The Golden Ellipse lighters were introduced in the 1970s to compliment the Ellipse range of watches. It is believed that Patek Philippe commissioned Colibri, the French manufacturer of high quality gas lighters.
These lighters were made out of a solid chunk of 18k gold and was decorated to the highest standards. The present watch has an manually-finished engine-turned Chevron pattern on the surface and a enamel panel in, presumably, the colours of the Omani flag.

The caseband also features Khanjar insignia – the coat-of-arms of the Sultanate of Oman. Patek’s marketing confirms that each component of the lighter mechanism is hand finished internally and polished by Patek Philippe.

A company brochure from 1978 states that Patek Philippe would “accept your order for an enameled pocket watch with a motif of your choice, or a hand-engraved or enameled Golden Ellipse lighter.” It is believed that enamel-decorated lighters were the rarest of the lot and in the mid-1980s, they retailed for as much as $8,000.

The present lighter is accompanied by a pair of matching 18k yellow gold Patek Philippe Ellipse Ref. 9002 cufflinks. The set was gift to the present owner’s father from Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the former ruler of the Sultanate of Oman.