Patek Philippe MoonPhase Reference 2438
Aug 30, 2024
The Patek Philippe reference 2438/1 is, without question, one of the rarest and most important perpetual calendar wristwatches ever produced. Fewer than 65 examples were made across its entire production run from 1952 to 1963 — averaging just five pieces per year. This is the story of one of them.
Patek Philippe Ref. 2438/1 — Overview
The ref. 2438/1 was produced from 1952 until 1963 in both 18K yellow and rose gold, with fewer than 50 yellow gold and approximately 15 pink gold examples made in total. This 18K yellow gold example — made in 1959 and sold in 1963 — is fresh-to-market, beautifully preserved, and represents a genuine opportunity for a serious collector. At 37mm, with a screw-back water-resistant case, it is a wearable work of art for the modern wrist.
Introduced as a successor to the ref. 2497 (itself introduced in 1951), the 2438/1 was among the first sweep centre-seconds perpetual calendars available on the market — a distinction it held until 1993. Alongside the legendary ref. 2499, it was one of only two perpetual calendar wristwatches available at the time, making it among the most prestigious timepieces a collector could own.
The Movement — Calibre 27 SC
The ref. 2438/1 houses the Patek Philippe manual-wind Calibre 27 SC perpetual calendar movement. According to Patek Philippe archives and the deep-study documentation by Tortella & Sons, only 65 of the 180 Calibre 27 SC movements produced were cased in the ref. 2438/1 — the remaining 115 were used in the ref. 2497. This confirms the 2438/1 as the rarest perpetual calendar wristwatch produced in series by Patek Philippe.
Of the estimated 50 yellow gold cases, 29 have surfaced on the market to date. Of the approximately 15 pink gold examples, only seven are currently known.
The Pink Gold First Series — A Unique Configuration
The Tortella & Sons documentation notes regarding the pink gold 2438/1R: “All ref. 2438/1R bear ‘bullet’ hour markers (2nd series) and only 2 bear a luminescent dial feature. There are not any ‘Arabic’ hour markers (1st series) on pink gold cases, known so far.”
This makes the pink gold first-series example with oversize Arabic numeral indexes — described below — a genuinely unique piece within the entire 2438/1 reference family.
Provenance — The Bovensiepen Family
Monaco Legend Group presented this extraordinary example — a 1955 Patek Philippe ref. 2438/1R in pink gold with oversize Arabic numeral indexes — with a remarkable set of receipts, letters, and documentation tracing its history from commission to the present day.
Research indicates the watch was commissioned in 1955 by Mr. Otto Gerhard Friedrich Bovensiepen, a businessman from Essen, Germany, whose name is engraved on the case back. His original period identification document accompanies the watch.
One of the earliest service records dates to November 3rd, 1983, when Mr. Otto Bovensiepen sent the watch to Patek Philippe Geneva for a full revision costing 440 Swiss Francs. Later service records from the late 1990s and early 2000s are under the name of his son, Bernhard — a businessman in Munich who inherited the watch and continued to service it regularly at Patek Philippe, ensuring it remained in perfect working order.
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Piece
This watch is the eighth ref. 2438/1R to be discovered and to appear on the market — and the only pink gold example in a first-series case to feature oversize Arabic numeral indexes. It is the only example across the entire 2438/1 reference family known to bear this dial configuration, specially ordered with blued baton hands for greater legibility. Commissioned for an important German businessman and carefully maintained throughout its entire life, it represents a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Content provided by Monaco Legend Group, 13 Bld Princesse Charlotte, Monaco 98000.
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