PATEK PHILIPPE
AN EXTREMLEY RARE AND IMPRESSIVE 18K PINK GOLD AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH BLACK ENAMEL DIAL
REF. 2526, MANUFACTURED IN 1957
MOVEMENT: Automatic
DIAL: Black enamel dial
CASE: 35 mm. diam.
WITH: 18k pink gold Patek Philippe buckle, Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives
Estimate: HKD 1,200,000 - 2,200,000 • € 135.027 - 247.549
With stunning good looks, the black dial reference 2526 is the epitome of rarity and beauty. The present watch is, to the best of our knowledge, one of only approximately eight examples of the reference 2526 in pink gold with black enamel dial and applied gold indexes to appear in public to date. Especially well preserved, remaining in excellent overall condition with true hard enamel dial, strong definition to the pink gold case and lugs and a clear hallmark on the band between the lower lugs. Among the numerous different variations of the reference 2526, the pink gold with black enamel dial is the most appreciated because of its incredible rarity and unsurpassed iconic appeal.
It is important to note that the present watch sports a true kiln-fired hard enamel dial complete with counter enamel on the reverse, one of the ultimate tenets of collectability for this reference. Enamel dials on any wristwatch are a very special thing, fundamentally time consuming and costly to make they can never be truly mass-made. Their essential rarity naturally adds considerably to their desirability as does the fact that enamel can last indefinitely.
The present watch is fitted with a black enamel first series dial, easily distinguished by glimpsing the flared holes under the numerals. The back of the dial is punch numbered ‘93 713’ under the counter enamel, ‘93’ stands for the client, in this instance Patek Philippe and ‘713’ as the order number when it was requested.
As this watch was manufactured when first series dials were no longer being made, it is likely that the original buyer specially requested a black dial to be placed on this watch. It is quite usual that the Extract from the Archives does not state the original dial colour (only two known black dial examples are extract confirmed) so that on the rare occasion that a black dial was requested, the dial was still supplied from an early batch of dials from the mid-1950s, Patek Philippe often fulfilled special requests in this way.
First series dials are distinguished by the fact that the numerals are not glued to the enamel, as seen with second series dials. Rather, the enamel presents flared holes which correspond to every numeral through which the feet of the numeral are positioned before being soldered to the back of the dial. While guaranteeing maximum durability, this solution is extremely costly, as a high number of dials do not survive through the manufacturing process due to the many flared holes. This methodology was quickly abandoned in favour of a the simpler one. The exacting and difficult enamel manufacturing procedure is proof of the incredibly high quality standards Patek Philippe maintained for their production of the reference 2526. The cases of the reference 2526 were made by the Geneva master casemaker F. Baumgartner, whose punch mark of number 2 in a key is found inside the back. The most distinguishing features of the 2526 case are its domed screw back for waterresistance and the beautiful cast gold crown with opposing ‘PP’ design. Only around 360 examples were made in pink gold of which less than 100 have ever returned to the market. Reference 2526 is always a masterpiece, a legendary model in the history of watchmaking: not only is it the first automatic wristwatch by Patek Philippe, but it is also one of the best performing automatic movement ever designed; its performances and accuracy can be considered superior even by today’s standards.
Less than twenty gold cased reference 2526 with black dials have appeared at international auction, the present watch is one of the trophy pieces of the reference – regarded as a Patek Philippe classic and a true eternal beauty whose appeal is certainly likely to endure.
Reference 2526
Reference 2526 is amongst the most elegant and distinguished vintage watches ever made. The model takes a historically relevant role in the establishment of Patek Philippe’s fame to be the premier manufacturer of the world’s finest wristwatches.
Introduced into the market in 1952 it was Patek Philippe’s first ever automatic watch starting with movement number 760’000.
We are grateful to Eric Tortella for his assistance and study in researching this watch.
Literature:
Ref. 2526 is illustrated in: Patek Philippe Wristwatches, Huber & Banbery, 1998 edition, pp. 216-217, and calibre 12 600 AT detailed views p. 214.
Reference 2526 is also illustrated in: Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe - Volume II, pp. 244-246. Examples of reference 2526 with black enamel dials are illustrated in: Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe - Volume II, p. 244, and in Patek Philippe, The Authorized Biography, Nicholas Foulkes, 2016, p. 212.