What do ancient Greek mathematician Euclid, Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci and Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier have in common? They subscribed to the golden ratio, a "divine proportion" that is said to apply to two objects when their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. Since antiquity, this principle is believed to produce the most aesthetically pleasing proportions. This is certainly borne out by Patek Philippe's Golden Ellipse watch, which has a rounded rectangle case with proportions inspired by the golden ratio.
The Golden Ellipse was launched in 1968. A dress watch with a distinctive aesthetic, it quickly became a hit. Following the first blue-dialled model in yellow gold, with a mesh bracelet or a leather strap, the minimalist timepiece - a two-hand watch with stick indexes - soon grew to become a full-fledged family. By the late '70s, the Golden Ellipse was produced in 65 different variants.
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