90th Auction

2014/11/15

Lot 648

Patek Philippe Genève, Movement No. 875966, Case No. 2873899, Ref. 3970E, Cal. CH 27-70 Q, 36 mm, circa 1989
A gentleman's very fine Geneva wristwatch with chronograph, perpetual calendar, leap year indicator and moon phase - with additional 18k gold screw back, setting pin, original box, original certificate and booklet
Case: 18k gold, glazed screw back, 18k Patek Philippe gold buckle. Dial: silvered, applied gold indexes, auxiliary seconds, 30 min. and 12h counter, moon phase, indicators for day, date, month and leap year, gold leaf hands. Movm.: bridge movement, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 11 adj., 24 jewels, very finely ground and bevelled chronograph steel parts, ratchet wheel, Geneva quality hallmark, Gyromax balance, shock protection for balance.
Ref. 3970/3971
The ref. 3970/3971 (1986-2005) was introduced on the occasion of Patek Philippe's 150th anniversary and was intended to replace the successful model ref. 2499. It had been produced from 1951 to 1985; thanks to the explosive popularity of collecting vintage Patek Philippe wristwatches during the early 1980s, the collectors had discovered the extreme rarity and lasting value of these watches. Patek Philippe also recognized the need for a more modern design of its most prominent model - the design had only undergone minor revisions over a period of 30 years. Patek Philippe had always had a discerning and loyal clientele, but had never been a high profile brand. When affluent individuals began purchasing modern Patek Philippe wristwatches to wear and enjoy, this changed dramatically. In a successful market of the late 1980s, the ref. 3970 turned into a "best seller" for Patek Philippe. Still only very few collectors realized the true rarity of certain variations for this watch, in particular, the endless possibilities for collecting ref. 3970 by dial variation or different styled indexes and/ or hands.

Sold

estimated
55.00065.000 €
Price realized
58.000 €