Journal

Notes from the bench

Christian writes about the pieces, the people and the ateliers behind them.

Patek Philippe black dial close-up with gold applied indices and Patek Philippe & Cie Genève signature
Collecting · Patek Philippe 600-2R – black dial, 17/210 movement A Patek Philippe 600-2R with black dial and 17/210 movement, case never polished, the only example known in this combination.
Close-up of a cream Excelsior Park chronograph dial with Arabic numerals, sub-dials and a blue-tipped second hand
Collecting · Excelsior Park EP4 chronograph – dial details Dial details of an NOS Excelsior Park EP4 chronograph, with a warm eggshell tone, aged lume indexes and dauphine-style hands.
Patek Philippe 605P platinum pocket watch with silvered two-tone dial and subsidiary seconds
Collecting · Patek Philippe 605P – platinum pocket watch with two-tone dial A rare platinum Patek Philippe 605P gentleman’s pocket watch from 1935 with a two-tone dial; only 14 examples are known.
Close view of the cream dial of a Rolex 2940 Bubbleback with Oyster Perpetual lettering, aged numerals and blued hands
Collecting · Rolex 2940 Bubbleback – a beautifully aged dial Close-up photographs of a Rolex 2940 Bubbleback show its warm eggshell patina and evenly aged lume on both hands and dial.
Patek Philippe 3417 on its original papers beside a black pouch and a gold key
Auctions · Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 June – a complete Patek Philippe 3417 A complete Patek Philippe 3417 with box, certificate and hang tag, from the family of the original owner, in the Bonhams Hong Kong sale of 2 June 2016.
Vacheron Constantin 4261 minute repeater in platinum with a two-tone sector dial and Roman numerals
Auctions · Christie’s New York, 7 June – some of our favourites Favourites from Christie’s New York auction of 7 June 2016: a platinum Vacheron Constantin 4261 repeater, a steel Lange 1 with black dial and a Patek Philippe enamel clock.
Louis Vuitton monogram briefcase, closed, with natural leather handle and brass lock, on a black stool
Watch Collector · Louis Vuitton 1960s watch briefcase A 1960s Louis Vuitton briefcase converted into a modular watch case with five removable Alcantara modules, leaving the original case untouched.
Patek Philippe 1526 in pink gold, white dial with day and date apertures and moonphase
Collecting · Three Patek Philippe – ref. 1526, ref. 570 and a ref. 600 pocket watch A Patek Philippe 1526 in pink gold, a 570 in yellow gold and a reference 600 pocket watch in pink gold with a black dial.
Collecting · Hodinkee Talking Watches – Eric Ku A favourite Hodinkee Talking Watches episode, with Eric Ku, pairing independent watches by Philippe Dufour and Vianney Halter with vintage pieces.
Benzinger wristwatch with a hand-painted landscape dial in yellow and blue on grey cork
Collecting · Three Benzinger timepieces: Mont Ventoux, Zeitsprung and Vollskelett Three Benzinger timepieces from early 2016: the Benzinger by Zanella Au pied du Mont Ventoux, the Zeitsprung and the Vollskelett.
Audemars Piguet 5516 perpetual calendar in gold with a silver dial and moon phase on a black strap
Auctions · Christie’s New York, 16 December – our picks Our picks from Christie’s New York sale of 16 December 2015: an Audemars Piguet 5516, a rose gold Patek Philippe 591, Universal Genève chronographs and a Breguet diver.
Benzinger ONE, steel case with skeletonised dial and blue hands on a black strap
Novelties · Benzinger ONE – built on a 1949 Patek Philippe movement A unique Benzinger skeleton wristwatch built on a pocket watch movement made by Patek Philippe in 1949 and finished entirely by hand.