Patek Philippe Gondolo Owner Review : Mysterious, classy and racy

Today, I would like to return to an acquisition which is undoubtedly the most sentimental of all: that of my Patek Philippe 2479R Clous de Paris. This watch is quite simply extremely rare and has been the object of real obsessions, even fantasies, which go back to the very beginning of my watchmaking adventure, since it is nothing more and nothing less than my great-grandfather's watch. Initially, as a young teenager beginning to develop a burning passion for watchmaking, I naively asked my father what the most prestigious watch brand was. He replied that it was Patek Philippe. My mother chimed in: "A Patek... Your great-grandfather had one... I think Jacqueline (my great-aunt) has it today." She then recalled the vague memory of a rectangular watch she had last seen on my great-grandmother's wrist the day her husband died, which struck her because the watch was not with its usual wearer and was a man's watch. I then began to scour the internet, delving into the brand's past, and discovered some truly extraordinary things. I became acquainted with design luminaries such as the 2442 Monroe, the 2441 Eiffel Tower, the 2517 Accordion, the 2471 Bélier, the spectacular asymmetrical watches designed by Gilbert Albert and so many others… And I began to imagine… What if this famous rectangular vintage Patek was one of them?! End of April 2010… Having serious mental health problems, we were filling out paperwork for me to take my baccalaureate in a care-study program in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. It was a time when I was beginning to discover a lot of things, despite my illness. After a big ABBA period, my father introduced me to Pink Floyd, with whom I would soon fall in love, to the point that the very creative, all-round style of the Cambridge natives, moving alternately from psychedelia to progressive rock before a final turn towards more general rock, would punctuate my entire high school period… I also discovered the Orgues de Flandre, in the 19th arrondissement, which reminded me of the madness of the 70s, a time when dreams of gigantism were allowed, when many things seemed possible. The particular shapes of the Organs and the grayish tiling of their facade attracted me, I found them interesting, and many people didn't understand my attraction to them, judging them to be ordinary or even downright ugly. I appreciated the fact that Martin Van Treck had tried to reproduce the pipes of a large organ in the design of the four towers, not to mention the terraced buildings preceding them and overlooking the Avenue de Flandre, whose irregularity seduced me. All these discoveries from my adolescence, from my high school years, I connect them in my mind to the 2479R Clous de Paris because they are contemporary with each other. For me, they are true Proust madeleines that I cherish singularly. So we had to go celebrate the birthday of Franck, Jacqueline's son (one of my cousins) and she was going to be there. So naturally, having never held a Patek in my hands, I asked her to take it out of its safe to show it to me. In the meantime, we had welcomed Jacqueline's daughter, Candice, and her children to our home, whom we had taken to play in a nearby square. And Candice confided in me: "Mom is going to the trunk today to get it out for you"... I then began to imagine it and was excited. Was it one of those extraordinary shape references that I had seen on the Internet? I had bought a Sport Auto "All the Sports Cars of the World" that I devoured while the children played. This detail is important because the 2479R Clous de Paris has marked me to the point that every year, towards the end of April, I return to this precise square with this annual Sport Auto that I read on a bench, among other rituals around the memory of the 2479R Clous de Paris that I would almost describe as autistic, which is in no way an insult because of the many symptoms of this neuroatypicality that I present. This little pleasure is all the more enjoyable for me now that I have the watch in my possession, which makes the experience particularly moving. But let's get back to its discovery. May 2, 2010, around 2 p.m. My father's blue Volvo S60 was heading toward this 1980s building in the eastern suburbs of Paris. I was listening to a song called "Giorno di Festa" on repeat, composed by the Italian singer Jalisse, whose lyrics evoked "un orologio," a watch, which, it seems, from what I understood (I don't speak Italian), was given to a young groom by his future wife upon their wedding. When we arrived, Jacqueline retired for a moment to the room where she had left her bag and returned with the object... And even today, I remember how thrilled I was. It was deliciously patinated, its dial with bullet indexes and double indexes at noon reminded me of a kind of papyrus. It had a small seconds hand at six o'clock. However, its glass was quite scratched. It had two gadroons on either side of its lovely curved case. And above all, it had this double bezel called "Hooded Lugs" with a solid Clous de Paris guilloché which made the whole singularly beautiful, with an old-fashioned