Patek Philippe. A very fine and unique miniature 18K gold, amethyst and diamond-set openface keyless cylinder watch with gold and diamond-set detachable bow brooch

Part of a private collection for many decades and offered here for the first time at auction, this highly unusual Patek Philippe watch was certainly made by special order for the original client and it can safely be considered unique as no comparable example is known to exist to date.

The large cabochon amethyst was supplied by the client to Patek Philippe specifically for them to set into the watch case, as confirmed by the Extract from the Archives. The watch itself is only a few millimeters larger than the stone, giving it the overall appearance of being a “jewel”. Surrounded by a border of white diamonds the effect is extremely beautiful.

Amethyst was once considered a symbol of royalty and used to decorate English regalia. In the Old World, amethyst was regarded as one of the Cardinal gems, in that it was one of the five gemstones considered precious above all others.

With its 8 lignes movement the present watch is among the smallest watches with a keyless lever movement ever made by Patek Philippe. Its number, 48'434, is part of a series of movements reserved for complications or special mechanisms (47'000 - 48'499).