Patek Philippe

MADE CIRCA: 1953

MATERIAL: 18ct Yellow Gold

MOVEMENT: Automatic

For many, Patek Philippe is regarded as the pinnacle of watch excellence. With timepieces always crafted in limited numbers, Patek Philippe’s attention to detail and horological aptitude have granted the company acclaim the world over. Its beginnings however, were humble.

Antoine Norbert de Patek began making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, accompanied by his fellow Polish migrant Franciszek Czapek. The company that formed was called 'Patek, Czapek & Cie’ and enjoyed relative success but, Czapek had grown restless and desired to form his own watchmaking company.
Meanwhile, during a visit to the French Industrial Exposition Antoine Norbert de Patek met a Monsieur Adrien Philippe who on that day had earned a Gold Medal for his latest invention, a mechanism for watches which allowed them to be wound and set by means of crown rather than a key.
After Czapek and Patek went their separate ways in 1844, Adrien Philippe joined the business and in 1851 the company now known as Patek Philippe was officially established.

Patek and Philippe sought to create a company that was at the forefront of luxury watches with superior movements and quality that far surpassed that of their rivals. Their desire for success granted Patek Philippe admirers in high society and numerous awards globally for horological excellence.
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While this particular model cannot be considered the ‘World’s first automatic wristwatch’; the first recorded ‘self-winding’ timepiece having been made by Abram-Louis Perrelet in 1777, the Patek Philippe Ref: 2526 would be the first automatic timepiece made by the company and with a movement significantly refined compared to its peers. It would be the first Patek Philippe to be fitted with a Gyromax balance, enabling far more precise regulation; more importantly meaning that the entire balance did not need to be removed to regulate the timepiece.

Fine details such as an enamel dial which would have been incredibly difficult to make, as well as the limited number produced, just under 600 examples ever made in all precious metals from 1953 to 1956 make this wristwatch a potentially shining example in any collection.

- The discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.

- The 25th Academy Awards ceremony is held and is the first Academy Awards to be broadcast on Television.

- Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey.