PATEK PHILIPPE

Sold on June 19, 1912 to Gondolo & Labouriau, Rio de Janeiro "Chronometro Gondolo" Case No. 272813 Movement No. 168256 18k (750) gold pocket watch made especially for the dealer Gondolo Labouriau in Rio de Janeiro. Round case on hinge, gold bowl marked "Chronometro Gondolo Fabricado espressamente para Gondolo Labouriau Relojoeiros Rio de Janeiro", signed and numbered. White enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes, small second hand and minute track, signed. Mechanical movement with manual winding with crown, calibre patent of January 13, 1891 marked on the plate "Pat. Jan. 13 1891", "moustache" anchor escapement, spiral balance and "swan neck" micro-metric adjustment with "snail", signed and numbered on the barrel. Diameter 56 mm Gross weight. 131.5 gr Our example is accompanied by a complete overhaul invoice dated August 25, 1972 from Guillermin & Mollet, Patek Philippe's agents in Paris, listing the date of sale in the archives as "June 19, 1912" and its price as "Fr 455 (period value)". The "Gondolo Gang", which comprised some 180 members, was known at the time as the world's most exclusive circle of watch enthusiasts. It began on 12 November 1872, when Patek Philippe sold its first watch to the Brazilian retailer Gondolo & Labouriau, based in Rio de Janeiro. This famous retailer had invented a lottery system to sell its watches over 79 weeks, with the first one provided free, and the following ones set at gradually rising prices up to the final public price of 790 Swiss Francs. The one here comes with a complete overhaul invoice dated 25 August 1972 from Guillermin & Mollet, Patek Philippe's agents in Paris, listing the date of sale in the archives as "19 June 1912" and its price as "Fr 455 (value at the time)".