Back in October, I featured vintage UK perfect replica Patek Philippe here on Bring A Loupe that I described as “cube-esque,” the ref. 1485. This, one number higher, is the sister reference. Equally as cube-esque, the ref. 1486 features hooded lugs and was produced in gold, whereas the 1485 has intriguingly round lugs and is only found in stainless steel. While a bit confusing, it’s hard not to describe these two references as a pair. Both feature the same case construction, one of my favorite quirky technologies ever produced in the watch world.
So long as this isn’t your first time reading one of my weekly columns, you may have noticed my love of mid-century water-resistant cases, particularly those produced by the casemaker François Borgel. The case here is, of course, made by Borgel, utilizing a design that was patented in 1939. Basically, the caseback and bezel form the two main sections of the case, while three sliding and locking strips on the sides squeeze everything together. Thanks to the outstanding condition of this ref. 1486 high quality fake watches, we can see the clearly defined notches on the case sides used for sliding these strips.
With the rising interest in pre-1960 UK cheap super clone Patek Philippe watches, quirky references like this have seen a bit of a price increase over the past couple of years. That said, a great ref. 1486 has not come up for sale in a long, long time, by my count. In fact, the world record price for this reference was set at auction in 1999. Due to rarity and a lack of great examples, this particular best replica Patek Philippe watches have not ticked up along with the market. At 27mm wide by 37mm tall with the lugs, wrist presence is quite nice with the ref. 1486, I find it extremely wearable.
This particular ref. 1486 is likely the nicest example ever to come to market. It is “pink on pink” with a rose gold case and a rose gold-tone “silvered” dial, confirmed by the Extract. The cherry on top of it all is the presence of the original box and papers. Check out the crispness of the hallmarks on the case. It doesn’t get much better than this for vintage Swiss copy Patek Philippe watches.