Brand:
Patek Philippe
Model:
Ellipse
Year:
1978
Reference:
4458
Original Box:
Included
Archive Papers:
Included
Warranty:
12 months
Overall Condition:
Like New
Wear level Case:
Barely visible
Wear level Caseback:
None
Wear level Dial:
None
Wear level Crystal:
None
Wear level Bezel:
Barely visible
Wear level Bracelet Clasp:
Barely visible
Movement Type:
Manual winding
Caliber:
16-250
Case Material:
Yellow Gold
Case Diameter:
20 x 23 mm
Bezel Material:
Yellow Gold
Crystal:
Sapphire crystal
Dial Color:
Blue
Bracelet Material:
Alligator skin
Bracelet Color:
Blue
Clasp Type:
Buckle
Clasp Material:
Yellow Gold
Functions:
Vintage
Patek Philippe is older than the Ellipse by well over a century. Antoni Patek founded his first company in Geneva in 1839, and in 1851 he brought in the watchmaker Adrien Philippe, which gave the house the name it still carries. By the middle of the twentieth century it was known for dress watches, and in 1968 it added the Ellipse. The shape follows the golden section, the proportion of 1 to 1.618 that artists and architects have used for centuries, and it gave Patek a watch that was neither round nor rectangular.
The 1970s were a busy decade for the house. The Nautilus, drawn by Gérald Genta, came in 1976 as a steel sports watch, and in 1978 the first examples of the Ellipse 3738 were launched. The Ellipse family grew in many sizes and dial colours, with smaller versions made for women alongside the men’s models. The 4458 is one of the smallest, at only 20 by 23mm, in yellow gold with a blue sunburst dial that goes from a lighter to a darker shade across the face, slim gold baton markers and no other text than the signature. Inside runs the manual winding calibre 16-250.
Its condition is what separates it today. The case is like new, the sticker from Patek Philippe’s International Customer Service is still on the back, the strap is stamped with the Calatrava cross, and the yellow gold pin buckle is the Patek one. The original box is included, together with the Extract from the Archives, which confirms the watch in Patek Philippe’s own records. Almost fifty years on, it is very rare to find this specific watch in such condition with its box and archive papers.