Patek Philippe – Simply the Finest Watches, Money Can Buy.
Some significant moments in watchmaking since 1839 …
In 1839 Antoine Patek began producing about 200 high quality pocket watches per year.
In 1845 Patek & Co. Partnership founded in Geneva with Jean Adrien Philippe, technical director.
In 1846, Tiffany & Co. New York, Tiffany appoints Patek Philippe as its principal supplier of pocket watches.
In 1857, Universal Exposition in London Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought a timepiece from them and as a result, the company rapidly consolidated its reputation, shooting to international fame.
In 1867 the company produced the world’s first wristwatch.
In 1927 the company produced the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch.
In 1941 the company produced the world’s first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch.
In 1962 the company produced the world’s first automatic, perpetual calendar wristwatch.
It is said that fewer than 1 million Patek Philippe watches have been made since 1839. That’s fewer than some very high-end Swiss manufacturers (Rolex for example) produce in one year. The company limits itself to producing less than 50,000 watches per year, even though it is estimated by watch market analysts that the company could sell ten times this figure. Patek production is so detailed, it takes nine months to make its’ most basic watches and more than two years to produce some of the more complicated timepieces.
We associate Patek Philippe with the best, but more particularly, understated elegance, craftsmanship, heritage, design, perfection and confidence.
Why This Watch Is Important! – The Slimmest Ever Patek Philippe
This 1976 Patek Philippe Calibre 175 has an ultra-thin watch movement which remains in production to this day. When launched in 1962, this was the thinnest watch produced by Patek Philippe and it was conceived as a response to the Vacheron Calibre.1003 and others, to produce the thinnest watches possible, within expected levels of accuracy and reliability.
The Dial
Please take a good look at the outstanding condition and classic beauty of this completely original, unrestored and untouched dial. Simple, symmetrical and perfectly well balanced. The dial carries black ‘baton’ hour indices which are matched by the original black ‘Index’ hands.
The dial is simply signed ‘Patek Philippe’ and ‘Geneve’ just below 12 and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom below 6.
Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however, we decided in this case, due to its exceptional condition, to retain its originality and charm for the many collectors who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website which have been restored.
Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you see here may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.
The Movement
The Patek Philippe Calibre 175, 18 Jewel hand-wound movement is an amazingly thin 1.77mm and it is a technical tour de force. An antimagnetic, straight-line lever escapement, Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and five positions, self-compensating flat balance spring. Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and others, competed with each other during the late 1950s and 1960s to produce the thinnest watches, within the constraints of expected levels of accuracy and reliability. It speaks to these companies credit, that both Patek’s Calibre.175 and Vacheron’s Calibre.1003 equivalent are still in production today.
The movement is in tip-top condition. The Geneva wave finishing on the bridge and plates was all applied by hand almost 50 years ago and looks bright with no signs of tarnishing. The rest of this movement is in equally good condition, indicating the watch has been properly cared for and regularly serviced.
The movement has been fully overhauled and serviced by a Master Watchmaker. This means dismantling the watch to all its component parts, careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine parts, then careful reassembly and adjustment, before final calibration in 5 positions. This watch winds, sets and runs accurately and reliably and at final testing and calibration, this watch was running within +15 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. Please bear in mind this is outstanding for any watch of this age so we are therefore highly confident in offering a 12-month warranty with this watch movement*.
The movement is all correctly signed Patek Philippe & Co, Geneve and Swiss, with the Calibre number 175.
The Case
At 34mm in diameter, excluding the incredible cabochon crown, this was a standard size Patek Philippe dress watch for the period, this watch has outstanding fancy lugs which gives this watch a wonderful look when on the wrist.
The condition of the two-piece case is outstanding, indicating the watch has seen only very light use and proper care. It is as sturdy and tight as the day it was made with all parts pressing together with a very firm click. There are no scratches, other marks, or signs of wear visible to the naked eye.
Inside the case, the case-back all is signed correctly and as expected ‘Patek Philippe & Co.’, ‘Geneve’, ‘Swiss’, with Swiss 18ct hallmarks.
As always, our standard advice applies: vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
The watch is fitted with a high-quality dark brown lizard strap, with a matching yellow gold-plated buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black straps in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs.
The Box and Papers
Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1976.
Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.
This watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box as shown.
Payment and Delivery
If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.
Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.
We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.
For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.
As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.
In Conclusion
Here we have a truly desirable vintage gold dress watch from horology’s most revered name which is truly a thing of beauty – to wear, use, treasure and enjoy. It will also make an excellent investment and family heirloom piece. Even though Patek prices continue to rise, we still feel outstanding examples such as this remain undervalued, particularly compared to the price of a new Patek Philippe.
In addition to being perfectly practical for everyday use, this watch will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece, as well as be something wonderful to use, wear, treasure and enjoy! Even though vintage gold Omega watch prices continue to climb, we still feel sure that top class examples such as this are underpriced. This is because as time passes and the world market for vintage gold Omega watches continues to grow, limited supply means prices will inevitably climb ever higher.
A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you.
Andrew M via feefo 
