A PATEK PHILIPPE SILVER INKING CHRONOGRAPH

We are delighted to present this rare Patek Philippe inking chronograph, an early and important example of a true chronograph. The word ‘chronograph’ is derived from two Greek words: “chronos’ and ‘graphos’ meaning ’time’ and ‘write’. A true chronograph therefore, writes the time. An inking chronograph, looks like a pocket watch, but it is not a watch, it is a mechanism to record elapsed time which is indicated by dots of ink on the dial. The inking chronograph was invented in 1821 by Nicolas-Mathieu Rieussec, watchmaker to King Louis Philippe of France. It operates by means of a central hand composed of two parts: the end of the lower part is fitted with a tiny ink bowl and the end of the upper part with a thin needle which, when activated, compresses the lower part to release a trace of ink onto the dial to give a visual read-out of the elapsed time. Patek Philippe started producing these luxury items in limited numbers first, between 1878 and 1880 and secondly, between 1891 and 1892, mostly for gentlemen to record horses in a race. Total production was limited to around 98 pieces and now, only 24 are known to exist including the example presented here. The dial of this inking chronograph is calibrated for 60 seconds. To activate an inking chronograph, a few drops of ink first needs to be put into the tiny reservoir at the end of one of two superimposed, central hands. The ink is discharged by depressing the button on the pendant. At 12 o’clock is a subsidiary dial for the 60 minutes recorder counting from right to left. The chronograph timer is activated/stopped/reset by depressing the right button in the case band. After a race, the ink marks are simply wiped off the enamel dial.

This little piece of history is something that we have previously only seen in the Patek Philippe Museum and is now something that you can have in your own collection. The lucky owner can also try putting ink in the reservoir in the privacy their own home —  an easier place than on the side of a busy race track timing a favorite horse!

To see John Reardon demonstrate how this inking chronograph works, please visit our Collectability YouTube site.

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