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16 Precious craftsmanship The steel Aquanaut was launched in 1997 and has since become one of Patek Philippe’s most iconic and sought-after watch models. To celebrate its 20 th an- niversary in 2017, the company released a white gold version with an attractive blue dial (ill. 2). The reference 5168G was also fitted with a larger case than the steel Aquanaut, measuring 42.2 mm instead of 40mm. The present watch is rarely seen on the market and is of- fered in very good overall condition, complete with warranty certificate and precious wood box. The watch brand A. Lange & Söhne has been lo- cated in Glashütte, Germany, since its foundation in 1845. The perpetual calendar watch offered in our June auction (ill. 4) is a prime example of the outstanding craftsmanship and innovative tech- nology of the traditional company from Saxony. Early Audemars Piguet chronographs like this one (ill. 5) are extremely rare and highly sought after by col- Preview of the Watches auction on 21 June 2023 lectors. A total of only 307 chronographs were made by AP during the three decades between 1930 and 1962. According to theAudemars Piguet ‘Complicated Wristwatches’ book, only nine of this reference were made. The first yellow gold example was delivered to the U.S.A. in 1951. Audemars Piguet presented the remaining eight fine steel watches to the winners of the international cross-country skiing competitions in Le Brassus, Switzerland, between 1957 and 1962. This chronograph impresses not only by its extreme rarity – according to our information, only one watch of this model has so far appeared at auction, in 2019 – but also by its excellent original condition. The dial has a beautiful patina in keeping with its age. The steel case of this watch, which has clearly been used with great care, is in exceptionally good condition and shows no traces of subsequent polishing. 1 V acheron & Constantin ‘222’, stainless steel, 1990. Estimate: CHF 50 000/90 000 2 Patek Philippe ‘Aquanaut’, white gold, 2019. Estimate: CHF 60 000/100 000 3 Patek Philippe ‘Nautilus’, stainless steel, 2010. Estimate: CHF 60 000/140 000 4 L ange & Söhne ‘perpetual calendar’, rose gold, 2013. Estimate: CHF 30 000/55 000 5 A udemars Piguet chronograph, stainless steel, 1961. Estimate: CHF 50 000/100 000 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WATCHES Uwe Vischer vischer@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com 1 2 3 4