PATEK PHILIPPE YELLOW GOLD AND MULTI-COLOR ENAMEL POCKET WATCH

This exceptionally rare men’s watch was made in 1923 and originally sold almost 100 years ago through the Cuban retail Casa Borbolla. This is the first and only Patek Philippe known that has this Cuban retailer on the dial. (If you know of others, please let us know!) Casa Borbolla was a large and important retailer founded in 1883 that imported luxury goods from Europe. It occupied almost an entire block in the Compostela area of Havana  (Between Lamprailla and Amargura streets). “It was a most dazzling house of fashion” and one can read in Spanish a detailed description of the store here as well as see images of the exterior and interior of the store.

The watch itself is one of the most dazzling and unique examples of the Patek Philippe Murat-style. The bezel and case back are elegantly engraved and decorated with four colors of enamel, an unusual extravagance for the style. Note the hand-engraved and enameled pendant that is triangularly shaped, (It almost predicts the look of the Henri Stern buckles of the 1940s and beyond — coincidence or not?) The gold dial features hand-engraved and enameled Greek style numerals with pomme hands. And the unrestored dial features the signature CASA BORBOLLA above the subsidiary seconds, a gentle note to this timepiece’s provenance. One can only imagine the gentleman who originally bought this watch in 1924, no doubt with an extraordinary cigar in hand.

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