The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII organized by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will be held on 8 and 9 May in Geneva. During these weeks we will deal in depth with the catalog which, as always, turns out to be extremely interesting and full of watches that differ in rarity, beauty and collecting importance. Among these, the top lot is the Patek Philippe 2523 in yellow gold, a previously unknown reference with a cloisonné enamel dial, which represents the Eurasian continent. The estimate of over 3,5 million francs.

Recently discovered in a major European collection, this timepiece is a time capsule, depicting an immaculate polychrome cloisonné enamel dial rendered in stunning shades of navy, gold, green and turquoise. From the eleven references 2523 notes with cloisonné enamel dials, five feature North America, three South America e three Eurasia.

Of the three examples depicting the European and Asian continents, one is in the Patek Philippe museum, the other in an important private collection and the current example, just discovered, fresh from auction. Reference 2523 was first launched in 1953 and features an oversized 36mm case, with two crowns and a city ring, which is an integral part of the dial rather than being engraved on the bezel.

Two versions were available, with reference 2523 with larger lugs placed above the bezel and reference 2523/1 with a slightly larger diameter and thinner lugs not found above the bezel. Almost two decades have passed since the last Eurasian map reference 2523 appeared on the market and this watch will most likely be the last to be discovered and graced the auction market in a long time.

Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant Bacs & Russo and Alex Ghotbi, Head of Watches, Continental Europe and Middle East, commented: “The current reference 2523 with cloisonné enamel dial is truly the ultimate game for many collectors. Arguably, it's hard to find a more overused term in the world of watch collecting, but this is the only case where the word can be used with its original undiluted meaning: the actual watch is - in a nutshell - one of the most sought after, unobtainable, attractive and legendary watches in the world; the only parallel in terms of pure watchmaking importance in the realm of wristwatches - without considering the watches of provenance - can be found in a stainless steel Patek Philippe 1518 reference ".