Swiss 18K gold keyless lever observatory chronometer Circa 1892

Gold award-winning hunting cased pocket watch by Patek Philippe
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A Swiss, important Patek Philippe observatory chronometer, circa 1892. Honoured with Honorable Mention Award at the Geneva observatory in 1903, with extract from the archives and observatory from 1903, and sold August 24th, 1905.
Observatory chronometer 1st class with spring chronometer escapement, chronometer balance wheel, wolf teeth and screwed gold chatons. Signed and well-preserved enamel dial with Breguet-style radial hours, outer minutes track, subsidiary dial for the seconds, and blue pear hands. Frosted decorated, 18K gold special à-goutte case.
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Diameter:57 mm
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Weight: 165 g
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Signed: Patek, Philippe & Cie Genève
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This is 1 of only 5 known examples of Patek Philippe observatory chronometers with a chronometer escapement.
1. This watch with the number 90535, Provenance Auction Geneva 1999 “The Art of Horology in Geneva: Patek Philippe Legendary Watches”, hammer price 57,500CHF.
2. The “nurse’s watch” No. 90534 is shown in Huber & Banbery “Patek Philippe” Page 172 and is now in the Patek Philippe Museum.
3. The “nurse’s watch” No. 90538, identical to the present chronometer, is shown in Huber & Banbery’s “Patek Philippe” page 170.
4. The nurse’s watch no. 90536, tested at the Geneva Observatory in 1908, missing.
5. The “Pleistern” chronometer was auctioned in Geneva in 2007 for CHF 88,500.
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With the exception of the “Pelp” chronometer, which was manufactured much earlier, all other chronometers of this type known today were manufactured in 1892. It was probably a small series of less than ten copies. The chronometers were specifically built for chronometer competitions and did not go on sale. This also results in its enormous rarity. This also applies to the number 90538, according to Huber & Banbery, not sold. The chronometer 90535 presented here was tested in 1903, 11 years after production, and received a special award. The chronometer 90536 was tested in 1908, and the 90538 was not tested until 1915 and 1916. All of these chronometers were submitted by Patek Philippe. The extract from the archives states that the chronometer 90535 presented here was ultimately sold in 1904, the year after the chronometer competition.