Patek Philippe Rare Hooded Lugs Reference 1410 1939 Square Rose Gold 25mm
By Patek Philippe
Located in Mayfair, London, London
The square 25mm 18k rose gold case houses the manual-winding Patek Philippe calibre 10"105. The watch is fitted with a new black leather strap, secured by an 18k rose gold Patek Phil...
18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1990s Patek Philippe Calatrava 3998J 18K YG Silver Dial Auto 34mm
By Patek Philippe
Located in New York, NY
It is fitted with its original black leather strap and the correct 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe pin buckle. As with every watch we offer, this piece has been verified as mechanical...
18k Gold
Tiffany & Co Patek Philippe Iconic Edwardian Platinum Diamond Lapel Watch
By Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co.
Located in New York, NY
Iconic Edwardian platinum lapel brooch watch by Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co, set with approx. 1.10ctw in diamonds (one small stone is missing on the pin).
Diamond, Platinum
Birks of Canada Ladies 18Kt. Yellow Gold Pearl Bezel Dress Manual Watch, 1910s
By Birks and Son
Located in Long Beach, CA
The watch is fitted with a very high grade Swiss movement on the caliber of a Patek Philippe. It is a "pin set" model, which means you have to push in the little pin at 2:00 to chang...
Yellow Gold
Patek Philippe Vintage Top Hat Rose Gold 1450
By Patek Philippe
Located in Mayfair, London, London
The brand new generic brown leather strap comes with an original Patek Philippe pin buckle. Fitted with faceted mineral glass and a manual wind movement.
Rose Gold
Patek Philippe Nautilus White Gold Pin
By Patek Philippe
Located in Southampton, PA
Prestige and elegance are embodied in this exquisitely designed and expertly crafted piece presented by Patek Philippe from the Nautilus collection. It is made of gleaming 18K white ...
18k Gold, White Gold
Patek Philippe Nautilus 18 Karat White Gold Pin
By Patek Philippe
Located in Southampton, PA
Prestige and elegance are embodied in this exquisitely designed and expertly crafted piece presented by Patek Philippe from the Nautilus collection. It is made of gleaming 18K white ...
White Gold
Patek Philippe Gondolo Diamond Set Watch
By Patek Philippe
Located in Mayfair, London, London
The watch is fitted with a sapphire glass, a quartz movement and a generic black leather strap equipped with a Patek Philippe white gold pin buckle. This timepiece comes with our ow...
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Patek Calatrava 5227R-001 Watch
By Patek Philippe
Located in Mayfair, London, London
This timepiece is presented on a generic brown leather strap and a Patek Philippe rose gold pin buckle. Further fitted with a sapphire crystal and powered by a self-winding automatic...
18k Gold, Rose Gold
Patek Philippe 18 Karat White Gold Natural Diamond Brooch Pin
By Patek Philippe
Located in Baltimore, MD
Patek Philippe 18 Karat White Gold Natural Diamond Brooch Pin Metal: 18 karat white gold Weight: 16.74 grams Diamonds: Approx. 1.50 CTW F-G VS natural round diamonds Dimensions: 37.5...
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Patek Philippe 18 Karat Yellow Gold Pin Set Wristwatch, circa 1900s
By Patek Philippe
Located in Long Beach, CA
FACTORY / HOUSE: Patek Philippe & Cie. STYLE / REFERENCE: Early Wrist Watch METAL / MATERIAL: 18KT.
It shouldn’t be surprising that a Patek Philippe holds the world auction record for a watch ($31.2 million for a Patek Grandmaster Chime, sold at Christie’s). Known for impeccable craftsmanship and some of the most complicated timepieces ever created, the brand is considered by many to be the height of fine watchmaking. Collectors simply love Patek Philippe watches.
The house was founded in Geneva in 1839 by Polish expats Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek. Czapek left the firm, and in 1845, Patek partnered with French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Catering to the glitterati of Europe, the pair counted among their clients Tolstoy, Pope Pius IX and Queen Victoria, as well as Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, for whom they created the first Swiss-made wristwatch in 1868. They also had their eye on the American market and in 1851 entered an arrangement with Tiffany & Co. still in effect today.
During the Great Depression, brothers Jean and Charles Stern, who had previously supplied Patek Philippe with watch dials, bought the company, and it continues to be run by the Stern family today.
Under the Sterns, the house has developed some of its most famous models, including the Calatrava, an elegantly minimal dress watch introduced in 1932 and named for the Calatrava Cross (the company’s logo since 1887), and the Nautilus, the brand’s first sports watch, conceived by legendary designer Gérald Genta in 1976.
Despite the house’s longevity, it’s rumored that it has manufactured fewer than a million Patek watches, making each one all the more coveted. (The brand's pieces are understandably attractive to counterfeiters — make sure you know how to spot a fake Patek Philippe watch.)
Find authentic Patek Philippe watches, cufflinks, bracelets and more on 1stDibs today.
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany & Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany & Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef & Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
Launched in 1932, the model has become emblematic of quality craftsmanship and timeless design.
A true icon of the much-coveted category of World Time watches, this rare model represents an important milestone in the history of one of the brand's signature complications.
Just because the dial says Geneva — or the alluring French version of the city's name, Genève — it doesn’t mean your timepiece was crafted in the watchmaking capital.
Style, craft and heritage combine to make these designs undeniable classics.
Celebrate the season with a Patek watch made for enjoying the outdoors.
As the cache goes on display at London’s Design Museum, we speak to its enigmatic owner about some of his rarest acquisitions.
These companies have stood the test of time, making exceptional pieces for generations.
1stDibs dealers discuss the challenges of this unprecedented time, and the signs of hope.