PATEK PHILIPPE & CIE. A. CAIRELLI ROMA POCKET WATCH STAYBRITE STEEL

Brand

Type

Retailer

Period

Movement

Winding

Functions

Case Material

Case Shape

Case Back

Case Maker

Case Maker’s Mark

Dial

Hour Markers

Hands

Subsidiary Seconds

Minute Track

Crystal

Crown

Bow

Condition

Description

Patek Philippe & Cie., Genève

Open-face pocket watch

A. Cairelli – Roma

Circa 1930s

Patek Philippe high-grade gilt manual-winding movement

Manual, crown wound

Hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds

Staybrite stainless steel

Round, open-face

Removable steel back

Taubert Frères, Geneva

FB within a key, historic François Borgel trademark subsequently used by Taubert

Silvered dial with vertical satin finish, double-signed “Patek, Philippe & Cie Genève” and “A. Cairelli – Roma”

Applied baton indexes

Faceted polished metal hands

At 6 o’clock, finely finished subdial with blued-steel hand

Peripheral pearl-style minute track

Period mineral/acrylic crystal

Fluted winding crown at 12 o’clock

Polished steel bow

Very good overall vintage condition, with dial and components consistent with the period

A rare and exceptionally elegant Patek Philippe & Cie. open-face pocket watch in Staybrite stainless steel, made for the renowned Roman retailer A. Cairelli, whose signature appears prominently on the dial alongside that of the Geneva manufacture.

The Cairelli connection adds considerable historical and collector interest. Patek Philippe watches retailed by A. Cairelli in Rome are documented from the early decades of the twentieth century, including important pocket watches bearing the retailer’s signature on their dials.

The beautifully preserved silvered dial is distinguished by its subtle vertical brushed finish, applied baton hour markers and elegant faceted hands. At 6 o’clock, the subsidiary seconds register features fine concentric detailing and a striking blued-steel seconds hand. Particularly attractive is the “A. CAIRELLI – ROMA” signature incorporated into the upper portion of the seconds register.

Equally noteworthy is the Staybrite stainless-steel case, a highly appealing feature among vintage Patek Philippe watches. The case is attributable to the celebrated Geneva casemaker Taubert Frères, identified by the distinctive FB-within-a-key trademark.

Inside is a beautifully finished Patek Philippe manual-winding movement with gilt bridges, displaying the refined construction and traditional finishing associated with the manufacture’s high-grade pocket watches.

The combination of a Taubert Frères Staybrite steel case, the Patek Philippe–A. Cairelli double-signed dial and the beautifully executed silvered finish makes this an unusually compelling vintage Patek Philippe: a timepiece bringing together Geneva haute horlogerie, specialist Swiss case-making and an important chapter in the history of fine watch retailing in Rome.