Swiss Chronometer Gondolo watch with 24 hour dial Circa 1911

Gold open faced keyless lever watch by Patek Philippe & Co.
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A rare Swiss gold open faced keyless lever Chronometer Gondolo watch with 24 hour dial, circa 1911, made for Gondolo & Labouriau, Relojoeiros, Rio de Janeiro. This watch features a frosted gilt movement, signed Patek Philippe & Cie. It includes a moustache lever escapement, wolf’s tooth winding, gold wheels and cam wheel precision regulation. The white enamel dial is also signed Patek Philippe & Cie. It has Arabic numerals from 0 to 23, painted in black and numbers 0, 6, 12 and 18 in red, gold spade hands, and a subsidiary seconds dial.
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The case is crafted from 18 carat gold and has a guilloché back. The gold cuvette is signed and numbered Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève, 165403. It is identified as a Chronometro Gondolo, explicitly made for Gondolo & Labouriau Relojoeiros in Rio de Janeiro. This watch is accompanied by an Extract from the Archive that confirms its production in 1911 and sale on December 22, 1911.
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Diameter: 56 mm
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Signed: Patek Philippe & Cie Genève
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Movement is running. The dial is in good condition, although the tip of the minute hand is slightly shortened. The case has scuffs throughout, and the guilloché on the back is significantly worn.
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In 1872, Patek Philippe began selling watches in South America through a retailer called Gondolo and Labouriau, located in Rio de Janeiro. This partnership lasted until 1927 and was highly profitable for Patek Philippe. Gondolo and Labouriau accounted for nearly one third of the brand’s total production when Europe experienced economic difficulties due to the First World War. The success of these sales in South America was so significant that Brazilian consumers started using the term Patek as a synonym for watch.
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Gondolo & Labouriau greatly benefitted from their relationship with Patek Philippe, forming an exclusive club of collectors called the Gondolo Gang. Membership requires each participant to purchase a Patek Philippe watch. Clients were allowed to pay ten francs each week towards the total cost of the watch, which was 790 francs. Additionally, Gondolo & Labouriau organised a weekly lottery. The winner in the first week received his watch for free, the second week winner paid only ten francs, the third week winner paid twenty francs, and so on. This continued for 79 weeks, after which all remaining members paid the full retail price. This approach served as clever marketing and provided members with a form of gambling, which was illegal in Brazil at the time, although it was not strictly enforced in private clubs.
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The current watch is a prime example of the Chronometro Gondolo, a line of pocket watches designed by Patek Philippe exclusively for the retailer Gondolo & Labouriau in the early 1900s. This retailer requested specific features to set their watches apart from other models produced by Patek.
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Chronometro Gondolo pocket watches are equipped with keyless winding mechanisms, utilising wolf’s tooth winding wheels, and include a recessed square socket for releasing the barrel spring. Additionally, these watches feature a gold wheel train, a moustache lever, and a unique off set precision regulator with a snail form cam.
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Among the most distinctive versions of the Gondolo are those with 24 hour dials, which often have hour markers calibrated from 1-24 or, as in this case, 0-23. A similar example is housed in the Patek Philippe Museum.