Fine, rare Swiss gold open faced World Time lever Circa 1946

World Time watch by Patek Philippe
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A very fine and rare yellow gold open faced world time keyless watch, Heures Universelles, made in 1946. World time manual winding movement, 18 jewels.
Three part silvered dial, the central raised portion with stylized hands, applied Roman and dot indexes, the recessed middle portion indicating 24 hours with diurnal and nocturnal indication, the raised outer portion listing 41 world cities, 18k yellow gold case, rotating Heures Universelles bezel designed by watchmaker Louis Cottier, snap-on case back, arched pendant, case, dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 44 mm
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Signed: Patek Philippe Genève
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Accompanied by a Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives.

Reference 605 was created in fewer than one hundred examples in total, with production commencing in 1937 and continuing for nearly thirty years. Examples were available in yellow and pink gold, with dial color and layout variations. It is estimated that three-quarters were cased in yellow gold and one-quarter in pink gold. 

The ‘Heures Universelles’ function in reference 605 is operated via the bezel, a mechanism shared by this reference and the wristwatch reference 1415. By rotating the bezel so that the home city is at the 12:00 position and setting the watch to the local time zone, the recessed 24-hour indication adjusts automatically so that one can see the current time in 41 world cities. Because the case, dial and movement are all integral to the technical function of the watch, Louis Cottier supervised the production of each element. It is interesting to note that the present example, like many of Cottier’s inventions, lists London and Paris on the same time zone, within Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). On June 15th, 1940, Paris converted to Central European time due to the war. For many years, it was thought that Paris would eventually revert back to GMT, and there are Patek Philippe ‘Heures Universelles’ watches and wristwatches from as late as the 1970s which still list Paris and London on the same time zone.

Bearing the Roman numerals and dot indexes together with “circle” hour hand, the present lot belongs to the 1^st series of reference 605. The present lot is now offered on behalf of a descendant of the original owner, and it ticks every box for a discerning buyer.