Patek Philippe

I finally pulled the trigger and I have a ref 96 on its way to me.  For such an iconic reference there's surprisingly little detail that I've been able to dig up on the internet.  I'm therefore looking to you - yes you - for help, guidance and positive reinforcement.

The watch does not come with the original strap, spring bars or buckle so I'm on a mission to replace them.

Does anyone have pictures of what the yellow gold buckles from around 1944 would look like?  Would the spring bars have been 18k gold too?

Finally, is there a decent book which would have this sort of info in it? 

I'm still undecided whether to go for a full factory restoration or to do it myself.  I know the ideal is to let Geneva do it but I'm rather keen on having a go myself.  Worst case scenario I can always send it off to patek anyway.

As a reward for all your help I'll post glorious high definition pictures of the whole restoration process! 

Here's one of the seller's pics.

 

This message has been edited by johnswatch1 on 2011-09-29 08:32:04

The spring bars are 18 karat gold, I would suspect the buckle to be a squared Patek buckle (sometimes referred to as the European buckle).

I don't know of a book dedicated to the 96, but if you send it back to Patek, I would expect them to supply the accessories appropriate to the watch as necessary as well as restoring the movement to factory specs.

I can't see clearly from the photograph but it appears the lug holes don't show much wear. If the spring bars are loosey-goosey though, I would have that corrected.

This is one of my favorite Pateks with the larger crown and when wound a louder slower tick than today.

I look forward to your progress.

I would send it to Geneva. As an economist I would not start a brain surgery.

Hi John,

The watch is in very good condition as far as can been told by the single picture.

There seems to be a tiny blemish on the originally looking dial - DO NOT touch the dial (under no circumstances)

and leave it as is - it has a very beautiful vintage look with a very slight patina! I would not bother about this tiny mark...

I guess there is not much to do other than a service...  so try to do it locally and save

a lot of bucks and - what is more important - very long waiting time - could easily take

1 1/5  to 2 years!!  But let us wait for some more pictures after you  have received the watch to give you more advice...

It is a nice addition to any collection. I have the larger ref 570 in my collection which has the same case and dial

design but is considerably larger at about 35 mm (if I recall correctly).

Enjoy!

Erich

Thanks Erich.

Until I get it into my hands I can't be certain of its condition.

These pics seem to suggest that it's in ok condition.  I had been considering a re-dail (the blasphemy!)  as the seller stated that he thinks the dial is not original however to my eyes it looks pretty good.

 

 

The font looks consistent with other examples I've seen and it looks like cold enamel printing unlike many flat redials.  I hate case scratches but I'm also paranoid about buffing wheels removing any remaining crisp edges.  I'll pop the movement out of the case and then polish it by hand using car paint polish such as Autoglym.  This should remove the tiny swirls without being aggressive on the rest of the case.

 

I'd like to remove the oxidisation on the markers - is this likely to come off easily or should I not bother trying?

With a bit of luck and a following wind I should have a serviceable watch. 

I was struck by the classic Calatrava design - dauphine hands, applied gold markers, smooth flat calatrava case.  There are no shortages of references from the 5196 to the 3976 , 96, etc which cover these bases.  If I want Patek DNA distilled in its purest form I have to have the original - a 96 is therefore the logical choice.  Furthermore my vanity requires something with wrist presence – something that will get noticed.....no wait – hear me out...

Like many PuristS I often notice what watches others are wearing.  A while back I was in a meeting and my gaze was immediately drawn to the speaker’s wrist.  Something jumped out at me.  He was wearing a simple yellow gold dress watch with a small seconds and perfectly harmonious proportions.  The key thing I noticed was the size of the watch.  It must have been only 30 to 33mm, tiny by modern standards.  As the wearer was young it was clearly not an old watch he had had for 40 years and it looked totally fresh.  I noticed it because it was smaller than the usual large watches that everyone wears.  Had it been 40mm I’d not have given it another glance.

Spurred on by this revelation I tried on one of the classic 30mm ultra-thin Vacherons at an airport AD and was shocked by how it didn’t look out of place.  After all, when was the last time you noticed a guys watch because it was too small?  It’s usually the other way around.

The fact that the ref 96 despite being the classic Calatrava is still affordable made it an easy purchase to rationalise.

 

Hi John, leave it as it is! It is a perfect vintage.... If you decide to give the case a soft by hand polish you can do the same with the hands... Then it will be matching... but if I were you I would not do anything but having serviced the movement by a local watchmaker who is trained on swiss watches (and not only changes straps and batteries like many do nowadays!). These tiny imperfections give character to the watch and make the difference between a new watch and a real vintage icon! just my thoughts - and I am a picky collector... kind regards Erich

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Picked it up this afternoon.  I'm absolutely delighted with it.

 Within a few mintues of wearing it the size makes perfect sense.  There's a very good reason this watch was in continuous production for around 50 years.

The dial is covered with cellulose lacquer, I heard. Maybe it's the most difficult and important point in your restoration. Now even Patek and famous dial restorer Causemann cannot choose that. 

HIROTA