Patek Philippe

Sotheby's, Geneva, May 2023, Lot 243

The Gondolo is one of Patek Philippe’s longest running series and is a name that is synonymous with the brand today. What is perhaps lesser known, however, is the relationship that the prestigious Swiss maison shared with the series’ namesake, Gondolo & Labouriau. The Brazilian retailer had, at one point, been responsible for the sales of almost one third of all Patek Philippe watches worldwide, and the two companies’ partnership even outdated wristwatches entirely, starting well before the 20th century. At the height of Gondolo & Labouriau’s retail empire, the words “Patek” and “watch” even became interchangeable in Brazil, when anyone bought a watch, they bought a “Patek”, even if it wasn’t a Patek Philippe.

Unfortunately, by the 1930s, the state of the economy in Brazil, and indeed in much of the world, could no longer sustain such decadence, and the retailer closed its doors in 1935. The Gondolo name, however, lived on in Patek Philippe’s catalogues. It became synonymous with shaped and, especially, classically styled rectangular wristwatches and proved to be an enormous commercial success. The present reference 5009 from 1994 embodies the history and soul of the once flourishing partnership between Patek Philippe and its greatest, now lost, retailer.