The story behind the watch - A food revolution

 

“Some old watches come with engraved dedications on their cases. It is occasionally possible to find out interesting stories and personalities behind these few words and digits …” 

Pittsburgh, late 1910s: an American food industrialist strapped a new Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. It had his name engraved on its back. A name that would become famous thanks to an invention that changed the way of cooking cakes.

 

 

Un orologio Una storia - Rivoluzione in cucina

“Sulle casse di alcuni orologi d’epoca sono incise delle dediche. A volte dietro quelle poche parole e cifre si scoprono personaggi e storie interessanti …” 

Pittsburgh, fine degli Anni 1910: un industriale americano dell'alimentazione si allaccia al polso un Patek Philippe che porta il suo nome inciso sul retro. Un nome destinato a diventare celebre in tutto il Paese, grazie all'invenzione che cambierà il modo di preparare i dolci casalinghi.

 

 

New releases - Claude Meylan Pink Tortue

 

The bridges and mainplates of the fully skeletonized Caliber 165 CM14 are adorned with rose gold and illuminate the flames of the first Swiss flag. The 316L steel case is 40mm wide at the belly. The strap is available in a choice of alligator style scales or technological satin.

 

COMING SOON

 

“Some old watches come with engraved dedications on their cases. It is occasionally possible to find out interesting stories and personalities behind these few words and digits …”

The new mini-documentary series starts January 5. Stay tuned!

 

PROSSIMAMENTE

“Sulle casse di alcuni orologi d’epoca sono incise delle dediche. A volte dietro quelle poche parole e cifre si scoprono personaggi e storie interessanti …”   

La nuova serie di mini-documentari comincia il 5 gennaio. Rimanete connessi!

 

Novità - Nazareno Rossetti Fomalhaut

Il primo modello della neonata collezione Nazareno Rossetti fonde il design italiano con la tecnologia Swiss Made. La cassa d'acciaio da 44 mm è impermeabile a 10 atmosfere e ospita il Calibro P224, movimento automatico Peseux personalizzato per la Casa, con autonomia di 41 ore. Quattro viti fissano la lunetta alla carrure. Sul quadrante effetto opaco a doppio strato con indici e logo luminescenti sul livello inferiore ruotano lancette di disegno esclusivo. Il cinturino di pelle a concia vegetale artigianale è Made in Italy.

 

The magic of cloisonné enamel

The latest Christie's auction in Geneva featured a rare 18kt rose gold Patek Philippe timepiece with cloisonné enamel dial. In the 1940s and 50s, the Geneva watchmaker made a very small number of "time only" wristwatches where detailed and artistic cloisonné enamel dials were fitted.

 

 

Enamel is a soft glass comprising of silica, red lead and soda. Elements added to the mix bring about a change in color – chromium creates green, iron turns it grey, the presence of iodine turns it red. When fired in an oven at 800-1200°C, enamel liquefies and bonds to the metal base and cools to become a hard-wearing material that retains its shines and color over centuries. The cloisonné technique requires the artisan to create compartments or housings by hand-folding a 0.07 mm wide gold wire (no thicker than human hair) - pliers are used to tease out various shapes on the base plate. These compartments are filled in with enamel and fired in a kiln.

The present dial was crafted to special order in 1950, and was, most likely, originally delivered to France, to be housed in a French-manufactured case. After World War II, this was quite common practice in alignment with the post-war economic effort. Importing foreign jewellery was prohibited in France, so many Swiss makers had their cases made in France, often after their own Swiss model. Patek Philippe worked closely with French firms such as Guillermin, providing dials and movements under the agreement that Patek Philippe standards would be upheld.

Price realized: $ 252,000