Large Swiss silver lever chronometer navigation watch Circa 1896

Silver lever with Guillaume-type balance
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A large Swiss, extremely fine and rare silver keyless pocket watch, circa 1896. Extra adjusted lever chronometer navigation watch with Guillaume-type balance, entered for Geneva Observatory Timing Contest, achieving a Grade A rating certificate. Accompanied by a Patek Philippe wooden deck box and the Extract from the Archives. Sold on August 12, 1901, to J.H. Leyson, Butte, Montana.
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A polished case and a hinged silver cuvette. Matte silver dial with applied polished baton indexes, outer engraved dot minute track. Polished dauphine hands. Adjusted Extra, rhodium plated movement, Geneva striping decoration, pillar plate under the dial with oeil de perdrix finishing, 17 jewels, wolf’s tooth winding, very high-quality straight line calibrated equidistant lever escapement, Anibal-brass Guillaume-type compensation balance with poising wings on the balance arm, gold and platinum temperature and meantime adjustment screws, blued steel Breguet balance spring with an outer terminal curve, diamond endstone, swan-neck micrometric regulator. Dial, case and movement signed, movement also signed for Butte, Montana, case punched with Swiss and German silver marks.
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Diameter: 60 mm
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Signed: Patek Philippe & Cie.  Genève
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The present watch is a fine example of a Patek Philippe navigation watch from a very small series, all destined for Observatory trials, it is a particularly early example, made in 1896. According to the Extract from the Archives, the original case of this watch was replaced by the present case (No. 625987) during a servicing in the Patek Philippe workshops in 1960. It is likely that the present dial and hands were also added at this time. Watches such as this which were successful at the Observatory Contests were several times more expensive than the regular production.
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When destined for Observatory Timing Contests, the movements of Patek Philippe watches, like those of other makers, were double engraved with the movement serial numbers. The inscription “Extra” on the bridge of the movement refers to the high finishing of all the parts of the movement. The case also bears a German import mark for silver indicating that it was probably originally destined to be used by the German Navy, but was never cased. Very few navigation watches of this type were supplied by Patek Philippe, perhaps due to their high prices.