PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY FINE AND EXTREMELY RARE 18K PINK GOLD PERPETUAL CALENDAR WRISTWATCH WITH MOON PHASES

The present perpetual calendar is a master piece of elegance, one of the most well-preserved example of the rare pink gold version of the reference 1526 from the third series - Doubtlessly one of Patek Philippe’s most elegant and timeless models, produced in an exceedingly small series of only 210 examples.

The dial displays a beautiful, uniform eggshell-coloured patina, perfectly harmonizing with the rose gold colour of the case. The hard enamel signature and scales are as raised as the sophisticated connoisseur would expect. The case has not been subject to careless polishing, the gold mark underneath the upper left lug is crisp, the hallmark to the right band is deep and visible.

To conclude on the extreme rarity of this very sought specimen, the watch is one of the only 45 pieces produced in pink gold.

Reference 1526

In production from 1940 to 1952, this masterpiece combines a Calatrava-style case and a minimalist dial audaciously ahead of its time. In fact, a similar style of dial layout - with a subsidiary dial at 6 o'clock and openings for day of the week and month at 12 - can be found in Patek Philippe perpetual calendar watches over the following three decades, most notably references 2497, 2438/1, 3448 and 3450.

Apart from a unique piece in steel, this reference was available predominantly in yellow gold (165 pieces) and a fraction in pink gold (45 pieces).

Reference 1526 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, first edition, p. 215, and in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches Volume II, pp. 288-289.