253 Patek Philippe Very Rare and Fine, Hunter Case, Pocket Watch in Gold With Guillaume Balance, Chased Scene, Donated to Helvio Nicolás Guozden
Estimate: €15,000 – 30,000
Sold (Premium)€44,200
Model: Pocket Watch
Case Material: Yellow Gold
Year: 1910
Movement: Manual
Case N°: 256796
Movement N°: 146 892
Dimensions: 53 mm
Signed: Dial, movement and case
For decades, since its founding in 1839, pocket watches were the main stage on which Patek Philippe demonstrated its skills. The present watch is a high-level exponent of this art: a yellow gold, hunter case pocket watch extremely well preserved and of undeniable charm. The case is generous with its 53 mm in diameter but has a sober and elegant design with smooth edges all conserved in perfect conditions. The enamel white dial has the outer track for the minutes, subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock for the seconds and black Roman numbers for the hours. Moreover it is important to underline that this pocket watch is equipped with a Guillame Balance. When destined for Observatory Timing Contests, the movements of Patek Philippe watch, like those of other makers, were double-engraved with serial numbers. The inscription “Adjusted Extra” on the bridge of the movement refers to the high finishing of all the parts of the movement. The Guillaume Balance: Anibal acier au nickel pour balanciers, an alloy invented by Dr. Charles Edouard Guillaume, exhibits unusual properties, both in terms of thermal expansion and in changes in elasticity. Enhancing the general desirability of this timepiece is the fact that on the outside there are some mythological faces engraved, and inside on the case back a dedication for an important military figure: to Helvio Nicolás Guozden, an Argentine soldier, belonging to the Navy, that reached the rank of Rear Admiral. Mr. Guozden served as de facto governor of the province of La Pampa between 1968 and 1971, and as de facto governor of the province of Córdoba between 1971 and 1973, both periods during the self-styled “Argentine Revolution” dictatorship, giving to the watch an historical importance.