Patek Philippe Reference 605 | A rare yellow gold world time open face watch with cloisonné enamel map of North America, Made in 1948 | 百達翡麗 型號 605 罕有黃金世界時間懷錶，飾掐絲琺瑯北美洲地圖，製作年份 1948

Property from the Family of the Original Owner
Patek Philippe

Reference 605
A rare yellow gold world time open face watch with cloisonné enamel map of North America, Made in 1948

百達翡麗 型號 605
罕有黃金世界時間懷錶，飾掐絲琺瑯北美洲地圖，製作年份 1948

Dial: cloisonné enamel dial centre depicting a map of North America with a palm tree to the lower left and a sailboat to the right, surrounded by a two-tone revolving 24-hour ring divided into day and night hours, outermost satin finished revolving ring divided into 24-hours and marked with 41 world locations
Caliber: cal. 17-170 HU mechanical, 18 jewels
Movement number: 930'870
Case: 18k yellow gold, monogrammed snap on case back
Case number: 654'945
Size: 44 mm diameter
Signed: case, dial and movement
Box: no
Papers: no
Accessories: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the date of sale on October 2, 1950

Condition Report:
Case: The case is in overall excellent condition for its age, with light surface scratches. Attractive rainbow tarnishing on the cases bezel. The case back with a monogram. Gold marks on the bow and pendant are clear and crisp.

Dial: The dial is in overall very good condition. A minor scratch between 'Denver' to 'Chicago' and 'Montreal'. Some dark spotting between 6-7 on the 24 hour track, and a minor scratch at 10. The cloisonné enamel dial is in beautiful condition and is intact.

Movement: The movement is running at time of cataloging, however it was not tested for the accuracy of time or duration of the power reserve and may need service at the buyer's discretion. Please note that Sotheby's does not guarantee the future working of the movement.

**Please note that the Extract from the Archives remarks that the engraving on the case back is not mentioned in the Archives.**

Catalogue Note:
The Heures Universelles watches are among the most coveted of all Patek Philippe’s vintage production, and examples form the centrepiece of some of the world’s most important watch collections. Reference 605 was one of the earliest models to incorporate the ingenious world time system developed by the famed watchmaker Louis Cottier; production began in 1937 and continued for approximately thirty years, during which time less than one hundred examples were made. Research suggests that three-quarters of the Ref. 605 watches made were delivered in yellow gold cases, with just one quarter in pink gold. The model was initially produced with plain metal satin finished centres in tones of champagne, pink or silver. However, from the late 1940s, Patek Philippe began to commission a small series of richly colored cloisonné enamel dials. The cloisonné dials destined for the world time models predominantly featured ‘maps.’ These ‘maps’ were stylized views of the continents and versions included renditions of the Americas, either the North alone or North and South together, as well as larger world views such as Europe shown together with Africa and Asia or even an entire world view. Cloisonné enamel dials have long been favored by collectors for their distinctive designs and vibrant colors which, with their indelible finish, remain undimmed by the passing years. The allure of the cloisonné dial is further heightened by the fact that each is unique – being hand painted, subtle variations are inevitably made both in tonal coloration as well as by the inclusion and placement of details and motifs.

The Heures Universelles function in Ref. 605 is operated via the bezel, a mechanism shared by this and the wristwatch Ref. 1415. To set the watch up, the user simply rotates the bezel so that their current location is displayed at the twelve o’clock position, and they then advance the hands to the correct local time. The recessed 24-hour ring is geared to turn automatically as time advances, and will therefore indicate the correct time in all zones around the world. Since the case, dial and movement are all integral to the technical function of the watch, Louis Cottier supervised the production of each element. It is interesting to note that the present example, like many of Cottier's inventions, lists London and Paris on the same time zone, Greenwich Mean Time. On 15 June 1940, Paris converted to Central European time due to the war. For many years it was thought that Paris would eventually revert back to GMT, and there are Patek Philippe Heures Universelles watches and wristwatches from as late as the 1970s which still list Paris and London on the same time zone.

Louis Cottier (1894-1966) was born in Carouge and attended the Horological School of Geneva before going to work for his father and horological mentor Emmanuel Cottier (1858-1930). Like his father, Louis was a talented mechanical genius and went on to develop numerous patents that changed the face of watchmaking. Reacting to the realities of the Great Depression, Cottier saw a niche in high-end watchmaking and focused his talents on the development of complicated watches for Patek Philippe, Agassiz, Rolex, and...