Patek Philippe Gondolo watches

Patek Philippe's Gondolo is its collection of shaped watches in an Art Deco style, most of them rectangular, with cambered cases curved to fit the wrist. Patek launched the modern collection for men and women in 1993. The name comes from Gondolo & Labouriau, the Rio de Janeiro jewellers of Carlos Gondolo and Paulo Labouriau, to whom Patek shipped an 18-ligne silver pocket watch in 1872.

In 1902 the Rio firm commissioned a Patek pocket watch with a gold gear train, the start of the Chronometro Gondolo watches made for them. The first Chronometro Gondolo wristwatches followed in 1910 in square, rectangular and tonneau cases. While Europe went through lean years and a world war, the jewellers sold close to a third of Patek's production.

The 5098, from 2007, was inspired by a 1925 Chronometro Gondolo: a hand-wound 32 mm watch made first in platinum and later in rose gold. The 5124 is a 33.4 mm wide rectangle with double-ridged sides, in white gold with a blue or beige dial and in yellow gold with silver. The 5200 Gondolo 8 Days, shown at Baselworld 2013, takes a similar white gold case, 32.4 by 46.9 mm, around the hand-wound calibre 28-20 REC 8J PS IRM C J: eight days of reserve shown at 12 o'clock, an instantaneous day and date at 6, and a silicon escape wheel and pallet fork. It came with a blue or silvery white opaline dial, and its calibre is closely related to that of the 10-day reference 5100 of 2000.

The ladies' Gondolo leans on shape and stones. The 7041 is a cushion-shaped rose gold case set with diamonds, the 7099 is snow-set with floral forms, and the high-jewellery 7042 pairs diamonds with Akoya pearls; the 7042/100 pieces have diamond-paved dials. The Gondolo Serata 4972, with its cinched waist, and the 4973 are 27.4 mm white gold watches with mother-of-pearl dials, the 4972/1G on a bracelet.