

The present lot was formerly owned by Stanley H. Arnolt II (1907-1963), inventor, designer, entrepreneur and race car driver. One of his first inventions, an inboard marine engine called the 'Sea-Mite', was so fast that on a foggy morning in 1938, Arnolt made a record trip on a 13 foot boat from St. Joseph, Michigan to Chicago in less than four hours. So impressed were bystanders along the Navy Pier in Chicago that they dubbed the man 'Wacky' Arnolt for his fearless manner, a name that he kept for decades to come. In 1952, Arnolt introduced a new company, S.H. Arnolt, Inc. to import and distribute foreign cars. The cars were true hybrids consisting of British mechanicals and Italian bodywork. His company oversaw the final assembly of these unusual cars and managed the U.S. sales and distribution. One can imagine 'Wacky' Arnolt with his trademark cigar admiring this fine Patek Philippe Ref. 699 for its radial calendar layout and meticulous engineering.
A similar example with Arabic numerals is illustrated in Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, Patek Philippe, vol. 1, 1st ed., p. 206, pl. 180.