Discover Patek Philippe Oval Bracelet Watch Flash Sale: 70% Off [Y6qpK0bC]

A solid eighteen carat yellow gold mechanical watch on integrated woven bracelet. Integrated watches are, for want of a better phrase; having a moment...! So, when you find one that is made by the best name to ever do it—Patek Philippe—you know it is a special watch. This is a very rare reference from Patek: 4502/1. This watch appears in the Patek catalogue from 1981, only with the classic blue dial with diamond markers. This example with a full pavé diamond center to the dial is exceptionally rare. With no other examples coming up when searched.

As mentioned prior, the integrated gold bracelet is very popular again. This bracelet was made for Patek Philippe by a specialist bracelet maker that Patek brought in to lend their expertise to the overall beauty and quality of the watch, which was sometimes the case on these higher level watches. It is stamped on the clasp with full marks for Patek and "750" for eighteen carat gold, but also "JPE". Jean Pierre Ecoffey wasn’t just a bracelet maker—he was an artist. His signature? The discreet JPE stamp on the clasp, a subtle mark of luxury for those who know where to look. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, JPE crafted some of the most exquisite bracelets for Patek Philippe, raising the bar for sophistication and technical skill. If you ever slip on a vintage mesh bracelet that drapes and moves like silk instead of metal, chances are you’re wearing a piece from Ecoffey’s legendary workshop.

The watch is not battery powered. Instead, as it is a Patek Philippe watch, it is powered by a mechanical caliber 6250. A beautifully made, dependable movement that powered a lot of ladies, and smaller cased watches through the 1970's and 1980's. 

On each side of the "SWISS" at the foot of the dial are a flanking pair of “sigma” letters just below the 6 o’clock marker. This was a sign chosen by members of the l’Association pour la Promotion Industrielle de l’Or (APRIOR). In 1973, a charge led by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry had a clear mission: to highlight the usage of gold parts in order to enhance the perceived intrinsic value of the traditional watch. One must remember the exact context of what was going on in the Swiss watch industry at the time. Mechanical watches were about to become technically obsolete as quartz movements were on the rise— in a world facing a strong economic recession, no less. And what better way to underline the deeper value of the good old mechanical watches than by mentioning their intrinsically valuable components? The ‘sum-of-the-parts’ logic here might sound twisted at first, but it becomes much less so when correlated to the skyrocketing price of gold, which almost quintupled between 1970 and 1974.

The sigma symbols were to indicate that the hands and indexes on a watch were made of solid gold. “A watch signed with the sigma is a durable investment,” emphasized the APRIOR in marketing campaigns. There are exceptions to the 1973 rule, as Rolex watches of this caliber can be found from around 1970; but with regards to this watch, and to other very high end Swiss watches from the period, the addition of the sigma letter means gold.

The bracelet measures over seven inches long, and on its longest ladder setting it canfit a wrist over seven inches long. The watch overall is in perfect condition, has never been polished, and has full sets of hallmarks on both the exterior of the case back, and on the bracelet clasp; a most rare and beautiful watch from the number one name in watch making. The case itself measures 23mm across by 24mm long.

The watch does not come with any paperwork, or Patek Philippe box. The service history is unknown but is working well, and comes with a year warranty.