Rare Patek Philippe watch discovered in jewellery box sells for £59,000

A rare 1930s Patek Philippe wristwatch discovered tucked away in a family jewellery box sparked international bidding when it went under the hammer with Hansons Auctioneers, selling for an impressive £59,000.

The Patek Philippe & Co Calatrava Reference 448 gentleman’s wristwatch, dating to circa 1930, had been treasured by the same family for generations before its significance was finally uncovered.

The watch originally belonged to the vendor’s grandfather, who lived in Wadebridge, Cornwall, and worked as a solicitor’s clerk in Bodmin. It later passed to his daughter, the vendor’s mother, who was an intensely private lady but had always told her daughter that she owned a valuable watch.

It was only while clearing her mother’s home that the vendor discovered the Patek Philippe sitting inside her jewellery box.

The remarkable find was subsequently consigned to Hansons Auctioneers, where it was offered with an estimate of £5,000–£10,000. Its rarity, untouched family provenance and desirability among collectors prompted a fierce bidding battle, with interest from across the globe driving the final selling price to an extraordinary £59,000.

The self-winding wristwatch, Reference 448, bears serial number 822731 and case number 610667. Its dial is signed ‘Patek Philippe & Co Geneve’ and features a subsidiary seconds dial, while the jewelled movement is signed ‘No 822731 Patek Philippe & Cie Geneve’.

Measuring just 28mm in diameter, the understated vintage watch proved that exceptional discoveries can still be hiding in the most ordinary of places.

Estimate: £5,000–£10,000
Sold: £59,000