Patek Philippe watches are considered to be some of the best luxury Swiss timepieces in the world. Those that know and appreciate the art of horology and prefer the finer things in life have at least one Patek Philippe timepiece.
These watches are crafted out of the highest quality materials with extreme attention to detail. Clean, sophisticated, and timeless, Patek Philippe watches retain their value well which makes them great heirlooms.
Patek Philippe has been in business for almost two centuries. Their vintage watches are highly collected worldwide. Below are some of the most popular vintage Patel Philippe collections and reference numbers.
Calatrava Collection
Created in 1932 this collection of men’s and ladies’ watches reflects the core philosophies of Patek Phillipe: creating excellently crafted timepieces whose timeless beauty reflects their mechanical perfection. Although the look of Calatrava Collection has changed over the years, the quality remained the same. When you purchase a vintage Calatrava timepiece, you are not just purchasing a watch, you are investing in centuries of watchmaking history. Calatrava watches retain their value well due to their rarity. Patek Philippe is notorious for releasing only small batches of each reference number thus adding value and creating rarity. Some of the most popular vintage Calatrava watches include reference number 3893, 3435, 570, 2526, and 2509.
Andy Warhol’s Calatrava 2526
Apart from being one of the most famous pop artists of the 20th century, Andy Warhol was also an avid watch collector. Although Warhol is better known for his Cartier Tank wristwatch, he owned a number of rare vintage pieces among which was a Patek Philippe Calatrava 2526. Calatrava 2526 was launched in the 1950’s and was Patek’s first automatic wristwatch containing Caliber 12-6000 AT. This caliber movements is unusual due to its oversized 18 kt yellow gold winding rotor.
The dial of the Calatrava 2526 has an enamel coating which tends to crack. So, if you can find a 1950’s Calatrava with a prestine dial, we suggest you invest in the watch. Most 2526 watches were sold with index markers and Arabic numeral are exceedingly rare. Another interesting feature of the 2526 model is that it features “PP” (Patek Philippe) letters on the winding crown instead of the Calatrava cross.
Andy Warhol’s Calatrava was sold at auction in the 1980’s.
Patek Philippe 1415 HU
1415 HU was first released in 1939. This stunning example of Patek Philippe excellent craftsmanship with their drive for innovation and great design is one of the rarer and highly sought after watches you can find today.
Patek Philippe 1415 HU is a world time wrist watch. The watch features 8 city names engraved on the bezel, a 24 hour ring with Arabic numerals and a set of gold, applied index markers with Roman numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9. The inner 24 hour ring corresponds with the cities engraved on the bezel and makes one counter-clockwise revolution every 24 hours. The unusual, circular hour hand of this watch adds style and a touch of unexpected flair to the dial.
Gianni Agnelli was well known for wearing his 1415 HU watch. This Italian industrialist had impeccable style and was well known in the watch community for his unusual and stylish timepieces.
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 1518
This Patek Philippe reference 1518 was one of those iconic watches that ended up setting the bar for the production of perpetual calendar chronographs. Today we see grand complication watches everywhere, however when this timepiece first came out in the 1940’s, no one was creating perpetual calendar timepieces for mass production.
1518 was so well designed that Patek Philippe would use some of its key attributes (like the twin aperture, chronograph registers, and moon phase display) in some of the most notable Patek Philippe models for the next seventy years.
The production of this reference number lasted from 1941 to 1954 with only 281 examples made. The majority of the pieces were yellow gold and a much smaller amount were produced with rose gold cases. Needless to say, such as small number of the historic 1518 Perpetual Calendar Chronographs makes this watch one of the most desirable vintage collectible timepieces in the world.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of vintage Patek Philippe models. These just happened to be some of the most well-known and frequently inquired about Patek pieces. If you want to learn more about Patek Philippe and other notable watches that the company has produced over the years, click here.
Ermitage Jewelers carries a large collection of modern and vintage Patek Philippe watches. We insure that all of the watches that we sell are restored properly with only brand specific parts as to not diminish the value of the timepiece.
Our experienced master watchmaker and a team of highly trained technicians can take on almost any restoration and repair project in our state of the art restoration facility.
When you purchase a watch from Ermitage Jewelers, rest assured, you are in good hands. We don’t buy or sell replica watches and offer a one year limited warranty as well as 10 day money back guarantee with all of your luxury watch purchases.
Browse our vintage Patek Philippe watch collection today and bring home a piece of horological history today!