PATEK PHILIPPE
A UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT 18K GOLD MINUTE REPEATING WRISTWATCH
REF. 2419, MANUFACTURED IN 1946, RETAILED BY CARTIER NEW YORK IN 1950
MOVEMENT: Manual
DIAL: Silvered
CASE: 34 mm. diam.
WITH: 18k gold Patek Philippe buckle, Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives, Cartier Certificate of Authenticity
REMARKS: Exceptional quality, unique piece, Cartier punched numbers, ‘HOX’ engraving, oversized crown, repeater trigger & subsidiary seconds, black enamel applied to the hands and hour markers
Estimate: HKD 12,000,000 - 24,000,000 • € 1.391.548 - 2.783.096
Vintage minute repeating wristwatches by Patek Philippe are amongst the rarest of the rare, few were ever made and they are true triumphs of the highest level of watchmaking.
This extraordinary and unique reference 2419 wristwatch is not only highly important as a midcentury minute repeater but incredibly it is also retailed by Cartier, punch numbered and fully confirmed by the Cartier archives. Sold to the Henry Stern Watch Agency in New York in 1950 before being sold to its first owner by Cartier’s New York branch in the same year. The balance bridge of the movement is engraved with Patek Philippe’s export code ‘HOX’ confirming that the watch was destined for the American market.
This very special minute repeater has a quite astonishing individual aesthetic and an imposing presence. Its size appears even more impressive to the eye by the use of a narrow bezel which displays the maximum diameter possible of the dial which itself has a dramatic minimalist style created by the use of an oversized subsidiary seconds dial and the black painted gold hands and indexes. The prominent elongated lug profiles, oversized winding crown and oversized repeating slide lend the watch an incomparable look quite unlike any other.
The Story of Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Ref. 2419J
Until sold in 2011, the present watch had directly descended from the original owner. According to Patek Philippe literature, reference 2419 was launched in 1946 and was fitted with a calibre 10 200, time only movement, with small seconds. This watch is the only reference 2419 known publicly to have survived, although research shows that at least two watches with this reference were sold to the Henry Stern Watch Agency, one with a calibre 12 120, and this one, with a minute repeater feature.
The most intriguing aspect of this watch is however the unusual and unique elements. Information provided several years ago by the original owner states that due to old age, he started to have difficulty in winding and setting the watch and activating the minute repeating as well as reading the dial easily. It was for these reasons that he asked Patek Philippe to paint in black the hands and the hour markers, to supply a larger crown (a pocket watch crown was used then) and to enlarge the repeater trigger. This gentleman missed his favourite watch so much that Patek Philippe suggested that he buy a second one to use each time his watch was left for servicing!
Detailed Study of Unique Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Ref. 2419J
The Dial
Made by Stern Frères: made in 1948-1949, on a silvered solid gold plate base, “satiné-opalin” finish, engraved-enamelled inscriptions, signature, minutes peripherical scale and auxiliary dial. It has an unusual hand painted “Swiss” inscription, a detail which is typical for dials made on a special request. The applied yellow gold “Bullets” hour markers are lapidated with 5 facets. The engraved enamelled decoration: minutes scale, subsidiary seconds and the signature, were all made by hand, after a model, then the enamellers would fill the engravings and “bake” the dial to around 900 degrees.
The hours and minutes hands are gold, “Dauphine” shape, black hand painted; the subsidiary seconds hand is gold “Feuille” shape, also black painted. The inscriptions on the dial back are written in a typical way, usually seen on special orders, dials worked one by one or for complicated important watches. The dial back inscriptions also show the Stern Frères codes, the Patek Philippe order number and the movement serial number. The way these inscriptions were made shows that the dial was made on a special request, one piece only.
The Case
Made by the Master case maker Emile Vichet, the ‘satin’ finish to the case is possibly original and certainly vintage. The Cartier number ‘7026’ on the back of the upper left lug is clearly visible. The flat back has clear Swiss gold marks - Helvetia head with the G for Geneva. The repeater trigger has been enlarged with the addition of a piece of gold on the original piece. The oversized solid gold Patek Philippe crown is of pocket watch type. The inside of the case back has the following marks: Swiss hallmark, the “Helvetia” head for Switzerland and the “G” in its lower inside part for Geneva; 0.750 punch for the gold ”title” 18K, punched by the case-maker according the CMP request (Contrôle des Métaux Précieux) ; Makers signature, marked by the case-maker with GENEVE and SWISS, always seen in that position, following Patek Philippe instructions ; Reference number, marked by the case-maker, following
Patek Philippe instructions ; Case serial number, also marked by the case-maker, following
Patek Philippe instructions ; Case maker identification, here a number
9 in a key: 9 for Vichet and the key for Geneva.
The Movement
Serial number 861’078, ébauche was started in 1945 and finished in 1946, probably mounted only in 1948 or 1949. Rhodiumed brass, 29 jewels, 18’000 alternances, straight line lever escapement, cut bi-metallic balance, Breguet curve balance spring, eight adjustments, five on positions and three on isochronism, precision micrometric adjustment, marked with maker’s signature, calibre specifications and serial number, serial number also under the dial plate, wolf’s tooth winding wheels, including the repeating winding wheel.
We are grateful to Eric Tortella for his assistance and study in researching this watch.