museum piece feel, magnificently Art Deco. And its curves, its shape, its comfort on the wrist... I discovered later that it was powered by the 9-90, a caliber shaped like Patek no longer makes, presenting breathtaking finishes: multiple chamfers, Swan Neck adjustment, mirror-polished screws, Côtes de Genève, circular graining... Unfortunately, my great-aunt gave me a "no" to get it, wanting to reserve it for her direct descendants. Understandable. But disappointing. And so sad. Because I didn't detect any real watchmaking sensitivity in her son. While I, I was moved as rarely, I was boiling with enthusiasm. Having taken two or three bad photos, I decided to make a post on various forums to try to identify it. Without success. My first visit to the Patek Museum made me notice a strictly similar example that was on display. I said to myself: "if it's in the Museum, it must be really rare." And I started scouring auction catalogs without ever finding it (Patek had not put explanatory posters under the watches at the time). Until I came across the one from the 1989 "The Art of Patek Philippe" sale in Geneva at Antiquorum. And huge surprise, lot 79 (you couldn't make it up)... Was a similar example from 1954, allowing me to identify it as a 2479R Clous de Paris. I then decided to Google “Patek Philippe 2479” and found that the Internet seemed completely silent on the subject, mentioning only a few rare examples in yellow gold with a smooth bezel, the only strictly identical one being the one from the 1989 auction. I was starting to become very suspicious, imagining some sort of unique or at least extremely rare piece. And the autistic rituals linked to its memory multiplied, as did the stratagems to try to recover it. So I could spend long minutes at the foot of my great-grandmother's building (and in the small public square just behind it), where the bank where my great-aunt stored the watch was also located, walled in silence, meditating on the memory of my grandmother, playing with Franck's sons and dreaming of the 2479. There, I asked my father, who had business dealings with this famous Franck, if he could not negotiate the watch as a thank you for the help provided during a tax audit. In vain. I also imagined a future where I would have moved into this building, with the 2479R Clous de Paris on my wrist, trying to refurnish the apartment as it was during my great-grandmother's lifetime to cultivate her memory by having brought her watch back to her building. With in the living room, a large white leather sofa. In the dining room, a glass table. And in the entrance, a display case with small Asian enamel figurines. I remembered this little Buddha with the rather enigmatic smile that I would have loved to recover after the death of my great-grandmother. And I also saw the 2479 in my sleep. Sometimes in the form of the extremely rare and fantasized watch that it was. Or in the form of this little Buddha, appearing in my night dreams and endowed with magical powers. Or in the form of a creature that my great-aunt had the power to release on demand, a bit like Davy Jones with the Kraken in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." February 2018. We were celebrating my birthday and I had asked Jacqueline to bring out the 2479 for me to take better photos. In the meantime, I had acquired prestigious shaped watches, a Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa Grande, a Patek Gondolo 2488J, given to me by my father for my baccalaureate which I had passed with flying colors and especially as a form of encouragement while I was still feeling mentally unwell and a Patek Ellipse d’Or 3548J acquired thanks to odd jobs at the cash register. All of them were sort of responses to Jacqueline’s refusal to give me the 2479. But the latter still remained my dream and a sort of must-have in terms of shaped watches, at least in my eyes. I associated with her the Floydian verses of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond": "Nobody knows where you are/How near or how far/Shine On You Crazy Diamond"... She was so close... But at the same time so far away, seeming so inaccessible... After taking more photos with my two Pateks, I tried a new hook to win her back. In return, always a polite but firm "no" from Jacqueline. So we arrive in February 2024. After having worked a lot for various financial institutions, I had decided to start a Master's degree, keeping in mind that, each time I had been at this school, extraordinary things had happened, often around watchmaking. Thus, for my work-study Bachelor's degree, which I obtained brilliantly, I had been allocated my Aquanaut 5167 1A (on a bracelet, therefore, but which I would later switch to a rubber one) to the Patek Salons. And I told myself that this Master's would have things in store for me, not to mention that Patek was preparing what was announced as a new collection, the first for men since 1997 and the release of the very Aquanaut. On Saturday, February 10th, 6 days before my 31st birthday, I was scrolling through Chrono24, looking for pieces to buy. And what a surprise to suddenly see in my feed... A 2479R Clous de Paris! I should add that I had