SIGNED PATEK PHILIPPE, GENÈVE, REF. 4359/1, MOVEMENT NO. 1'272'718, CASE NO. 2'758'756, MANUFACTURED IN 1975

With Patek Philippe extract from the Archives confirming the production of the present watch in 1975 and its subsequent sale on 20 January 1983. Patek Philippe is renowned for its mastery of horological complications, even simpler timepieces are engineered and realized with unsurpassed skill. Often either overlooked or taken for granted is the firm's outstanding ability to create not only horologic masterpieces but also to create objects which live up to the highest jewelry standard, both in terms of design and craftsmanship. The present timepiece perfectly exemplifies this concept. Unknown from public and literature, this reference 4359/1 is almost certainly a unique piece, created in 1975 possibly as a stylistic exercise. The peerless dial - confirmed as "special" by the Extract from the Archives - seems deceivingly simple, but its stylistic perfection and overall balance become apparent after a more in depth look. In order to fully appreciate it, one must think back to the fashion of the time. Realized in the 1970s when geometric patterns were highly appreciated in all sectors of fashion, Patek Philippe reinterprets this trend and creates a wristwatch based on a game of interlocking triangular shapes. When looking at the dial it becomes apparent that it is an equilateral triangle. Most obvious is the unusual disposition of the hour markers: not equally spaced along the sides of the dial, but rather grouped in sets of three closer to the centers of the sides, and one in each corner. While this disposition adds flair and playfulness, without sacrificing balance, to the overall dial layout, it is not arbitrarily decided, but rather mathematically derived. When inscribing a circle to its inside, then dividing it from the top into twelve equal sectors, one would essentially have drawn a normal circular dial inside the triangular one, centered by the hands' pinion. Drawing lines from the pinion outward, these lines intersect the imaginary circle where normally would be the twelve numerals. When continuing the lines to the edge of the dial, we see that the lines end exactly where the hour markers are placed. As a result, at each hour, the hour hand points exactly at the appropriate marker, which would not happen if the indexes were equally spaced along the sides of the dial. The game of interlocking shapes is repeated on the bracelet's intricate construction of white and yellow gold triangular modules. The resulting optical illusion makes it look as if it was made of rectangular links, or lozenge-shaped modules. Uniqueness combined with freshness to the market, superb, close to new condition and incredible looks render the present reference 4359/1 a trophy for the aficionado of exclusive timepieces.