Patek Philippe Tiffany & Co ‘1887’ Repeater 18K Gold Pocket Watch, Archive & Box

Description: The history between Tiffany & Co. and Patek Philippe is a rich and enduring one, dating back to 1851 when Antoine Norbert de Patek sought out Charles Lewis Tiffany as a retail partner for his exquisite timepieces. This marked the beginning of a partnership that has lasted over 170 years, making Tiffany & Co. the first official retail partner for Patek Philippe watches in the United States. A wonderful opportunity to acquire this rare 137 year old 18 carat solid gold full hunter ‘Tiffany & Co’ Patek Philippe five minute repeater complication pocket watch. Was gifted to Edmund from Irene date engraved April 15, 1900. Accompanied with the original presentation box signed Tiffany & Co and official Patek Philippe extract from the archives dating the watch to 1887 with the sale date recorded as 22nd of November 1887. High grade Patek Phillipe repeater complication movement housed in a four piece 49mm (without crown & bow) hunting case featuring a personally inscribed cuvette, monogrammed initials. Top wind crown with time change. Beautiful pristine enamel dial. The case is signed Tiffany & Co 18K, serial numbered 77784. Recently inspected and tested by a master horologist described as “Superb running order with minutes repeating in phase”. Keeping accurate time. With careful use and if treated with care, this watch will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece which is ready to use, treasure and enjoy! “It cannot be disputed that repeater-work is really the scientific part of horology. Therefore it requires more theory for design and more delicacy and precision in manufacture. This is why those who know it and practise it, carry it out with more perfection than other types of work." It’s a rare life time experience to hear the traditional gongs and hammers of the repeater magic with Patek Philippe. It’s a privilege to hear the sound of Patek Philippe repeaters doing their thing. Patek Philippe is generally, well, you wouldn't say uncommunicative, but they do have the natural reticence that you'd expect from a family-owned haute horlogerie firm. One name that takes all but one spot of the most expensive watches ever sold is the legendary Genevan watchmaker Patek Philippe. A staple of the high end auction houses, these incredible timepieces are revered for their complexity and high-quality craftsmanship. What makes them so special? Four of the most expensive watches ever sold - 1. Patek Philippe, Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010 – $31m - 2. Patek Philippe, Henry Graves Supercomplication – $23.98m - 3. Patek Philippe, Stainless Steel 1518 – $11.14m - 4. Patek Philippe, Prince Mohammed Tewfik A. Toussoun Pink Gold 1518 with French Calendar – $9.57m. As the world's permier watchmaker, Patek Philippe in certain sets the bar for what constitutes a world-class timepiece. Prized by royalty, heads of state, and prominent public figures, their timepieces rank in the top teir of the most exclusive and expensive in the world. Patek Philippe is one of the oldest continuously operating watchmaker, with production extending all the way back to 1839. It is considered part of the "Holy Trinity" of Swiss watchmaking, with Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. The brand has always maintained its uncompromising pursuit of perfection on the inside and out of every timepiece to be released over the past 184 years. Patek Philippe has established itself globally, becoming highly regarded in both watch collecting circles and high society. Acclaimed for their superior skill with design and quality they have created timepieces for such nobles as King Farouk Of Egypt to whom they supplied reference 1518, a pocket watch for Queen Victoria and many watches supplied to Kings, Queens, heads of states and dignitaries Worldwide. The elite Swiss firm Patek Philippe has had as it's motto “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." In contrast to modern Patek Philippe watches that can be purchased at various jewellery boutiques around the world, their vintage pieces are fairly scarce. Patek Philippe’s attention to detail and strict quality standards limited their production capacity in the early mid to late 1800’s to very small numbers. Original Enamel Dial: Signed Tiffany & Co. White enamel Arabic numerals dial, chapter ring with minute markers and five minute indexes 5 - 60 in red. Stepped subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o'clock in excellent working order, steel blue spade and whip hands. Overall the Enamel dial is superb condition. No cracks, hairlines or noticeable marks. Original Crystal: In good condition. Original Solid Gold Case: Polished solid rose gold stepped full hunter four piece case measures 49mm without crown. Beautifully crafted case with features such as swan neck, double hinges and smooth edge finishes a true marvel to case making. Has surface hairline scratches associated with polished precious metals commensurate with age and wear. Hinges and case are in good condition. There are no deep scratches or dents. Original Case Back Cover Outer: Case back cover featuring personally inscribed monogrammed hinged back with initials ‘EJB’. Hinges are in good solid condition. Cover has surface hairline surface scratches associated with precious polished metals commensurate with age and wear. Clicks and pops, fits flush against case. Please observe photographs. Original Case Back Cover (Outer) Inner: Stamped 18K with number 84. In good overall condition. Original Case Back Cover (Movement) Outer: Has