commissioned the biggest brokers of vintage Pateks (John Reardon of @collectability, @johnbehalf and Davide Parmegiani) to find me a similar example... The response had been negative each time: "we have never seen this reference on the market." And there I saw one, in France, in Paris, at Europiècedor, near my offices. I clicked on the images to enlarge them... The varnish on the dial was a little damaged at the small seconds, the dial was pitted at 1 and 8 o'clock, it was also a little blackened in the upper left corner... It was it because I knew how to recognize it because of its patina! I then sent a WhatsApp message to the seller: "Your 2479, you put it aside for me, I'll come by on Monday at noon and it's practically a done deal." A positive response. I was champing at the bit, waiting for the weekend to end and hoping that Roni (@roni_m_29), this famous collector of extremely rare vintage Pateks, wouldn't spot it and steal my thunder... On Monday, February 12th, at noon, after having warned two good collector friends that my grandfather's famous rarity was for sale, I rushed to Rue de Richelieu and arrived in front of Europiècedor out of breath, finding my two friends. We rang and went in. I had brought with me a family photo taken at the wedding of my two great-grandparents, where we saw my grandfather wearing the 2479 which emerged from under the sleeve of his suit and which was easily recognizable. I introduced myself. The manager of Europiècedor took out the 2479. And I asked straight away: "How did you get it?!" -It was a gentleman who brought it to me. -A gentleman?! Wasn't she an old and rather strong lady?! -No, it was a gentleman. -But you can't give me his identity, tell me who he was?! -Sorry, it's a trade secret. What I can tell you is that it was a watch that has always been in the same family (big red flag!). -But it's on consignment/sale?! Explain to me... -No, he sold it to me and I'm offering it. I no longer have a business relationship with him but I can't give you his identity. But why do you want to know all this?! Are you from the same family?! I was embarrassed and winced. “You can tell me, I’ve already had to sort out some pretty complicated inheritance issues involving family heirlooms.” I then confessed and took out the photo of my grandfather. “It was my great-grandfather’s watch,” I said. And emotion began to overwhelm me. "But you understand, it's rare, extremely rare, even, I've been looking for it for 13 years, waiting for it, scouring the Internet in the hope of finding one," I ranted, one of my friends discreetly giving me the thumbs up to temper me, seeing as it was undervalued and I risked, with my tirade, ending up paying much more for it. "But no, sir, there are 2479 at Clous de Paris, look!" And he showed me the photos available on Google, taken from my reviews on various forums, giving a slightly hilarious side to the affair. Tempering my ardor, the manager of Europiècedor remaining fair play, I made an instant transfer, asked one of my friends to take a photo of me holding the watch and left to get back to work, not believing my eyes or my ears and spending an afternoon being quite distracted. Arriving home at the end of the day, I took it out of its case and burst into tears... But not without wondering... Who was this gentleman who had taken it out and sold it, knowing that it wasn't supposed to move from his safe?! I was beginning to suspect that Franck had power of attorney over his mother's safe. I also thought I had heard that Franck had argued with her but I wasn't so sure anymore. And the hypothesis was growing in my mind... What if Franck had sold the 2479 behind his mother's back to make a little money?! Although I had acquired the object in good faith, it had apparently been stolen. This left me fearing a form of receiving stolen goods, without being able to fully legally qualify this rather unusual situation. I then questioned my mother, without informing her of my purchase, the 2479 having always been a sensitive subject, having sometimes been accused of having a malicious interest, while I simply wanted to offer a second youth to a very beautiful and extremely rare watch that no one seemed to have any use for and which was abandoned in its trunk, like an unusual collector's car abandoned under a pile of straw in a barn before being discovered decades later and sending the auction counters into overdrive... “Tell me, how are things going between Franck and Jacqueline?!” -Ah, I think they don't talk to each other anymore, that they're on bad terms." I was starting to feel really uncomfortable then. February 16th arrived and I turned 31. Jacqueline wrote to me to offer her best wishes. And I began to investigate, very gradually. “Thank you for your wishes. We don’t see each other much. How is your family? Franck, Candice, the children, give me some news!” -Candice and the children are fine and are going on holiday to Savoie. On the other hand, Franck, I don't speak to him anymore, I don't know what he's doing anymore, we've been on bad terms for months." Hell and damnation, that seemed to confirm my hypothesis. I called Jacqueline, my heart pounding in my chest. “Are