Three copies of an extremely rare Patek Philippe watch have survived. One is in a museum, another in a private collection, and one is coming under the hammer soon.

The watch, the last of three surviving yellow gold Ref. 605 HU models, is an excellent and extremely well-preserved example of Patek Philippe's world timepieces with cloisonné enamel dials.

This particular reference was one of the first to be based on Louis Cottier's world time system, with each watch designed and manufactured under Cottier's direct supervision. Today, they are regarded as among the finest horological masterpieces. 

Under the Hammer

Of the three surviving watches, one is in the Patek-Philippe Museum in Geneva, another in a private collection, and the third one is being offered at a live auction by Christie's in Hong Kong on May 24, 2022. Estimates range from around 600,000 Swiss francs to 1.2 million francs.

Between 1939 to 1964, Louis Cottier and the Patek Philippe company produced a total of 95 pieces, 68 of which were watches in yellow gold and 27 in red gold. The reference 605 HU was available with a metal dial or a unique cloisonné enamel dial. Depending on the model, individual continents, hemispheres, or even the entire planet were depicted, as is seen on the model being offered.

Imitation, The Highest Form of Flattery

Crafted by the famous enamellers Stern Frères, the dial of this watch is stamped with the movement number on the back, confirming that it was always intended for this particular Ref. 605 HU.

The mechanism for world time, or Heures Universelles, was invented by Louis Cottier (1894-1966) in 1931. The technology was adopted by several leading Swiss watchmakers, including Patek Philippe (Ref. 605, 1415, and 2523), Vacheron Constantin (Ref. 3372), Agassiz, and Rolex (Ref. 4262).

All my Possessions

Cottier perfected the movement in 1953, adding the ability to adjust the city disc via a second crown, allowing Patek Philippe to patent a system in 1958 to move the hour hand without affecting the movement of the minute hand.

«All my possessions for a moment of time» is a quote attributed to England’s Queen Elizabeth I. One wonders if she would have said that had she owed one of these watches.