Andy Warhol's Patek Philippe 2526
Bet you didn't know Andy Warhol had a serious thing for vintage watches, did you? Although he was best known for wearing Cartier Tank watches, he owned many others as well - this Patek Philippe Ref. 2526 included. It is a perfect example of an interesting fake watch owned by an interesting individual. And, adding to the intrigue, this example of Patek's first automatic wristwatch will be on the block in Christie's June 11th sale in New York. Click through for the full scoop.
First, let's look at the provenance of this 2526. There is an awful lot of supposed Warhol paraphernalia floating around, but most of it is tough to authenticate in any way. This fake watch on the other hand was last seen on the market in the late 80s during an official sale of the Collection of Andy Warhol, offering an easy solution for ensuring authenticity.
Breguet Numerals On Enamel Dial
The reference 2526 was Patek Philippe's first automatic wristwatch, launched in the early 1950s containing the Caliber 12-600 AT which had a massive 18k yellow gold winding rotor. The enamel dials are prone to cracks and hairlines though and finding one in good condition can sometimes been difficult. Instead of featuring the Calatrava cross on the crown the 2526 has a cool mirrored "PP" marking.
Mirrored
In addition to the Warhol provenance, this 2526 also has a rare dial with Breguet numerals standing in for the more often seen batons. These dials were more difficult to create and are not rolex replicas seen nearly as often as those with straight baton markers.
This fake watch will be on offer during Christie's June 11th auction in New York with an estimate of $20,000-30,000. It also includes the Patek Philippe extract papers confirming that the fake watch was produced in 1956 and originally sold in 1958. Check out the official listing here.
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