Found: A Golf Icon's Patek Philippe

Gene Sarazen, who passed away in 1999, aged 97, is one of the legendary figures in the history of golf. His name lives alongside those of Woods, Nicklaus, Hogan, and Player in the exclusive club of golfers who captured all four majors in their lifetimes. For each of them, these triumphs of course include the Masters, whose third round of play is going down right at this very moment. In honor of that, we thought we'd share some photos of a cool old Patek Philippe with golf history attached to it – an Art Deco-style wristwatch that once belonged to Gene Sarazen. The watch is an 18-karat gold cushion inscribed, "PRESENTED TO GENE SARAZEN BY THE APAWAMIS CLUB WHERE HE STARTED HIS GOLF JULY 24 1922," in reference to the club in Rye, New York, where a young Sarazen worked as a caddie while honing his skills. Sarazen won his first major that year, the 1922 U.S. Open, at the age of 22. Made in 1920 and sold publicly at Christies New York in 2007 for $31,200, the watch is accompanied by a letter in Sarazen's hand, an extract from the Patek Philippe Archives, and a signed photo of the famed golfer. The watch is currently on display at the office of Private Club Marketing , an Irvine, California, company that advises private clubs on marketing efforts and membership solutions. Through his career in the private golf club industry, the company's CEO, Zach Bates, has formed relationships with clubs and their members, including this watch's current owner, who Bates says does not want to be named. In case you were wondering, the watch is for sale through Bates' company. Though we at HODINKEE are on Watches & Wonders footing, we thought some of you might enjoy a brief diversion in the form of a wristwatch from the annals of golf this Augusta Weekend. For more information and to inquire about pricing, visit Private Club Marketing. All photos by Michael Sharp.You can now buy Gene Sarazen's cushion-shaped Art Deco wristwatch.