718,500 CHF
Patek Philippe & Cie, Geneve, No. 198213, case No. 607064, made in 1928, sold on October 16, 1931 to Eldridge R. Johnson to be presented to Floyd H. Bradley. Rare and important "Tortue"-shaped, minute repeating, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch. massive, polished, with an inscription on the back. matt silver with applied gold Breguet numerals + auxiliary seconds dial. "Feuille" gold hands. Notes The back of the watch is inscribed Floyd H. Bradlat Camden. New Jewet from Eldridge B. Johnson September 21, 1931. American tycoon Eldridge Reeves Johnson (1867-1945), president of the Victor Talking Machine Co. (purchased by RCA, Radio Corporation of America, in 1929), presented this watch to the prominent U.S. corporate attorney Floyd Henry Bradley (1883-1954), in gratitude for successfully trying a series of important cases, with particular reference to the one won on 21 September, 1931. Interestingly, Bradley had been given the choice of selecting either a watch or an automobile. After his death, the watch was inherited by his third son, Floyd H. Bradley Jr, who gave it to his second son, Floyd Henry Bradley III. This watch is one of the smallest minute repeating wristwatches ever produced by Patek Philippe, of which only very few were made and only 2 examples are known to date. A similar wristwatch, in platinum, was specially made for John Graves Jr, a successful New York business man and the greatest Patek Philippe collector of the 1930's; its movement number ( Read more…
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
1998-10-31
