Property from the Family of the Original Owner
Patek Philippe
Retailed by Bailey Banks & Biddle Co.: A yellow gold open-faced keyless split-seconds chronograph watch with 60-minute register, Made in 1903
Auction Closed
June 15, 08:08 PM GMT
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Dial: white enamel dial, Breguet numerals, with subsidiary seconds and 60-minute register
Caliber: 18''' mechanical, jeweled
Movement number: 124'640
Case: 18k yellow gold bassine-style case, hinged cuvette and monogramed case back, pusher between 10 and 11 o'clock for split seconds
Case number: I31
Size: 50 mm diameter
Signed: case and dial signed by retailer, movement signed by maker and retailer
Box: no
Papers: no
Accessories: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the year of manufacture in 1903 and the date of sale on 29 February 1904
Founded in Philadelphia in 1832, Bailey Banks & Biddle is one of America's oldest and most prestigious jewelers. The luxury firm is famous for crafting official U.S. military decorations like the Purple Heart and Medal of Honor, as well as serving generations of American presidents and prominent East Coast families.
The company's rich history spans several key periods, one of which includes being a major early retailer of Patek Philippe watches in the United States. The present example made in 1903, is a beautifully preserved example of a complicated watch by the esteemed Swiss maker and retailed in Philadelphia to Charles H. Gallagher.
Gallagher arrived in America from Ireland and through wit and acute business acumen, amassed his fortune from his barge business during a time when barges were the main form of transportation before the construction of railroads.
Credited with having been the original “Woodrow Wilson for Governor” advocate in Mercer County, Gallagher has been sergeant at arms of Chancery Court since 1936. Active since young manhood in Democratic politics, he served as a member of the Party's State committee, as a freeholder, as excise commissioner, and was on the county tax board. He was State Committeeman and was instrumental in inducing Mr. Wilson to become a Gubernatorial candidate.
The present timepiece comes directly from the family of Mr. Gallagher. Passed down through generations, the enamel dial is intact and in beautifully preserved condition, and is housed in a case monogramed with Mr. Gallagher's initials. Equipped with a splits-seconds complication, perhaps used to time the comings and goings of cargo at the docks, the watch is further distinguished by a 60-minute register as opposed to the more common 30-minute register.