Rare Swiss chronometer with spring detent escapement Circa 1904

Rose gold open faced chronometer by Patek Philippe
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An important, heavy Geneva pocket watch with spring detent escapement, circa 1904. This watch is one of the 50 pocket chronometers produced by Patek Philippe that had a spring detent escapement. It features a polished 18K gold case, an enamel dial with Breguet numerals, blued steel spade hands, an outer minute track, and a subsidiary seconds dial. The bridge movement has a spring detent escapement, free-sprung cylindrical balance spring, diamond endstone, and gold screw compensation balance. The watch comes with both a Patek Philippe extract from the archives and an extract from Andreas Hidding’s chronometer database.
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Diameter: 55 mm
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Weight: 143 g
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Signed: Patek, Philippe & Cie. Genève
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There are only about 50 pocket chronometers with spring detent escapement that were produced by Patek Philippe. Some of these are owned by the Patek Museum in Geneva and are rarely available for sale. This particular watch is in excellent condition and was finely tuned by master regulator J. Golay-Audemars. It was submitted to the chronometer competition of the Observatoire de Genève in 1905 and is, therefore, part of a very exclusive group of such chronometers. These unique collector’s items are listed in ChronoHype Magazine No. 2, which includes a detailed overview by Christian Pfeiffer-Belli.