Launched in 1968, Patek Philippe's Golden Ellipse collection marked a significant shift for Patek as they embraced the constantly changing world that was the 1960's. With the dawn quartz technology on its way, Patek sought a watch that was both unisex in its design and also immediately 'Patek' in its aesthetic. With that design brief, Patek debuted the Golden Ellipse to immediate success as a result of its novel and forward-thinking design and luxurious construction. Made from 18k gold and powered by a manual-wind movement, the Ellipse celebrated classical watchmaking's techniques while also retaining a forward-thinking design in the form of its thin oval-shaped case, understated dials and elegant unisex proportions. Following the success of the first Ellipse, the ref. 3548, Patek followed with several other variants that proved to be just as successful, leading to the collection remaining within Patek's catalog to this day. As such, one of those references was the Ellipse that we see here, the Horizontal Ellipse ref. 3545. Featuring a TV-shaped case whereby its proportions are shifted onto their side so the watch it horizontally-arranged rather than vertically-arranged, the ref. 3545 wears on the wrist with a wider stance that allows it to be enjoyed by even more wrist sizes as its 32mm-wide 18kt yellow gold case measures a very wearable 27mm tall. In combination with its integrated 18kt yellow gold bracelet, monochromatic champagne dial with black painted indices, and its manual-wind movement, this example also features Cartier’s signature at 6 o’clock which designates this example as a co-signed piece whereby its original retailers, Cartier in this case, stamped the timepiece’s dial with their branding so as to link their name with that of Patek Philippe.

A unique variant of a rare reference, this Cartier-signed ref. 3545 is a special watch that certainly deserves its place in an impressive collection.