Patek Philippe

• 10''' nickel lever movement, 18 jewels, eight adjustments, bi-metallic compensation balance • gilt dial, black enamel Breguet numerals, blued steel hands • yellow gold circular case concealed within a hinged 18k yellow gold U.S. Twenty Dollar gold coin • case, dial and movement signed

Henry Graves, Jr.
Gwendolen Fullerton
Reginald H. Fullerton, Jr.

With an Extract from the Archives confirming the date of manufacture in 1925 and subsequent sale on June 29th, 1928.

A scion of a prominent banking family, Henry Graves, Jr. would have enjoyed the technical genius of concealing a Patek Philippe within a $20 gold coin. Opened by a secret latch contained within the coin edge, a push of a finger triggers the top of the coin to spring open revealing the dial of the watch.

According to our research, the present coin watch is the earliest known produced by Patek Philippe. This pre-production example pre-dates the reference 801, 802, 803, and 832 by over twenty years. Another early example No. 861011, sold August 19, 1940, can be seen in Huber, M. & Banbery, A., Patek Philippe Watches, Second Edition, p. 165.