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拍品专文
Please note that Christie’s has applied for an ‘Extract from the Archives’ from Patek Philippe Archives but the Extract has not yet been issued and may not be available by the date of the auction.
Elegant and highly attractive, the present timepiece belongs to the third series of the reference, distinguished by its smaller index at 6 o’clock and a flat screw caseback. It is believed that a larger marker could not be accommodated for technical reasons, most likely due to changes in the setting process. In earlier series, hour markers were secured using pins, a method that often risked damaging the delicate enamel dials during assembly. Patek Philippe later abandoned this technique in favour of gluing the markers directly onto the dial, a more refined approach that was subsequently adopted for the majority of reference 2526 enamel dials.
Reference 2526
Introduced in 1952, reference 2526 holds a significant place in Patek Philippe’s history as the manufacture’s first self-winding wristwatch, debuting with movement number 760’000. At its heart is the celebrated calibre 12-600 AT, an automatic movement protected by Swiss patent no. 289758, granted in 1953 for its innovative winding system using a rotary mass.
The majority of reference 2526 examples were cased in yellow gold, with smaller numbers produced in pink gold, such as the present timepiece, and exceptionally rare examples in white gold and platinum. Most were fitted with enamel dials featuring applied gold baton numerals, while certain white gold and platinum versions were also available with silvered metal dials set with diamond hour markers.
Elegant and highly attractive, the present timepiece belongs to the third series of the reference, distinguished by its smaller index at 6 o’clock and a flat screw caseback. It is believed that a larger marker could not be accommodated for technical reasons, most likely due to changes in the setting process. In earlier series, hour markers were secured using pins, a method that often risked damaging the delicate enamel dials during assembly. Patek Philippe later abandoned this technique in favour of gluing the markers directly onto the dial, a more refined approach that was subsequently adopted for the majority of reference 2526 enamel dials.
Reference 2526
Introduced in 1952, reference 2526 holds a significant place in Patek Philippe’s history as the manufacture’s first self-winding wristwatch, debuting with movement number 760’000. At its heart is the celebrated calibre 12-600 AT, an automatic movement protected by Swiss patent no. 289758, granted in 1953 for its innovative winding system using a rotary mass.
The majority of reference 2526 examples were cased in yellow gold, with smaller numbers produced in pink gold, such as the present timepiece, and exceptionally rare examples in white gold and platinum. Most were fitted with enamel dials featuring applied gold baton numerals, while certain white gold and platinum versions were also available with silvered metal dials set with diamond hour markers.