Patek Philippe – Simply the Finest Watches, Money Can Buy.
Some significant moments in watchmaking since 1839 …
In 1839 Antoine Patek began producing about 200 high quality pocket watches per year.
In 1845 Patek & Co. Partnership founded in Geneva with Jean Adrien Philippe, technical director.
In 1846, Tiffany & Co. New York, Tiffany appoints Patek Philippe as its principal supplier of pocket watches.
In 1857, Universal Exposition in London Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought a timepiece from them and as a result, the company rapidly consolidated its reputation, shooting to international fame.
In 1867 the company produced the world’s first wristwatch.
In 1927 the company produced the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch.
In 1941 the company produced the world’s first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch.
In 1962 the company produced the world’s first automatic, perpetual calendar wristwatch.
It is said that fewer than 1 million Patek Philippe watches have been made since 1839. That’s fewer than some very high-end Swiss manufacturers (Rolex for example) produce in one year. The company limits itself to producing less than 50,000 watches per year, even though it is estimated by watch market analysts that the company could sell ten times this figure. Patek production is so detailed, it takes nine months to make its’ most basic watches and more than two years to produce some of the more complicated timepieces.
We associate Patek Philippe with the best, but more particularly, understated elegance, craftsmanship, heritage, design, perfection and confidence.
Why This Watch Is Important! – The Slimmest Ever Patek Philippe
This 1966 Patek Philippe Calibre 175 has an ultra-thin watch movement which remains in production to this day. When launched in 1962, this was the thinnest watch produced by Patek Philippe and it was conceived as a response to the Vacheron Calibre.1003 and others, to produce the thinnest watches possible, within expected levels of accuracy and reliability.
The Dial
Although this watch is 52 years old, the design here is so clean, simple and minimalist it could easily be mistaken for a thoroughly contemporary watch. White, with gold hands and applied baton hour indices, with double batons at 12, plus a signature. That’s it. So simple and yet so pleasing. Nothing more, nothing less, but also so well-balanced, in such perfect proportion and so well executed.
In harmony with the watch case, the dial speaks, very gently, “pure, simple quality”.
The Watch Case
The 18ct yellow gold watch case measures 32mm in diameter, excluding the original Patek Philippe crown. The watch is 6mm in depth, making this the thinnest watch ever produced by Patek Philippe when launched in 1962. The case is a two-piece design with a press fit back and straight lugs. The case has a solid outer ring with a lip bezel which gives the case a great deal of rigidity. In keeping with the Patek Philippe Calatrava, the crown is partly sunken into the case.
The case is in immaculate condition with no scratches, dings or other signs of damage visible to the naked eye.
Inside the case-back is signed Patek Philippe & Co, Geneve and Swiss. It carries Swiss Geneva 18ct hallmarks, along with the Patek Model Reference 3498 and the case serial number 2632161.
The Movement
The Patek Philippe Calibre 175, 18 Jewel hand-wound movement is an amazingly thin 1.77mm and it is a technical tour de force. An antimagnetic, straight-line lever escapement, Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and five positions, self-compensating flat balance spring. Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and others, competed with each other during the late 1950s and 1960s to produce the thinnest watches, within the constraints of expected levels of accuracy and reliability. It speaks to these companies credit, that both Patek’s Calibre.175 and Vacheron’s Calibre.1003 equivalent are still in production today.
The movement is in tip-top condition. The Geneva wave finishing on the bridge and plates was all applied by hand over 60 years ago and looks bright with no signs of tarnishing. The rest of this movement is in equally good condition, indicating the watch has been properly cared for and regularly serviced.
The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced by a Master Watchmaker. This means dismantling the watch to all its component parts, careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine parts, then careful reassembly and adjustment, before final calibration in 5 positions. This watch winds, sets and runs accurately and reliably and at final testing and calibration, this watch was running within -3 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. Please bear in mind this is outstanding for any watch of this age so we are therefore highly confident in offering a 12-month warranty with this watch movement*.
The movement is all correctly signed Patek Philippe & Co, Geneve and Swiss, with the Calibre number 175 and movement serial number 1130670 which date this watch to 1966.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
The Strap and Buckle
The watch is fitted with a high quality Black leather strap with the original Patek Philippe solid gold buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know, and we will do our best to oblige free of charge.
The Box and Papers
Although there is no original paperwork with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating the watch to 1966. A detailed Particulars document will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.
This watch comes complete with its original, vintage, Patek Philippe, inner and outer presentation boxes, as shown.
In Conclusion
We have here a rare and sought-after Patek Philippe dress watch, from horology’s most revered name, which is truly something of beauty, to wear, use, treasure and enjoy! This watch will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though Patek prices have risen dramatically in recent years, we feel fine examples such as this remain undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage watches expands, availability becomes more limited and so prices are surely destined to climb ever higher!
A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post sales care and service. This approach inevitably means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are a number of well-known stores in West London which are very successful, charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.
We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you would wish to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or International Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges and offers of watches for sale.
We will be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here
f you have any questions please call on our Landline 0207 727 7095 or Mobile 07515 949250 or if calling from overseas, on Landline +44 207 727 7095 or Mobile +44 7515 949250.
We are here, ready, available and awaiting your call!
Finally, please enjoy some time spent viewing our other fine Vintage Gold Watches!
Thank you.