you okay?! I’m going to ask you three questions, it might seem a little strange but it’s necessary… 1) Were you burglarized? -Non. -OK. Does Franck have power of attorney over your safe? -No. But what do you want him to look for in my things?! So it wasn't Franck. But who was this gentleman who took it out of his safe and sold it to Europiècedor, for goodness sake?! I then told myself that I had to get to the bottom of it and asked: “Very well. But what have you done with your Patek?!” -Ah, my Patek... Listen... I always told you that I wanted it to go to my direct descendants. I'm on bad terms with Franck, it's true. But I see his two sons. And I gave it to Jonathan, one of them." So... That was the end of the story. Jonathan (whom I hadn't seen for years due to family issues) had picked up the 2479 and, probably seeing the brand name on the dial, associated with its prestige, had immediately sold it. I immediately changed the subject and concluded with Jacqueline, who, it seems, at the time of writing, is still not aware. A few weeks later, my father wanted to give me a present for my 31st birthday, so we took line 1 to Tuileries station, not without warning him... "You're not ready for what you're going to see." Arriving at Tuileries, my father corrected me: "I see. You're taking me to Patek. But why?!" A princely welcome from my long-time advisor (who had heard about the 2479 since the beginning of our relationship in 2012, when he had followed the restoration of my 2488J), a small coffee, and I took out the case where the watch was, without revealing it. "Dad, you'll never guess what's in this case." And I revealed it under the sparkling eyes of my advisor: "Dad, it's saved, it's over," before seeing my father almost fall out of his chair from the emotion. And to tell him the story of his last-minute rescue. Before, for my 31st birthday and to mark the end of the longest waiting list (13 years fantasizing about a truly great rarity), he gave me a set of gold pumps, a caramel alligator strap and a Patek buckle. A few months later, I went to the Patek Museum to collect the only two known 2479R Clous de Paris and met a friendly advisor from the Patek Salons in Geneva, who had extensive knowledge of vintage watches and who offered to consult the Museum's archives for me. A few weeks later, I received a long, informative response from him. The 2479, while the archival documents do not allow us to differentiate between the yellow gold cases with smooth bezels and the rose gold guilloché cases and to identify the precise number of examples in circulation, is an initially rare reference. Probably even more so in rose gold, which was a very little used metal in the 1950s. The 2479R Clous de Paris in the Museum is the one from the 1989 auction, as the case and movement numbers attest (I had also noticed that they were both from 1954, thus appearing to be one and the same watch). Mine is from 1950. The case of the 2479R was made and guilloché by Georges Croisier, a case maker from the 1950s who is now defunct. And, very interestingly, we can assume that the decision to guilloché these rose gold cases was a choice that could be related to a specific order, but which apparently did not respond to a regular production process, not following its logic. February 2025 and the annual father/son pilgrimage to Rétromobile. This vintage had a special flavor because it held a related watch fair, "Time On Show," created at the initiative of a very elitist group of collectors led by @golberger. I chose to come with the 2479R Clous de Paris. And my father can testify to that... These dealers, who were nevertheless exhibiting 2499s, all kinds of grand complications and other prestigious independent pieces, were all surprised to discover a Patek that they had apparently never seen elsewhere. So I didn't count the "Nice watch! What's that?! It's just gorgeous! Never seen one of these." Enjoyable! Later, a friendly collector I met at the Geneva Watch Days in 2025 sponsored me for access to the website everywatch.com, which lists all past and present watch sales. Naturally, I imposed the "Patek 2479" filter. The result: 7 referenced auction appearances, including only one for the 2479R Clous de Paris: at the 1989 auction, where it was not sold. And then it's gone! This detail made me think a lot. If it hadn't found a buyer, it must have returned to its first owner or to the latter's family. Philippe Stern, perceiving the rarity of the object and whose collection constitutes the Patek Museum, had undoubtedly approached them to acquire it... If we are in the case of an order... Could it be that it was placed between two people? In other words... Did the first owner of the 2479R Clous de Paris in the Museum know my great-grandfather and did they decide together to make a custom one based on a 2479? Patek does not hold the names of the first owners of the watches, unlike Breguet... Does Philippe Stern hold the key to the enigma of the 2479R Clous de Paris? I would love to ask him the question... But for now, I will have to wait, hoping that I can find the opportunity to meet him and hoping that he will not be swept away by advancing age by then...