Nicholas Foulkes joins John Reardon and Max Bernardini in Milan | Part 2

At the end of Part 1, we promised a mystery guest. Author and historian Nicholas Foulkes stopped into Bernardini Milano to say hello, and before long he had joined John Reardon and Max Bernardini at the table to look at vintage Patek Philippe watches.

If you missed Part 1, you can watch it here: Max Bernardini on Patek Philippe and the r... . In it, Max tells John how a stainless steel Rolex bubble back from his father started his more than four decades of passion for vintage watches, and how the first time he saw a Patek Philippe ref. 1518, he just got it.

With Nick’s knowledge of Patek Philippe’s history alongside Max’s collection, the conversation turns to some remarkable pieces. They begin with the only known ref. 130 chronograph with teardrop lugs, made in 1939, twelve years before Vacheron Constantin first used the style. Max then shows a ref. 1579 whose Extract from the Archive confirms radium indexes, a detail that intrigued Nick, and a second ref. 1579 with an unusual scale for timing a patient’s breathing.

Max also reveals how far his ref. 1518 obsession from Part 1 has taken him. Of the 281 ever made, 102 have passed through his hands. As the conversation draws to a close, John asks Nick which watch on the table he would walk home wearing.