Patek Phillippe Ref. 1518 rose gold perpetual calendar chronograph watch has great appeal to antique watch collectors, because this is the first generation model of Patek Philippe chronograph perpetual calendar, and it is also the first chronograph perpetual calendar in the history of watches. At the Sotheby’s New York auction that just ended yesterday, this extremely rare Ref. 1518 “Pink on Pink” was sold for USD 9,570,900, about NT$266 million and HK$75 million, which is the second highest price record of Patek Philippe Ref. 1518, second only to the stainless steel Ref. 1518 sold by PHILLIPS in 2016. However, compared with Mr. Biver’s rose gold version of 1518 in 2020, it is nearly three times more expensive (3.38 million Swiss francs), mainly because the preservation condition of this watch is too good, and secondly, under the blessing of the royal celebrity effect, the auction price has skyrocketed.
There are currently 13 Ref. 1518 “Pink on Pink” known in the market, and the 14th one that appeared at the auction this time was commissioned by the heir of the late prince (the prince died earlier this year at the age of 95. He was the cousin of Farouk I, the last king of Egypt.)
The 1518 launched by Patek Philippe at the Basel Swiss Watch Fair during World War II in 1941 was the first perpetual calendar chronograph watch produced continuously by Patek Philippe. However, most of the 281 watches produced were made of gold cases, of which only 58 were made of rose gold cases, and of the 58 rose gold watches, only 13 were made of pink dials. This is the 14th one that appeared in the auction market for the first time. You can see that this Ref. 1518 “pink on pink” rose gold case is matched with a pink copper dial, presenting a warm and charming beauty.
In addition, it has a legendary background. Its original owner was Prince Tewfik Adil “TA” of Egypt. His watch was kept in a safe for many years. The case was made by Emile Vichet. Since it was not polished, the logo and original brush marks are still clearly visible. The hands and hour markers are in good condition. The proportions of the case and lugs are almost exactly the same as when it was just shipped from the factory in 1951. The beautiful warm pink copper dial remains in an extraordinary and flawless state without any obvious flaws or cleaning marks. The logo and scale are perfectly preserved in the raised black enamel. This lot is not only in excellent condition, but also has the original purchase certificate, rather than the certification document reissued by Patek Philippe later. Given that paper is more difficult to preserve than watches, this museum-level collection is indeed a treasure.
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