DESCRIPTION
Introduced in 1953, the reference 2526 was the first self-wound timepiece ever released by Patek Philippe. It was however not the first automatic watch by a big name in the world of horology: Rolex introduced their first self-winding mechanism in 1931, after having acquired the necessary patent and having adjusted the already existing automatic calibers invented by other watchmakers.
In the meantime, Patek Philippe worked for more than two decades on their own sophisticated solution, resulting the launch of the reference 2526 featuring the automatic caliber 12-600 AT – a movement considered to be one of the best developed ever, with a maximum variation of only one second per day after regulation!
The references 2526 does not only feature a very precious movement, but also a beautiful, double baked enamel dial. Patek Philippe chose the use of enamel because of the material’s strong resistance towards outside influences such as sunlight, thus ensuring the dial’s longevity. In production however, these enamel dials turned out to be quite the nightmare: from 100 dials produced, 90 were lost.
The here offered reference 2526 from 1954 is part of the first series with an enamel dial and case in excellent condition. An archive extract from Patek Philippe confirms the mentioned production year and consequent sale in August 1955.
![[3970E G] Patek Philippe](/web/image/product.template/128/image_1024/%5B3970E%20G%5D%20Patek%20Philippe?unique=e268c52)
![[3429] Patek Philippe](/web/image/product.template/106/image_1024/%5B3429%5D%20Patek%20Philippe?unique=cadf7ba)