Patek Philippe
Ref. 2526
An extremely rare, well-preserved, and important white gold automatic wristwatch with enamel dial
Manufacturer : Patek Philippe
Year : 1956
Reference No : 2526
Movement No : 760’070
Case No : 694’845
Material : 18K white gold
Calibre : Automatic, cal. 12-600, 30 jewels
Bracelet/Strap : Leather
Clasp/Buckle : Metal pin buckle
Dimensions : 35.5mm Diameter
Signed : Case, dial and movement signed
Accessories : Accompanied by a Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1956 with enamel dial, and its subsequent sale on March 4th, 1957 There is not a more “me” watch in this world than this one. The Patek Philippe 2526 is one of my first, last, and truest loves in watches. I have owned no less than 11 different examples of the 2526, none longer than this example in white gold. If you’re reading this note, and already know who I am, than you surely know why I love the 2526 as a whole (if you don’t, search 2526 on Hodinkee), but I think it’s worth discussing why, of all the examples I’ve owned, this is the one I’ve held on to the longest.
There is so much that can be said about the 2526 – and what it represents not only for Patek Philippe but for the watch collecting world at large. The quality of the caliber used in this watch still, to this day, sets a bar for self-winding watches. The case, with its downturned lugs and screw back, sized at a perfect 36mm, fits every sized wrist well, on strap or bracelet. And the dial – well, how can one not love a twice baked glossy enamel dial produced in the 1950s? What has long elevated this particular example above the rest to me is the fact that it is white gold – indeed the most seldom seen material used on any 2526 – and a supremely elegant metal on a watch like this. Beyond that, of the 20 or so white gold 2526s known in the world (yes, they really are that rare), only a small handful exist with an archive that state the watch was born with an enamel dial. This is one of them. White metal 2526s were, in most cases, born with metal dials, often times with diamonds for the hour markers, and then later swapped to enamel as collectors’ whims changed. This watch, however, was born this way, and that elevates it above most other white gold or platinum 2526s. This watch was brokered to me privately by John Reardon about ten years ago, and has not been seen on the market for over twenty years.
