97th Auction

2018/5/12

Lot 328

Patek Philippe Genève, Movement No. 1119786, Case No. 2808563, Ref. 3450, Cal. 27-460QB, 37 mm, circa 1985
An important and extremely rare, automatic Geneva wristwatch in mint condition, with perpetual calendar, moon phase and Roman leap year display - sold on March 1st, 1985 - with original box and Patek Philippe extract from the archives
Case: 18k gold, push back, Patek Philippe leather bracelet with 18k gold buckle. Dial: silvered, applied gold indexes, window for day and month indication, date indicator, moon phase, round window for leap year indication, gold alpha hands.

Finding a "new old stock" reference 3450 in such excellent condition is an incredible stroke of luck!
Most likely bought in 1985 at them Patek Philippe Salon in Geneva itself, the watch has survived the years in a pristine and unpolished state and is in exceptional condition - with sharp, faceted lugs, a smooth bezel and crisp hallmarks on the outside of the case. The dial is also in remarkable condition without even the slightest wear and tear. An exquisite little detail worth mentioning is the fact that the watch still carries the original delivery seal on the back.
From 1981 to 1986 only 244 examples of this reference with automatic calibre 27-460 QB were produced, most of them in yellow gold with some very few copies in rosé or white gold. The successor of reference 3448, reference 3450 comes with a modified leap year indication. The watches of the first series had Arabic numerals for the first three years and a red disc for the fourth year; the second series had Roman numerals that were visible in a small window at 4 o'clock.
The leap year function is operated by calibre 27-460 QB (Quantiem Bissextile), a modified version of automatic movement 27-460 which was introduced in 1962.

Sold

estimated
220.000300.000 €
Price realized
223.200 €