are applied. In fact, any applied hour marker is mounted on the dial by means of sticking pins, attached to the back of the numeral, through holes in the dial plate. Since the holes for the numerals must be pierced before the dial is enamelled (otherwise the enamel coating would immediately crack), the raw plaque is already chosen to become a "Breguet" dial before the enamelling process is started.
Not only taking into consideration the incredibly smart look of this reference enhanced by the Breguet numeral dial but also its substantial rarity and state-of-the-art automatic movement, one can comfortably attribute the present reference 2526 to the elite of time only wristwatches
For another example of a reference 2526 with Breguet numerals see Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, first edition pp. 165 & 166, second edition pp. 213 & 214.
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the movement of this present watch in 1957, encased in 1969 and its subsequent sale on 15 July 1969. Furthermore delivered with Patek Philippe fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Reference 2526 is commonly known with an enamel dial with applied gold baton numerals. Very few examples exist with different numerals, such as diamond indexes, more commonly on white metal watches, or Breguet numerals, such as the present watch.
Research shows that only 6 other examples of reference 2526 were fitted with applied Breguet numerals, amongst them formerly one in Andy Warhol's watch collection.
An interesting consideration regarding the sophistication of this enamel dial is based on the manner the gold Breguet numerals are applied. In fact, any applied hour marker is mounted on the dial by means of sticking pins, attached to the back of the numeral, through holes in the dial plate. Since the holes for the numerals must be pierced before the dial is enamelled (otherwise the enamel coating would immediately crack), the raw plaque is already chosen to become a "Breguet" dial before the enamelling process is started.
Not only taking into consideration the incredibly smart look of this reference enhanced by the Breguet numeral dial but also its substantial rarity and state-of-the-art automatic movement, one can comfortably attribute the present reference 2526 to the elite of time only wristwatches
For another example of a reference 2526 with Breguet numerals see Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, first edition pp. 165 & 166, second edition pp. 213 & 214.