Extremely rare Swiss gold miniature pocket watch Circa 1854

Miniature watch for the German market by Patek Philippe & Co.
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An adorable, extremely rare Geneva miniature pocket watch with cylinder escapement for the German market, circa 1854.
Bridge movement, calibre 7”, key winding, cylinder escapement, three-arm brass balance. Screwed white enamel dial with Roman numerals and Breguet steel hands. Engine turned 18K gold case. Cuvette engraved with inscriptions and the maker’s signature.
This watch is one of the smallest watches of its time. Sold in June 1857 and delivered to Sackermann Hessenberg & Co. à Francfort. With an original, gold-backed saffiano leather presentation box lined with velvet and silk, a winding key and an extract from the Patek Philippe archive.
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Diameter: 18 mm
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Weight: 8 g
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Signed: Patek Philippe & Cie.
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Even in the company’s early days, when it was still operating under the names Patek & Czapek and Patek & Cie. company, she had already made miniature clocks her speciality. The watch presented here is one of the first to be manufactured by the company under the later name of Patek Philippe. Miniature watches have always encouraged watchmakers to try their hand at smaller and smaller mechanisms. A particularly small version from Patek Philippe was famous in its time for being the smallest watch in the world; it was sent to the 1851 World’s Fair in London, where Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert both purchased miniature clocks. They thus inspired a keen interest in these little treasures, and a long series of successes began for the Patek Philippe company. Number 9754,