Patek Philippe 1543R Vintage Calatrava with Unique Cloisonne enamel dial, Circa 1946
Description:
Patek Philippe 1543R vintage Calatrava. The watch is made in 18K rose gold circular 2-body case measuring 35mm, with the oversized flared lugs that have been referred to as Mickey Mouse lugs.. The watch is fitted with a 12" 120 caliber 18-jewel manual winding movement # 928600, Case # 640420. The watch was made in 1946 and sold later that year on August 16, 1946. The watch has had a later custom Patek Cloisonne enamel dial depicting a "Gallon Ship" signed Patek Philippe Geneve in enamel. The watch is accompanied with an original Vintage Patek 18K rose gold buckle and a new Patek brown alligator strap. The watch is further accompanied with an extract from the archives confirming its date of manufacture and further sale.
Condition:
The watch is in a Mint original condition, with strong hallmarks on back of lug, sharp edges and original 1946 crown. The watch has been serviced and comes with a one year guarantee.
The watch is further accompanied with additional documents and letter from Patek Geneve.
Essay: Patek Philippe produced the reference 1543 from 1942 until approximately 1950. The oversized flared lugs have been referred to as Mickey Mouse lugs.
The enamel Dial: Collectors of rare wristwatches are fascinated by complications and their complex mechanisms. However, wristwatches fitted with cloisonné enamel dials take a most prominent position in terms of beauty, craftsmanship, and rarity. Produced mostly in the 1940s and 50s, Patek Philippe made an exceedingly small number of "time only" wristwatches where highly detailed and incredibly artistic cloisonné enamel dials were fitted. Only an extremely small number of watches were upgraded with these wonderful dials, depicting popular motifs such as a jungle, a lighthouse and sail boats, flowers, portraits, and maps.
The production of these dials were extremely costly as they had to be individually made by a skilled craftsman and not on a production line. The artist created an outline of the desired motif by arranging thin gold wires on a dial. These partitions, called "cloisonné" in French, were filled with small quantities of enamel powder in the desired color. The dial was then fired in an oven at around 1000 degrees Celsius, causing the powder to melt. Finally, the dial was hand-polished until a perfectly flat surface was obtained. The dial’s splendor and vivid colors sit marvelously in its fitted 18k rose gold case bearing number 370 on its inside case front, as well as inside case back, confirmed by its Extract from the Archives.