Important Watches
Important Watches
PATEK PHILIPPE | REFERENCE 1578 'GM' A YELLOW GOLD WRISTWATCH COMMISSIONED FOR GENERAL MOTORS - GENERAL MOTORS OVERSEAS, MADE IN 1953
Lot Closed
June 24, 06:14 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
PATEK PHILIPPE
REFERENCE 1578 'GM'
A YELLOW GOLD WRISTWATCH COMMISSIONED FOR GENERAL MOTORS - GENERAL MOTORS OVERSEAS, MADE IN 1953
Dial: black
Caliber: cal. 12-400 mechanical, 18 jewels
Movement number: 722250
Case: 18k yellow gold, inscribed snap on case back
Case number: 681846
Size: diameter 35 mm
Signed: case, dial and movement
Accessories: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the year of sale in 1953 and sale on June 1st 1954
According to scholarship, in the mid 1950's General Motors, General Motors Overseas Operations began commissioning a special timepiece to be given to their top overseas executives upon their retirement. Each commissioned piece was engraved GMC-GMOO and the name of the recipient with their dates of service. Patek Philippe assigned an additional code to the standard reference number, 1578GM.
The reference itself is quite modern for its time, with a larger diameter and highly attractive spider lugs to the case made by Wenger. Black dials, as seen on the present lot, were especially rare and offered for the series made for General Motors. Approximately 100 pieces were manufactured with special inscriptions to GMOO executives.