Patek Philippe. An extremely fine, large and rare 18K gold wristwatch with sweep centre seconds
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT wil… Read more
Patek Philippe. An extremely fine, large and rare 18K gold wristwatch with sweep centre seconds

Signed Patek Philippe, Genève Ref. 2481, movement no. 707'431, case no. 2’604’513, manufactured in 1957

Details
Patek Philippe. An extremely fine, large and rare 18K gold wristwatch with sweep centre seconds
Signed Patek Philippe, Genève Ref. 2481, movement no. 707'431, case no. 2’604’513, manufactured in 1957
Movement: mechanical, cal. 27 SC, 18 jewels
Dial: silvered with baton numerals
Case back: snap on, stepped lugs
Signed: case, dial and movement
Dimensions: 37 mm. diam
With: 18K gold Patek Philippe buckle
Extract from the Archives confirming the production of the present watch in 1957 and its subsequent sale on December 19th 1958.
Special notice
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 8% on both the premium as well as the hammer price. Many of the watches offered for sale in this catalogue are pictured with straps made of endangered or protected animal materials such as alligator or crocodile. These endangered species straps are shown for display purposes only and are not for sale. Christie’s will remove and retain the strap prior to shipment from the sale site. At some sale sites, Christie’s may, at its discretion, make the displayed endangered species strap available to the buyer of the lot free of charge if collected in person from the sale site within 1 year of the date of the sale. Please check with the department for details on a particular lot.

Lot Essay

Fresh to the market, the present watch is an excellent and beautifully preserved example of Ref. 2481. This model was in production for nearly a decade from 1950 to 1960, with most examples in yellow gold, a more limited production in pink gold, one example is known in platinum.

With its 37mm case diameter, it is one of the largest vintage Patek Philippe ever produced, a trait that is nowadays making this model more and more sought-after. Equipped with the celebrated 27SC calibre, the best sweep seconds calibre available at the time. The fascinating case design still retains a "Calatrava" feeling, but with the adoption of unusual, avant-garde solutions such as the concave bezel and the heavily stepped lugs, it is a timepiece that, thanks to the visionary genius of Patek Philippe's design artists, can be worn and appreciated daily even today, more than fifty years after its conception.

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