Casa Masson Dial 1526 Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar, Pink Gold

From 1941 until 1952, Patek Philippe made 210 of these. Almost all in yellow gold, a fraction are in this pink gold, and there’s one in steel. It’s the 1526, the very first serially produced Perpetual Calendar wristwatch from Patek. About 10 were made per year, which was all the world’s market would support back then. There’s much that it got right from the start, but first we have to point out the obvious. This example which is coming up to auction is very far from a normal 1526. It’s pink on pink: end game stuff. And it’s signed Casa Masson, a Rio de Janeiro-based retailer from the mid-century which lends a certain Latin American simmer only Ana de Armas can rival. And even then, this takes it.

It doesn’t end at pink on pink. The calendar discs are pink, that’s not from age alone. The moonphase enamel disc is pink gold. And if you needed to see that pink gold moon more clearly, Rolex aren’t the only manufacture that had nailed a cyclops in 1944. This magnifier isn’t on most 1526s. It’s highly irregular and makes this example, creating solar eclipses on the dial at various angles of light. With the feuille hands, Arabic dot markets, and longhand signature with its accent preserved, it’s all a bit much. Casa Masson dials have shown up occasionally on Patek Philippe and the odd Heuer, but that’s about it. Relative to something like Serpico, they’re nonexistent.

Cases on the 1526 are almost entirely made by Vichet and 34mm. The sides are brushed, lug tops mirrored, with no bevel. Often that brushing is lost entirely. It’s interesting to note that these were introduced alongside the 1518 and shared the same layout of elements on the dial, where in Philippe Stern’s era the dial elements changed drastically between the QP and PPC. But it all started here. From 3940 to 2497 or 2438, it began here. Only here, there’s engraved enamel. It’s Patek Philippe as it should be, optimistically leading the way for complicated watchmaking ahead of the pack with absolute handcraft & quality in detail. This is not a repeatable proposition in the market. 

The above is the only photo of the Casa Masson retail premises, which is just amazing to see. This example is coming up to auction today from Monaco Legends, good luck all!