The Third Series: 1948 to 1952
The Third series from 1948–1952 is immediately recognizable by the short signature “Patek Philippe”, which replaced the long signature “Patek Philippe & Co” during 1948. Don’t be fooled, though, by earlier examples that were improperly restored with short signatures and should have long signatures based on their serial numbers, dating them to pre-1948. Auction listings from the past are riddled with mistakes, and scholarship at the time was lacking to properly describe true condition. Additionally, the sub-dial continued to iterate with an open seconds chapter and a singular date display (as we’ll discuss later), in addition to the aperture border bevels becoming a bit more defined. The calendar window bevels are now larger, more defined, and the divider between them is thinner. The case size remained 34mm, but the lug and bezel design changed slightly (as is illustrated in a later section comparing it to the first and second series). Hallmarks are usually seen under a lug and on the case side. The subject example has a second 18K hallmark on the case back for US market requirements.
I’ve curated some key details unique to the ref. 1526, blended with observations and pictures of a subject example for illustration and comparison. This third series example is a fresh-to-market piece, manufactured in 1950 and destined for the US market, with details that reflect this point of sale. I’ll highlight these in sections covering the different components. Amazingly, it retains the original and unrestored dial and proportional case features. It’s very rare to find this reference with the dial preserved in original condition. All of this makes it an undeniably valuable example for scholarship and comparison.