PATEK PHILIPPE CHRONOMETRO GONDOLO RED 24 HOUR 20 LINES POCKET WATCH 18K GOLD

Description

PATEK PHILIPPE CHRONOMETRO GONDOLO 24 HOURS 20 LINES (WITH BOX AND CERTIFICATE)
18K GOLD POCKET WATCH WITH ENAMELLED DISPLAY. COVER WITH GUILLOCHES. SUB COVER WITH INSCRIPTION BY THE MANUFACTURER EXPRESSLY MADE FOR GONDOLO LABOURIAU WATCHES RIO DE JANEIRO. GONDOLO LABOURIAU DO RIO DE JANEIRO WAS FOR DECADES THE LARGEST RETAILER OF PATEK PHILIPPE WATCHES THANKS TO AN PREPARED SALES SCHEME THAT FORMED A PRIVATE CLUB.
NOT A PATEK "GENEVE", CHRONOMETER "GONDOLO" IS IN THE HIGHER GRADE OF PATEK POCKET WATCHES.
DISPLAY WITH NUMBERS IN ROMAN NUMBER AND NUMBERS CORRESPONDING TO PM HOURS IN ARABIC NUMBER IN RED hue. CENTRAL SECOND. SERIAL NUMBER 280.671 (MADE IN MID DEC. 1920). IT WORKS PERFECTLY.
53 MM IN DIAMETER. 101.2 G (TOTAL WEIGHT).
obs It has a minimal strand of hair on the dial at the 12 o'clock position (it wasn't caused by falling it's really shallow and its unnoticeable but i have to state any macro details here).
The best and only the best. In every single detail, the Gondolo is probably the only pocket to own in a decent collection, a white enamel dial with the much sough after Breguet numerals, contrasting gold hands and outer red 24 hour division, a perfectly finish large 18K gold open face bassine style case with smooth bezel and guilloche case back, an hinged gold cuvette proudly engraved « Fabricato especialmente para a Relojoaria  Gondolo, Rio de Janeiro » and a robust and high quality 20’’’ lines movement, with wolf’s tooth winding, gold wheel train, straight-line "moustache" lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance with timing screws, self-compensating blued steel Breguet balance spring, micrometric cam regulator.  Dial, case and movement are signed.
On November 12, 1872, Patek Philippe sold its first watch to the Rio de Janeiro-based retailer Gondolo & Labouriau. Until 1927, when the relationship ended, approximately one-third of all Patek Philippe production was sold through this Brazilian retailer. Thousands of watches were made that are now known as Gondolo watches and represent some of the most coveted Patek Philippe watches of all time. Originally sold to exclusive members of the watch collectors club, the Gondolo Gang, the quality of these watches is as impressive as their unique history. Being a member of the Gondolo collection club at the beginning of the 20th century was the ultimate expression of having 'arrived' into Brazilian society. The Gondolo Gang became famous for its members' Patek Philippe Straw Hats, luxurious tours and shared obsession with owning the finest watches ever made.
The retailer has developed a brilliant marketing scheme to attract members to its collection clubs - a sales strategy called 'Club Patek Philippe's Flat System'. Each member of the 180-person club would commit to purchase a pocket watch with a retail price of 790 Swiss francs. They would be required to make a payment of 10 francs every week for 79 weeks until the watch was paid in full. And here's the hook: Gondolo held 79 consecutive weekly draws, in which the winners were released from their future payment responsibilities. For example, the first weekly 'winner' would receive his Patek Philippe for free, the second would pay only 10 francs for his watch, the third winner only 20 francs and so on. The remaining 101 members would pay the full price for their watches.
The system allowed 'gang' members to circumvent Brazil's ban on gambling, as clubs were considered private societies. Of the hundreds of pocket watches made for the Gondolo and Labouriau clubs between 1900 and 1927, now known as Chronometro Gondolo watches, the vast majority had a similar design. Four basic requirements were requested by Gondolo & Labouriau to distinguish watches made for them from those made for regular production by Patek Philippe.
Firstly,
the watches were made from gilded brass plates and featured the elegant S-shaped fourth wheel patented by Patek Philippe on January 13, 1893. The S-shaped railway bridge is now considered one of the trademark designs from the company.
Second
, a Swiss mustache lever exhaust with bimetallic balancing balance featured on each watch to meet high precision standards.
Thirdly
, the fourth, middle and minute wheels of each watch were made in 9k rose gold. Chronometro Gondolo pocket watches were made in many different sizes and design configurations. Occasionally, certain examples have been equipped with central seconds of a chronograph. The product line sold to Gondolo was extensive - nine different caliber sizes ranging from 10 to 22 lines. The dials were typically white enamel with Roman numerals, with some examples showing the owner's name below 12 o'clock. When Patek Philippe began regular wristwatch production in 1910, Gondolo wristwatch movements had the same technical requirements as pocket watches. However, wristwatches were made in a variety of designs, available in circular, square, rectangular, cushion and, of course, tonneau shapes. Some were impressively sized: the largest Gondolo wristwatch was 48 mm long, including the protrusions. Today Gondolo & Labouriau is a distant memory. It imported its last Patek Philippe in 1927 and this retailer powerhouse has long been out of business. But its name lives on: whenever a Chronometro Gondolo watch comes up for auction, watch connoisseurs compete to have one of those fine examples of Swiss watchmaking with a unique South American history. (Patek Philippe now offers a complete line of wristwatches inspired by the original Gondolos.) Gang Gondolo lives on, and watches from the past become objects of desire in the present.
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Shipping:
International Shipping Express . Only delivery at personal adress and signed in person.
Ships from Sao Paulo, Brazil but if nececessary could be from the USA at higher costs than posted in this
add.
Contact me if you have doubts on how to get the watch to you.
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Please ask questions if any.