PATEK PHILIPPE ROSE GOLD HUNTER CASE POCKET WATCH “THE VANDERBILT”

During the late 1870s and early 1880s, the richest man in the United States was William Henry Vanderbilt. Known as “Billy”, and the oldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, he was the heir to the economic throne. Looking at estimated inflation adjusted lists of historical wealth, it is estimated that Billy’s fortune was worth $239 billion. Elon Musk still has some work to do to catch up given his relatively humble in comparison $200 billion net worth. So what does the richest man in the world buy for a longtime employee? A Patek Philippe, of course. This hunter cased 18K gold brick is engraved with the initials of the recipient and has the dust cover engraved “Isaac P. Chambers presented by W. H. Vanderbilt 1872”. This watch is something of the Gilded Age that one can put in a pocket, a remembrance of times past, fortunes made and fortunes lost.

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