PATEK PHILIPPE
23-jewel manual winding 13″‘ movement adjusted to temperature, position and isochronism, monometallic balance, overcoiled spring, micrometer regulator, metal dust cap, silvered dial with tachymeter scale enclosing applied gold baton and arabic numerals, enhanced with luminous dots, subsidiary dials for continuous seconds and 30-minute register, gold hour and minute hands with luminous fill, blued sweep hand, patent screw back case by Taubert & fils, accompanied by original box, original Certificate of Origin and Guarantee and contemporary catalog of Patek Philippe watches
36mm
FOOTNOTES
- Offered with an Extract from the Patek Philippe Archives confirming the manufacture of the watch and its sale June 17th 1952.
One of the most sought-after vintage references, the Patek Philippe 1463 was the firm’s first water-resistant chronograph. It was produced from 1940 through the mid-1960’s, mostly in yellow gold with some examples being cased in pink gold and stainless steel. The inside of the present watch is stamped with “FB”, the maker’s mark for Taubert & Fils, one of the finest case makers in Geneva, who specialized in water-resistant cases. See the footnote to lot 223 for a history of Taubert & Fils.
The present watch is an extraordinary specimen, featuring a very unusual trait. Unlike most reference 1463’s this example has luminous hands and accents, something that Patek Philippe would have used at the client’s request. Although the reference 1463 is not often thought of as a “sport” watch, the presence of luminous hands and accents indicates that the owner wanted to use and wear the watch as for more than just special occasions. Only a few other examples exist of this reference with luminous hands and numerals are known to exist, further enhancing the rarity of this watch.
The combination of factors – luminous dial, freshness to the market, original certificate, and preserved in very good original condition – render this watch a “trophy example” for the most demanding of collectors
