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Patek Philippe Watch & Chain, ca. 1930

Value (2012) | $6,500 Auction – $7,700 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
My husband's mother inherited it from her brother. And then she gave it to my husband before she passed away. I think his wife gave it to him. That's the story... their 25th wedding anniversary. That would have been probably in the 1950s, maybe. My husband has had it for about 20, 25 years. We were told that it is a platinum watch. As far as the maker, I've seen ads for that particular name in magazines or in Wall Street Journal, and stuff, so we knew it was a good watch. And, plus, his uncle was the kind of person who he didn't own anything that was not good. He was quite a fancy guy.

APPRAISER:
It's a Patek Philippe, which is really the finest watch company in the world. They've been in business for about 160 years. The unusual characteristics of the watch are that there's enamel all the way around the watch, which is beautiful. It's a platinum case, and it's a signed platinum Patek Philippe. A lot of these watches in the '40s were contract cases where they weren't signed. It's a triple-signed Patek Philippe pocket watch. And that means that the case is signed one signature, the movement is signed with a second signature, and the dial is signed. This particular one doesn't have reference numbers in it. It pre-dates 1940. Before the war, they didn't put reference numbers in the case. This was probably manufactured between 1925 and 1935. It's very much in a Deco style. And it's extremely thin. The chain that you have... and I know that you took out the little diamonds and you put them in little bezels, and set them in your ears. That's a wonderful chain. That dates from the 1920s and '30s also. So it was probably the original chain. They would wear it in a fob, in a vest pocket in those days. Beautiful piece. It would finish somebody's collection for Patek Philippes. They're very rare in platinum. A watch like this in today's market at a good auction house would probably gavel at around between $5,500 and $6,500 for the watch alone.

GUEST:
Wow. Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
And then you throw in a chain, because of the platinum work and the chain is all handmade and everything, after you've taken the diamonds out and used them for earrings, the chain alone probably would bring $1,000 to $1,200. And it would increase as you put the diamonds back in. You don't have to put the ones that are in your ear back in, but you can put any diamonds.

GUEST:
Wonderful.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Craig Evan Small
Jewelry, Watches
Craig Evan Small Estate Jewelry
Los Angeles, CA
Appraised value (2012)
$6,500 Auction – $7,700 Auction
Featured In
Cincinnati, Hour 2 (#1711)
Event
Cincinnati, OH (July 21, 2012)
Category
Watches
Period
20th Century , Art Deco
Form
Chain , Watch
Material
Diamonds , Enamel , Platinum

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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