Rare Swiss gold open faced world time watch Circa 1951
- Kenmerk
- SB0464
- Diameter
- 44 mm
- Estimate
- € 30.000 - 60.000
- Price sold
- € 33.450
Important and rare gold world time watch by Patek Philippe
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An important and rare Swiss 18 carat gold open faced world time watch, circa 1951. Retailed by Tiffany & Co. Cal. 17”’170 world time manual winding nickel lever movement, 18 jewels. Three part silvered dial, the central raised portion with lys hands, applied Roman and dot indexes, the recessed intermediate portion indicating 24 hours with diurnal and nocturnal indication, the raised outer portion listing 41 world cities. Rotating Louis Cottier designed Heures Universelles bezel, snap back, arched pendant. Dial signed by maker and retailer, case and movement signed by maker. With an Extract from the Archives confirming sale on August 5th, 1959.
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Diameter: 44 mm
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Signed: Tiffany & Co. Patek Philippe Genève Swiss
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Ref. 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.
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The ‘Heures Universelles’ function in Ref 605 is operated via the bezel, a mechanism shared by this and the wristwatch Ref. 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.
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It is interesting to note that the present watch, like many of Cottier’s inventions, lists London and Paris on the same time zone, Greenwich Mean Time. 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 1970’s which still list Paris and London on the same time zone.
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Signed: Tiffany & Co. Patek Philippe Genève Swiss
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Ref. 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.
–
The ‘Heures Universelles’ function in Ref 605 is operated via the bezel, a mechanism shared by this and the wristwatch Ref. 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 watch, like many of Cottier’s inventions, lists London and Paris on the same time zone, Greenwich Mean Time. 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 1970’s which still list Paris and London on the same time zone.
Signed: Tiffany & Co. Patek Philippe Genève Swiss
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