Back from Patek Geneva

May 23, 2018,20:28 PM
 

A year ago I accidentally cracked the crystal face of my 1952 Ref 1491 and took it to my local Patek Service Agent in Sydney who informed me that for vintage Patek watches, they had to be sent back to Geneva for any work whatsoever......even the simple replacement of the crystal face.

Within a week of receiving the watch....Patek Geneve inspected it and provided pricing for the suggested servicing and restoration as well as the crystal replacement.
As the watch was already there and the pricing sounded reasonable....I went for it!!!

Nearly a year later it came back and I'm very pleased.....
Apart from looking virtually new again....they confirmed in writing how well maintained the watch had been kept.
What particularly impressed me was the polishing and finishing around the gold scroll lugs.....
These lugs were fully polished before being sent to Geneva, and all the examples of the Ref 1491 I had seen, have always appeared with fully polished lugs.
This is apparently not the original finish these lugs had, as Patek has carefully linished the faces of the lugs whilst polishing the edges.
It is an aesthetic detail which elevates the appearance of this case to 'artwork' IMHO.

What do you all think.....?



Restored Ref 1491 by Patek Geneve




Cracked crystal which instigated the return trip




Ref 1491 before restoration




Ref 1491 before restoration











More posts: 1491calatrava

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A Masterpiece. [nt]

 
 By: neunelfs : May 23rd, 2018-21:10

Superb piece and restoration, big congrats

 
 By: Mike H : May 23rd, 2018-21:20
Enjoy your beautiful timepiece and wear itbin the nest of your health

Romance!

 
 By: baufoam : May 23rd, 2018-21:32
Excellent work. That is one of the big things that attracts me to Patek Philippe as a company. They service anything they ever made and they do it right. Wonderful decision you made in letting them take that watch and bring it back to what it should be. E... 

That is some seriously awesome restoration work

 
 By: rnaden : May 23rd, 2018-22:11
Looks like it is brand new out of the showcase and definitely worth the year of work and waiting.

I think PP should hire and train more watchmakers in order to have the watches serviced more quickly

 
 By: piccolochimico (aka dsgalaxy1) : May 24th, 2018-00:23
This is a time only, 1 year is a very long time IMHO. I can only imagine how many watches they' are just servicing, but time is also a key factor. A great job, indeed, i agree that PP is famous for his ability to service any of his watches.

It does sound a long time....

 
 By: Halcro : May 24th, 2018-02:15
but when they quoted, they were up front that I would have to wait 9 months for the work to be completed......luckily I have other ‘toys’ to occupy my time..... I think Patek have a much higher profit margin for their watchmakers to be assembling new watc... 

Patek is one of the most reliable in terms of servicing (if not the best)

 
 By: piccolochimico (aka dsgalaxy1) : May 24th, 2018-03:10
But this is a time only, nothing too complex to overhaul. Anyway, the final result is what we look for, thus better to wait a bit more than to have to send the watch back and forth.

Worth all the effort and money…

 
 By: Cpt Scarlet : May 24th, 2018-01:50
I think a year to do the restoration is perfectly reasonable. Keep enjoying it !

Its as good as new. In pristine condition.

 
 By: geross : May 24th, 2018-04:14
Great job of service from a super brand in the horological world. Cheers! Enjoy your new flame. Geross.

Regarding the lugs

 
 By: jayeyedoubleemmwhy : May 24th, 2018-07:36
from your “before” picture, you can see some of that original satin finish on the portion nearest the 6 o’clock side. Looks like the satin finish had been sufficiently worn away to almost look polished on the lugs themselves. Good job on Patek’s part rega... 

Jaw dropping piece.

 
 By: Velociphile - No longer in the building : May 24th, 2018-09:20
Enjoy!

Stunning

 
 By: nice2guy : May 24th, 2018-12:05
That is a great looking watch. Very classic, and I am glad they did such a nice job. And I am also glad waiting was not an issue for you. Personally, I have no patience. I would have constantly questioned in my mind why it would take so long. I know nothi... 

More impressions...

 
 By: Halcro : May 27th, 2018-02:20
Further detailed studies of the watch reveal how deeply and perfectly Patek perform their restoration work..... This is the condition of the back watch case as sent to Patek This is how it came back Now I don't know how they eliminated the existing scratc...  

One year is hard.

 
 By: MTR : May 27th, 2018-04:15
But the result is definitely worth it. A really wonderful piece!!! Best, Thomas