Product Information
Product code: W1308 Categories: Sold Items, Sold Watches.Patek Philippe are regarded as one of if not the finest watchmaking company in the world, and their Ellipse model has been a signature design since its release in 1968.
This particular Patek Philippe Ellipse is a bit more special than most, as it has a much wider case that elegantly widens out further on the sides. Known as the “Jumbo Ellipse” it also has the iconic Patek Philippe blue dial which was the only colour that the first Ellipse models had.
Not only is the dial so beautiful to admire, but it is also a rare sigma dial. At the bottom of this dial on each side of the word “Swiss”, is the Greek letter sigma (Ă“). What this subtle yet important mark designates, is that the hands are in solid gold. And whereas on other watches using the sigma dial, the indexes would also be in gold, here the entire dial is itself gold under the blue as can be seen as the index markers and stylish Roman numerals for 3,6,9 and 12 are actually engraved showing the gold below the blue surface. Used by a few watch companies in Switzerland from 1970, it was among its main reason to signify when gold parts were on the dial to subsequently add to both the financial and intrinsic value of a watch.
The 18 carat case measures 35.5mm by 33mm across plus the Patek Philippe crown and is fitted on a very elegant genuine crocodile band.
Inside is the beautiful thirty six jewelled automatic Patek Philippe calibre 28-255 that has been fully serviced and comes with our twelve month warranty.
This is an extremely elegant and stylish watch that is perfect for someone who appreciates the finer things in life.
Stock# W1308
Maker: Patek Philippe
Model: Patek Philippe Jumbo Ellipse reference 3589
Circa: 1970
$Sold.
Description
18 carat Patek Philippe Jumbo Ellipse reference 3589 with the sigma dial
Patek Philippe launched the Patek Philippe Ellipse in 1968 and quickly became famous for its unique and stylish case shape.
A brief history on Patek Philippe:
Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek started making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, along with his fellow Czech-born Polish partner Franciszek Czapek. They separated in 1844, and in 1845 Patek joined with the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, inventor of the keyless winding mechanism. Patek Philippe & Co was founded in 1851 and since then Patek Philippe have become famous for high grade movements such as the perpetual calendar, split-seconds hand, chronograph, and minute repeater in watches.
Making watches for such people as Pope Pius IX, Queen Victoria, Victor Emanuel III of Italy, Christian IX of Denmark, and Albert Einstein. Patek Philippe also made the worlds most expensive timepiece – The Henry Graves Super complication. Made in 1933 for the prominent banker Henry Graves, Jr. The ultra-complicated pocket watch has 24 functions and was the result of Graves’ friendly horological competition with James Ward Packard. After Graves’ death, the watch was auctioned at Sotheby’s in December 1999 for US$11 million to Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Thani of the Qatari royal family, at that time the most expensive timepiece ever sold. Most recently, the watch sold at Sotheby’s Geneva Auction on November 11, 2014 for a record breaking US$24 million.
A brief history on the sigma dials:
The history behind sigma dials is a very interesting one which has now made watches with these dials highly sought after. The sigma dial is discreetly marked with the Greek letter sigma (Ó) on each end of the T SWISS T or SWISS at the bottom of the dial. From 1970, watch companies who were members of the l’Association pour la Promotion Industrielle de l’Or (APRIOR), such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, IWC, Omega and Vacheron & Constantin to name a few, produced dials with the sigma letter to notify that the hands and index markers are made in gold. This was used at a time when the Japanese “quartz revolution” started coming in, and sigma dials were produced for one main reason – to notify when gold parts were used on a watch, including the dial to subsequently add to both the financial and intrinsic value of a watch. An important and quite interesting point to note, is that the sigma dials can be found on watches that are made all in stainless steel ie case, band and bezel, but with a sigma dial, not the index markers and hands.