Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe

Reference 770

A unique yellow gold openface keyless lever watch with hand-painted enamel miniature by Marthe Bischoff, after the painting View on the Cannaregio Canal, Venice by Francesco Guardi, Circa 1967

Dial: silvered

Calibre: cal. 17-140 mechanical, jewelled

Movement number: 892'394

Case: 18k yellow gold, snap on case back with polychrome enamel painted scene

Case number: 698'807

Size: 47 mm diameter

Signed: case, dial and movement

Accessories: none

Fresh to the market, this reference 770 stands out for its remarkable craftsmanship and artistic depth. The case back is adorned with an exceptionally executed miniature enamel painting by Marthe Bischoff (1900–1991), the esteemed artist celebrated for her vivid marine scenes and historic battle compositions. Her mastery is unmistakable here, expressed through the meticulous detail and finely layered color that define her best work.

Creating a miniature enamel of this caliber requires extraordinary technical skill. The artist begins with a white‑enameled gold base plate, then builds the composition using pigments applied with brushes made from ultra‑fine hairs—traditionally taken from behind a piglet’s ear, where the hair is naturally thin and resilient enough for such delicate work. Once the painting is complete, the piece is repeatedly fired at temperatures approaching 900°C, fusing the pigments into a permanent, luminous surface characteristic of grand feu enamel.

Beyond its artistry, this particular enamel holds special importance as an early example of Bischoff’s work. The watch movement dates to 1957, the case to 1958, and the enamel is signed 1967—a period when Bischoff’s and Suzanne Rohr’s earliest known miniatures began to appear. This places the piece at a meaningful point in the evolution of modern Geneva enamel artistry. The scene Bischoff interprets originates from a painting by Francesco Guardi (1712–1793), the Venetian master whose atmospheric cityscapes have become synonymous with 18th‑century views of Venice.

Guardi’s original, Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge, Venice (1780), now housed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., captures the vibrant daily life along the Grand Canal: gondoliers navigating bustling waters, merchants gathered at the quayside, and onlookers leaning from windows and terraces to observe the activity below. The Rialto Bridge—completed in 1592 as the first stone bridge to cross the Grand Canal—dominates the composition, flanked by the historic Fondaco dei Tedeschi, once the center of German trading in Venice. Though underappreciated in his own lifetime, Guardi’s fluid, expressive brushwork is now celebrated for its poetic handling of light and atmosphere.

To translate such a scene onto a surface only a few centimeters in diameter requires more than technical proficiency; it demands an artist capable of capturing the emotional resonance of the original work. Bischoff achieves this masterfully, distilling Guardi’s sweeping Venetian vista into an intimate, miniature format without losing its sense of energy, movement, or charm.

This watch represents a rare convergence of fine horology and fine art—a beautifully preserved testament to mid‑20th‑century enameling, the enduring legacy of Venetian painting, and the exceptional skill of one of Geneva’s most accomplished enamel artists. It is a piece of both artistic and historical significance, offered now to the market for the first time.