Patek Philippe

Unfortunately, the case has been rather heavily polished and the dial has probably been refurbished at some point by Patek Philippe, which could be the reason why it remained on the low end of the estimate when it was sold at Christie’s in November 2014.

Among the possible explanations of the three red stripes on the hour hand, one of them suggests that it is related to Mr. Boeing's passion for horse racing: a prominent horse breeder, he probably used the watch to time horses and the three stripes could be a symbol of the "quarter pole" that represents, with three red stripes denoting that three quarters of a mile have been passed, the remaining quarter in a horse race. 

This interpretation seems supported by the fact that Patek Philippe was no stranger to the world of horse racing, having realized another unique split-seconds wristwatch, ref. 1436 (movement no. 862'274, case no. 621'854) for one of the most successful jockey of the time: Wendell Eads (1923-1997), who, according to a New York Times article in 1941, was cited as the leading apprentice at Hialeah Park for his outstanding achievements: thus the unique inscription found at 6 o’clock on the dial.

This timepiece was sold by Christie's New York in December 2012 and by Phillips in December 2024.

Wendell Eads' ref. 1436 in yellow gold

Below: a 1941 horse racing press photo of jockey Wendell Eads at Hialeah Park

Below: a three-stripes quarter pole

credit: Phillips, Christie's (last photo of the watch), horseracingstuff (press photo of Wendell Eads) & @amplifyhorseracing (photo of the quarter pole)

Interestingly, there is another yellow gold Cartier signed ref. 130, with a case number only one digit away from the "Boeing".

Movement no. 198405, case no. 617297, Cartier no. 8703, manufactured in 1930 and sold on 15 December 1938  (this watch was sold by Antiquorum in 1989 and by Christie's in 2001)

Lastly, only about ten early Patek Philippe split-seconds chronographs are known, including the Boeing and the other Cartier-signed example seen above. 

Here are the six examples I've been able to identify, presented by increasing movement number.

1/ Movement no. 124824, case No. 235326, with Enamel dial, manufactured in 1903 and sold on October 13, 1923. Now displayed at the Patek Philippe Museum

This watch, which is said to be the the very first split-seconds chronograph wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe, first appeared at Antiquorum in 1999 and was later sold to the Patek Philippe Museum in 2014 by Sotheby's. 

2/ Movement no. 198012, case no. 290652, made for a left-handed wearer, manufactured in 1925, retailed by Grogan Co., Pittsburgh, PA and sold on 4.1.1927

The hinged gold cuvette bears the engraved inscription "The Lord gave me a wonderful blessing in the most devoted, lovely and unselfish son a mother ever had. Mother. If thy Presence go not with me carry us not up hence. Exodus 33-15"

Sold by Antiquorum in 1989 and Christie's in 2006

3/ Movement no. 198098, case no. 605969, made in 1927 for Grogan Co., Pittsburg, PA, sold on 31 August 1937

Sold by Antiquorum in 1989 and in 1996

4/ Movement no. 198142, case no. 606828, manufactured in 1927 and sold on July 12th 1929

This watch was specially ordered from Patek by Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858-1947), founder of the London-based department stores Selfridges, who offered it to famed racer Sir Henry O'Neal de Hane Segrave (1896-1930). The watch was engraved on the back, commemorating their friendship.

According to some biography, the watch was on Segrave's wrist when he died and was returned to Selfridge, who wore it himself for a while.

At some point later, while visiting the aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart in America, Selfridge gifted her the Segrave watch, and in exchange, she gave Selfridge the Longines she was wearing on her two record-breaking Transatlantic flights.

The Patek Philippe "Segrave" split-seconds chronograph was sold in 2024 by Monaco Legend Auctions and Mark Kauzlarich wrote an interesting article about it for Hodinkee.

5/ Movement no. 198206, case no. 415610. Unique Luminous Dial, retailed and signed by Tiffany & Co, New York. Made in 1928, sold on September 23rd, 1938

Sold by Antiquorum in 2009

6/ Movement no. 198369, case no. 416660, started in 1930 and sold in 1934 

Sold by Antiquorum in 1995

Thank you so much for reading to the end (it's heroic)!

Best, Emmanuel