PATEK PHILIPPE. AN IMPORTANT AND PROBABLY UNIQUE 18K GOLD HUNTER CASE TWO-TRAINKEYLESS LEVER CHRONOGRAPH WATCH WITH CONCENTRIC INDEPENDENT AND STOPPABLE JUMP CENTRE SECONDS

The present watch is an exceptional rarity, to the best of our knowledge it appears to be the only one made by Patek Philippe with these particular horological complications. With a two-train movement, it features both an independent stoppable jump centre seconds function and in addition, a full chronograph with start/stop & return-to-zero functions. The centre seconds can be started and stopped by the button in the band at 6 o'clock but not returned to zero, the chronograph mechanism is operated in the usual way by the button at 12 o'clock. Capable of timing two separate events, it is not certain what precise purpose the watch was intended for, however, it was almost certainly a special order for its original aristocratic owner. The heavy gold full hunter case bears the coat of arms of the original owner and according to information provided by Patek Philippe in 1980, the watch was supplied to and presumably then sold by P. de Cervantes, Patek Philippe’s representative in Spain at the time.

Patek Philippe's independent dead centre seconds watches are exceedingly rare, only around 60 examples of this predecessor of the chronograph were ever made, both with and without subsidiary seconds. The mechanism requires two going trains, one for the movement and one for the centre seconds hand, allowing it to be stopped without stopping the main train in order not to interfere with the accuracy of timekeeping. Jean-Adrien Philippe was fascinated by mechanisms that could perform intermediate time measurements, one of the earliest Patek Philippe keyless watches with two trains and independent seconds was made in 1858, no. 15’144, (Patek Philippe Museum Inv. P-1345) and it is evident that by the mid-1860s he was well advanced with two-train independent seconds watches. The invention of this mechanism is attributed to Moise Pouzait, Geneva 1776. Adrien Philippe's independent dead seconds mechanism (Swiss patent No. 1017 of 23 May 1889, illustrated and described in Patek Philippe by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, p. 53) varies completely from Pouzait's design. Moving the seconds train over the center bridge created more space, thus allowing a larger balance resulting in better timekeeping.

The present watch is perhaps the only one to combine Adrien Philippe’s independent dead seconds mechanism with a traditional chronograph mechanism in the same watch. It is therefore of both great historical and horological significance and a true prize for the collector.