Patek Philippe

Production of the Ref. 2597 HS (Heures Sautantes) began in 1958 after Louis Cottier's 1953 prototype, and Patek Philippe patented the model in 1959. With specially designed pushers to the left side of the case, the wearer is able to advance and retard the hour hand in one hour increments, thereby easily adjusting the watch for different time zones. The present lot is of particular note due to its early serial number and production date. One notes that previous to the present example, scholars recorded the first known Ref. 2597 as bearing the movement serial number 727'300, twenty digits after the present example, 727'279. The Extract from the Archives notes the date of manufacture as 1957, indeed earlier than any known Ref. 2597s previously offered. 

In 1957, Cottier is recorded to have researched and created three prototype 'heures sautantes' movements, which were likely then exhibited at the Basel Fair that year. Considering the date confirmed on the Extract from the Archives from Patek Philippe is 1957 for the present lot, and that the movement number is early and out of the normal range, it is fair to assume that the present movement was among those three. Following its exhibition and study, it was then cased and sold to the original owner in 1961. 

This present watch was originally sold in 2018 at Sotheby's, and we are pleased to offer this lot for the second time. In 2018, it was consigned by the family of the original owner, who was a prominent private American collector, whose collection also included a Ref. 605 enamel dial world time watch. 

The first version of the wristwatch was made with a single hour hand, seen here. It is estimated that the firm produced one hundred examples of this model, in yellow and pink gold, and with two and three hands. Watches similar to the present example, in yellow gold and featuring two hands, made up perhaps just over half of the complete production run. 

It is also noteworthy that the present example is the only one known to exist with a non-silvered dial. According to research by Tortella & Sons, the hour markers on this dial are correct for this reference, despite a very similar look to the ref. 570J oversized Calatrava. There are large bullset shaped lapped markers at 3, 9 and 12, and a rectangular larger but shorter lapped marker at 6. The dial thickness and weight match with the standards, so do the inscriptions on the back by Stern Freres. Therefore, the dial was made specifically for the reference 2597. While the Patek Philippe Archives states '2597' for type of dial, it is likely that dial was changed by Patek Philippe in the late 1960's when they started to use this same type of blue color in the Ellipse Collection. We are pleased to offer this unique and historically important lot. 

We are grateful to Tortella & Sons for their kind assistance in researching this piece.