surface hairline scratches commensurate with age and wear. Overall good condition for age. X 1 very small pin dent not noticeable to the naked eye, hinges are in good condition. Original (Movement) Cover Outer Inner: Inner cover signed Tiffany & Co 18K (numbered) 77784. In good condition. Original Movement: Signed Tiffany & Co no 77784 high grade complication repeater movement. Fully tested and inspected by a master horologist specialising in Patek Philippe time pieces with no issues to report. Described “In superb order” keeping accurate time, repeater feature and slide lever to activate repeater function working correctly. Original Onion Crown And Bow: Winder/crown is in good functioning order and the bow is in solid condition. Tiffany & Co Retailers Presentation Box: Signed Tiffany & Co New York - Paris - London. The inner is in good condition. Outer has imperfections and marks with signs of general wear commensurate with age. Please observe photographs. * Please observe photographs carefully as they form part of the description* Please note this Patek Philippe is over 137 years old. Shipping DHL insured registered post World wide. Buyer is responsible for any taxes or duties due which may delay or hold up your shipment at the destination port. Additional Information; The history of chiming watches is generally pretty well known, at least in broad outline. Telling the time acoustically is the oldest known method, at least in mechanical horology in Europe, and it's generally thought that the earliest clocks with mechanical escapements had no hands, nor a dial, but rather told the time by ringing a bell. A watch or clock can ring the time either "in passing," which means that the time is rung automatically at the hours and quarter hours, or "on demand," which means that the owner can operate a button or slide, and the movement will ring the time at the moment it's activated. The word "repeater" means on-demand striking. The first repeaters were English, and the first patent for a repeating watch was granted to Daniel Quare all the way back in 1687. Watches that chime the hour, and the nearest quarter hour, were the first repeating watches, and gradually more precise chiming watches were developed, until finally the minute repeater appeared – the very first that were made in Germany, around 1720. Making repeaters at Patek Philippe goes pretty far back. The first one recorded in Patek's archives was made in 1839, and sold for 450 CHF (it was only the 19th watch produced by the company, at the time). The watch was a quarter repeater. The first half-quarter repeater (which chimes the hour, quarter, and the nearest half-quarter hour, or seven and a half minute period) was sold in 1845, and in the same year the company sold its first true minute repeater too. It was also in 1845 that the first grand et petite sonnerie from Patek was sold (and it was also the year that Jean Adrien Philippe joined the company – big year). Since then Patek has made some of the most famous chiming and complicated watches in the world; it's a list that includes the Duke of Regla pocket watch from 1910 (grande et petite sonnerie with minute repeater and Westminster chimes, ringing on five gongs), the record-breaking Henry Graves Supercomplication (which we personally witnessed and shared with you as it sold for $24 million in 2014), the Caliber 89, the Star Caliber 2000, and, of course, in most recent times, the Grandmaster Chime. Patek Philippe is largely still doing things the old fashioned way, although the company has adopted some ancillary testing technology that represents a more modern approach. For instance, recordings of the sound profile of each repeater are made in an anechoic chamber, and the sound is analyzed digitally to ensure that it meets Patek's internal standards. However, there's nothing in any Patek Philippe repeater that would seem shocking to a watchmaker from a century ago (in fact, although silicon balance springs are found in many of Patek's watches, to this day you won't find them in its repeaters). Despite the undoubted interest in the best of today's crop of technically forward-looking repeaters, there is something deeply compelling about handling a repeater that represents the continuity of traditional methods you find in a Patek (and which is after all Patek Philippe's main stock in trade). We have all heard the phrase, cool, calm and collected, and it can be applied to meet many occasions, but it has a real personal significance to to the person undertaking the care of repeaters. The three primary characteristics of a repeater are the tempo at which it chimes, the quality of the sound, and the volume at which it chimes. The gongs in a modern minute repeater are generally made of hardened steel. Now, despite the relative predictability of modern manufacturing methods, making repeaters remains something of a dark art, and the acoustic qualities of each repeater can vary depending on the properties of the case, movement, dial, and even whether or not the repeater is gem-set, so Patek makes 21 different grades of standard gongs, as well as 21 different grades of cathedral repeater gongs. Gongs are made by hand, one at a time, and learning how to make them is a rather time consuming process – we're told that, in general, Patek's watchmakers have to make a hundred or so of a given grade of gong in order to have mastered that type well enough to be allowed to make that grade for actual production repeaters. Gongs range from just 0.48mm to 0.6mm in diameter.

Price: 17500 GBP

Location: Birmingham

End Time: 2024-11-06T12:21:23.000Z

Shipping Cost: 64.79 GBP