Patek Philippe & C “Officer”

Introducing our gold, hand-wound Patek Philippe “Officier” with porcelain dial, a jewel in terms of watchmaking and a collector’s item that is over a century old.

Since its founding in Geneva in 1839 by Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek, Patek Philippe has been synonymous with excellence in the prestigious world of watchmaking. With a tradition stretching back almost two centuries, the Swiss firm has perfected the art of creating timepieces of high precision, timeless design and unparalleled quality.

To understand this watch, it is worth going back to the origins of wristwatches. The history of this type of watch is a very interesting one, one that has women at its origins on the one hand and aviation on the other, and in which Patek Philippe, along with other great watchmakers, has played a prominent role. The first watch of this type was designed in 1810 for Carolina Murat, Queen of Naples and one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger sisters, who commissioned Abraham-Louis Breguet to create a highly complex mechanism mounted on a bracelet of hair braided with strands of gold. A few years later, in 1869, Patek Philippe made its first wristwatch model for Countess Coscowicz of Hungary. The first men’s wristwatch model, however, was created by Louis Cartier in 1904 for an aviator friend and was called a “strap” to distinguish it from the women’s models. However, it was not until shortly after the First World War that this type of model began to be socially accepted, since until then tradition had determined that a men’s watch should be kept in the vest pocket.

The Boer War in South Africa between 1899 and 1902 was the precursor to the change that would finally take hold after the First World War. The need to be able to consult and calculate the time in a way that did not compromise the use of the hands and the weather conditions that sometimes, as in the Boer War, made it impossible to wear a waistcoat, were responsible for the birth of the men’s wristwatch since, during the war, many officers were forced to strap their watches to their wrists and thighs.

But it was from the 1930s onwards that the wristwatch began to establish itself as a reliable tool beyond the battlefield. Furthermore, the pocket watch, so closely associated with railways, began to become outdated with the advent of aviation and automobiles.

The term “Officer” actually refers to a type of case distinguished by a hinged lid protecting the case back – a direct legacy of pocket watches – a “turban” style crown with a fluted profile and straight screwed lugs.

Our watch, which features the brand’s Archive Extracts, was manufactured in 1918, coinciding with the end of the First World War, which places it among the first men’s watches produced before the paradigm shift that occurred in the 1930s when the wristwatch became popular and the firm presented its iconic Calatrava model.

Crafted in 18-carat gold, this hand-wound watch with a porcelain dial, Roman numerals and a seconds hand at 6 o’clock is a jewel that bears witness to the passage of time, history and the impeccable and superlative craftsmanship of one of the most prestigious Swiss watchmaking houses. Owning a Patek watch is equivalent to owning a piece of elegance and exquisite quality and, in this case, a piece of history, a witness to the transition of times.

Main features: Movement type : Manual winding Movement number : 192.149. Case: No. 285,422. 18K gold with double-cover case back.

Caliber: 12 ´´´´. Lever escapement.

Dial : Porcelain with Roman numerals and seconds hand at 6 o’clock. Diameter : 31 mm. Documentation : Archive extracts. Strap and buckle not original.