Fine Swiss gold enamel and diamond-set watch Circa 1904

Gold enamel and diamond hunting cased watch
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A fine Swiss yellow gold enamel and diamond hunting cased keyless watch, made in 1904, manual winding gilt-finished jewelled lever movement, cut bimetallic balance, 18k yellow gold hinged cuvette.
White enamel dial, Roman numerals, outer minute track, 18k yellow gold case, front with diamond-set floral motif on translucent blue enamel over guilloché pattern, polished back, case, dial and movement signed.
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Diameter: 28 mm
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Signed: Patek Philippe & Cie Genève
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In 1844 Patek met the French watchmaker Jean-Adrien Philippe, who demonstrated his new invention: the first watch without a wind-up key. Patek and Philippe decided to work together from 1845 and in 1851 their company Patek Philippe and Cie was founded. In 1901 the name was officially Ancienne Manufacture d’Horlogerie Patek Philippe and Cie, S.A.
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The company has 70 patents and produces the entire clockwork in-house.
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Patek Philippe (1839), together with Audemars Piguet (1875), Vacheron Constantin (1755) and A. Lange und Sohne (1845), is considered to be “the big four” in the watchmaking world. The very luxurious timepieces are of high quality and therefore often raise record amounts at auctions. A pocket watch produced in 1933 was sold for 11 million in 1999 at an auction of Sotheby’s. A world record at that time. On 11 November 2014 it was auctioned again and this time it was sold for 19 million euros.
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With an Extract from the Archives confirming sale in 1905.