Early Patek Philippe 'Chronometro Gondolo' Cushion Wristwatch

Before the Calatrava, the Nautilus, or the Aquanaut, there was the Chronometro Gondolo.Matthew Bain Inc. is proud to present a stunningly preserved, ultra-rare cushion-shaped "Chronometro Gondolo" wristwatch. While the vast majority of the historic Gondolo & Labouriau commissions between 1902 and 1927 were massive 56mm pocket watches, a tiny, elite fraction were commissioned as avant-garde, shaped wristwatches. This cushion-case variant represents the very dawn of the wristwatch era and stands as a pinnacle acquisition for the discerning Patek Philippe archivist .According to its Archive, this watch was manufactured in 1913 and then sold in July 1925.  I just love the story behind this piece.  When printed on a porcelain Patek Philippe dial, "Chronometro Gondolo" means the watch was custom-manufactured exclusively for Gondolo & Labouriau, a legendary luxury watch retailer based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The text is both a mark of a historic retail partnership which lasted from 1872 to 1927  and a guarantee of highly specialized, proprietary movement specifications that were entirely unique to the Brazilian market.  At the turn of the 20th century, Brazil was experiencing immense wealth. The retailers Carlos Gondolo and Paulo Labouriau devised a brilliant marketing strategy called the "Plano do Club Patek Philippe".  The club had 180 elite Brazilian members. Each member paid a weekly installment of 10 Swiss Francs for up to 74 weeks.  Every week, a lottery drawing was held. The winner of that week received their 'Chronometro Gondolo' watch immediately and was completely absolved of making any future payments. The remaining members kept paying until everyone eventually received a watch.  Owning a timepiece with "Chronometro Gondolo" on the dial was the ultimate status symbol in South America. The watch we have here is one of those watches.  The words on the enamel dial did not just signify a retail stamp; they guaranteed that the movement inside was built to unique specifications ordered by Gondolo's master watchmakers. Solid gold wheels, Wolf's teeth winding system, moustache lever escapement and a square center arbor were all unique features to the movement.  The 18kt pink gold cushion shaped case on this watch is in excellent condition with beautiful markings all totally intact and visible.  The fired white enamel dial has a glossy milky white appearance.  The dial is crisp with deep black radial Roman numerals and outer minute track.  The condition of the dial is exceptional for a watch over 100 years old.