Patek Philippe

18k, damascened nickel lever movement, 23 jewels, bi-metallic compensation balance, 8 adjustments, precision regulator, movement stamped twice with the seal of Geneva, silvered matte dial, applied roman numerals, three subsidiary dials indicating constant seconds, 30-minute register and date combined with phases of the moon, apertures for day and month, outer scale calibrated for tachometer, circular case with later bezel, down-turned lugs, case, dial and movement signed, with 18k Patek Philippe buckle, accompanied by an Extract from the Archives.

The accompanying Extract from the Patek Philippe Archives confirms that this wristwatch was manufactured in 1944 and sold on August 4th the same year.

The present wristwatch was serviced and overhauled at Patek Philippe in 2005 at which time a replacement Patek Philippe case back was supplied especially for this wristwatch. Together with the unusual replaced bezel, the present lot represents a rare, modified version of the reference 1518 with its own unique look.

The 1518 played an extremely important part in the development of Patek Philippe’s complication wristwatches. Together with reference 1526, it was the first perpetual calendar ever produced by the company in series. It is recognised that the introduction of reference 1518 greatly contributed to the manufacturer’s dominant position in the Swiss watch making industry. The influence of reference 1518 can be seen in all the series produced Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronographs that came after it (2499, 3970, 5970). Even though the case design changed in the references which followed, the basic dial layout remained the same. In the same way, the functions of the movement have not changed in 65 years.

From 1941 to 1954, a total of 281 reference 1518 wristwatches were made, an incredibly small production run by today’s standards and an average of just 20 watches a year.