Patek Philippe Ref.3503 18ct White Gold 1966

Patek Philippe – Simply the Finest Watch Money Can Buy

Even today, Patek Philippe’s extraordinary care and commitment towards perfection means it takes almost year to manufacture even its simplest watch movement.

Significant moments in watchmaking since 1839 …

– 1839 Antoine Patek began producing about 200 high-quality pocket watches per year
– 1845 Patek & Co. Partnership founded in Geneva with Jean Adrien Philippe, Technical Director
– 1846 Tiffany & Co. New York, Tiffany appoints Patek Philippe as its principal supplier of pocket watches
– 1857 Universal Exposition, London, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert buy a timepiece, shooting Patek to international fame
– 1867 the company produces the world’s first wristwatch
– 1927 the company produces the world’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch
– 1941 the company produces the world’s first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch
– 1962 the company produces the world’s first automatic, perpetual calendar wristwatch

It is said that fewer than 1 million Patek Philippe watches have been made since the first watch was completed in 1839. That is fewer than some high-end Swiss manufacturers (notably Rolex) produce in one year. In fact, the company limits itself to producing less than 50,000 watches per year, even though it is estimated by watch market analysts, the company could sell ten times this figure. Patek production is so detailed, it takes almost a year to complete its most basic watch and more than two years to produce some of the more complicated timepieces.

Patek’s vintage complications hold more world record prices at auction than any other brand. Landmark models include the model ref. 1518, the world’s first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the model ref. 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the model refs. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450.

We, of course, associate Patek Philippe with the very best, but more particularly, understated elegance, craftsmanship, heritage, exquisite design, perfection and total confidence and commitment in everything it does.

Description

A rare, square-cased mid 1960s, 18ct white gold Patek Philippe with a beautiful, original, unrestored and untouched, double signed silver dial. Relatively few square or rectangular shaped Patek Philippe watches have been produced and therefore these case shapes are more exclusive. At 26mm across excluding the crown, this is a good sized gent’s Patek Philippe dress watch for the period.

The Dial

Although this watch is almost 60 years old, the dial design is so elegant and timeless that it could easily be mistaken for a contemporary watch today.

The beautiful, double signed Patek Philippe dial carries original black ‘index’ hands with ‘baton’ hour indices on a completely original, unrestored and untouched silver background. So well balanced, beautifully proportioned and executed to perfection. In harmony with the watch case, the dial speaks of pure class, simple elegance, quality and confidence.

This dial is simply signed ‘Patek Philippe’ with ‘Geneve’ just below 12 along with ‘Beyer’ just above 6 and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom, below 6.

This dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and there are some wonderful signs of ageing in the spotting and pitting you see across the dial. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided, in this case, to leave it alone, due to its unusually unique condition and to retain its originality and charm for those 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. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition. While the dial is in excellent condition for the year and many collectors prefer original and untouched dials, if a customer prefers, we could restore the dial of this watch back to its original condition at no extra cost.

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’re seeing 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 60 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 +7 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 and the movement serial number 1170298 which dates this watch correctly to 1966.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Case

This wonderful example is all the more desirable due to it having an 18ct white gold square case. As stated earlier, square Patek Philippe watches are rare, due to low production numbers, which makes these highly sought after today and the 18ct white gold case just adds to the desirability. The case-back nicely follows the contours of the wrist and is beautifully crafted with multiple facets providing a classic look and the beautiful, elegant bezel provides added style to the watch.

Patek Philippe watches have always been conservatively sized and this case measures 26mm across, excluding the crown. This was a good-sized case for the period. This watch measures 36mm corner to corner, excluding the lugs and 38mm, including the beautiful straight lugs, making this actually a good-sized watch for this period. This watch is extremely thin measuring 4mm including case, movement, dial and lens.

The condition of the two-piece case is outstanding, indicating the watch has seen only light and careful use. It is as sturdy and tight as the day it was made, with the wonderful case-back pressing down with a very firm click and there are no scratches, other marks, or signs of wear visible to the naked eye.

Inside the case-back, all is correctly signed and as expected: ‘Patek Philippe & Co.’, ‘Geneve’ and ‘Fab Suisse’, with the model reference number 3503 and the case serial number 2659059, along with the correct 18ct hallmarks

Please note – as ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

This watch is fitted with a genuine Patek Philippe black leather strap, along with a plain stainless steel buckle. Please note, we feel the strap matches the watch nicely, 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 in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, however, we can also obtain most types and colours at short notice.

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 1966.

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 the original Patek Philippe pouch included, 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 rare and highly sought after 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 as well as a family heirloom piece. Even though Patek prices continue to rise, we still feel outstanding examples such as this remain grossly undervalued particularly compared to the price of a new Patek Philippe. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage Patek Philippe watches expands, availability will become ever more limited, meaning prices are destined to 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 steel watches.

Thank you.