Historic Elegance from Patek Philippe
For nearly two centuries, Patek Philippe has created groundbreaking horological inventions that have inspired the world and resulted in some of the finest watches available. Today, Patek Philippe is regarded as one of the world's leading watchmakers, and their models are almost without peers in terms of popularity.
''You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation."
From Patek Philippe’s “Generations Campaign”.
At this summer's Live Auction in Copenhagen, we have dedicated a section of the auction for wristwatches on Tuesday 9 June at 6 pm. Among the highlights this evening are nine models from the acclaimed watchmaker Patek Philippe, including the coveted Calatrava 3919, Nautilus 3800 and Aquanaut 5167.
A Landmark Meeting
The company's history dates back to 1839 when Patek, Czapek & Cie was founded in Geneva by two watchmakers, the Czech François Czapek and his Polish-born partner Antoine Patek. Their business initially sold custom-made pocket watches to the aristocracy and members of the European royal houses. After disagreements arose with Czapek, Patek ended the collaboration and participated on his own in the world fair "Exposition Nationale des Produits de L'Industrie" in Paris in 1844. Here Patek met the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, who had just won the exhibition's bronze medal for his innovative keyless winding mechanism. This meeting would turn out to be a landmark event, as Patek and Philippe chose to go into business together the following year and created the brand we know today as Patek Philippe.
The First Swiss Wristwatch
Using Philipe's new mechanism, the company began to produce keyless pocket watches, which were acquired by Queen Victoria of Great Britain during the world fair in London in 1851. Seventeen years later in 1868, the duo created the first Swiss wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary. Antoine Patek died at the age of 65 in 1877. Patek's son did not want to take up the position after his father, which is why Adrien Philippe chose to hire his son-in-law. Philippe left his own position to his son Joseph Emile Philippe in 1891, three years before Adrien Philippe's death in 1894.
As a result of the stock market crash in 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression, Patek Philippe was acquired by the Stern family from Switzerland. The two Stern brothers, Charles and Jean Stern, had previously collaborated with Patek Philippe on the production of the company's dials. Today, it is still the Stern family who run Patek Philippe – now in their fourth generation.
Calatrava 3919One of the classics presented at this auction is a Calatrava 3919. With a long and rich history, the Calatrava model has been Patek Philippe's most classic wristwatch. The wristwatch's discreet design exudes an unmistakable elegance that has led to countless reissues since the model's first appearance with the iconic reference 96 in the early 1930s. In 1985, Patek Philippe introduced this Calatrava reference 3919 in an attempt to create a gentleman's wristwatch worthy of imitation, which almost immediately became the standard for modern and ambitious men. The watch has everything a classic Patek Philippe timepiece should have: a glossy, white-lacquered dial set with sharp, black Roman numerals, leaf-shaped hour and minute hands, and a sub-dial below with a second hand. In addition, reference 3919 also offers a very significant detail. The watch is surrounded by a so-called ''Clous de Paris'' design consisting of several layers of small pyramid-shaped structures that frame the dial and provides this model with an eye-catching look. |
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Nautilus 3800Also included in this auction is a Nautilus 3800. It is difficult to put into words how many ways the Nautilus model from Patek Philippe has changed the modern view of what constitutes an elegant sports watch. The model was introduced in 1976 with its iconic maritime design by Gérald Genta in an attempt to accommodate an influx of new buyers after the quartz crisis, which was caused by the rise of battery-powered watches and hit the industry hard during the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the series of this model is perhaps the most well-known and sought-after of Patek Philippe watches and contains a wealth of different references. The featured reference 3800 is the epitome of a luxurious sports watch, especially with the subtle octagonally shaped middle case, baton-shaped hands, metallic dark blue and horizontally striped guilloché dial fitted with both glazed and polished parts, all combined in elegant 18k gold. The result is nothing short of phenomenal! |
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Aquanaut 5167
Another coveted watch is the Aquanaut 5167. In 1997, following up on the successful Nautilus model, Patek Philippe chose to introduce the Aquanaut model in a limited edition of just 1,000 watches in gold and steel respectively, which were almost immediately sold out. The model shares many similarities with the Nautilus, but the Aquanaut marked the first time Patek Philippe made use of a rubber strap that could withstand both saltwater and UV light. This reference 5167 debuted in 2007 as the 10-year anniversary model for the series. The auction's model features a raised, black-tinted guilloché dial, a reminiscence of the rubber strap design, an octagonally shaped case, oversized Arabic numerals, and a transparent sapphire-crystal case back that still ensures that the watch is water-resistant down to a depth of 120 meters.
Get a closer look at another watch up for auction – Rolex Daytona, ref. 6239
For further information, please contact:
Vilhelm Islandi Bramsen: +45 8818 1239 · vib@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Henrik Jørgensen: +45 8818 1168 · hj@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Esben Skov Jensen (Aarhus): +45 8818 1199 · ej@bruun-rasmussen.dk
Kristine Toftgaard Tanderup (Aarhus): +45 8818 1237 · ktt@bruun-rasmussen.dk