Patek Philippe Ellipse 3373/1

Reference 3373/1 Ellipse | A yellow gold bracelet watch, Circa 1969 Patek Philippe

Dial: champagne Caliber: cal. 13.5-320 mechanical, 20 jewels Movement number: 1’243’003 Case: 18k yellow gold, snap on case back Case number: 2’692’030 Closure: 18k yellow gold Patek Philippe brick link bracelet with folding clasp Size: 22 x 17 mm, bracelet circumference approximately 145 mm Signed: case, dial, and movement Box: no Papers: no The history of Patek Philippe's oval shaped "Ellipse" models date back to the 1960s and is widely attributed to Jean-Daniel Rubeli, then the Chef de Creation of the brand. The 'Golden Ellipse' was officially unveiled in 1968 and has since become emblematic to Patek Philippe's brand ethos. After the Calatrava, it is the oldest collection still available in the Patek Philippe catalogue. Characterized by and named after its elliptical shape, the design was derived from the Golden Ratio design principle, also known as the ‘divine proportion’. Studied by mathematicians for centuries, the Golden Ratio is a perfect proportion frequently found in nature, expressed as a ratio between two numbers of approximately 1.618, and is considered to be a key element in achieving aesthetic harmony in art and architecture. The present example is an early Ellipse design fitted with a meticulously hand finished brick link integrated bracelet.