Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

New York, Jun 18, 2008

LOT 238

Platinum 3940 Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 774129, case No. 2936308, Ref. 3940. Sold on January 10th, 1994. Very fine and rare, self-winding, platinum wristwatch with perpetual calendar, moon phases and a platinum Patek Philippe buckle. Accompanied by the original box and Certificate of Origin.

USD 55,000 - 75,000

EUR 36,000 - 48,000

Sold: USD 66,000

C. Two-body, solid, polished, concave bezel, sapphire crystal. D. Matte silver with applied white gold indexes, subsidiary dials for the days of the month, of the week, the months, the 24 hours and the leap year, aperture for the moon phases. White gold dauphine hands. M. Cal. 240/Q, stamped with the Seal of Geneva quality mark, rhodiumplated, fausses cotes decoration, 27 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating free-sprung flat balance spring, 22K gold micro-rotor. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 36 mm. Thickness 9 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3-8

Good

Slightly scratched
Movement: 2*

Very good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

When Patek Philippe first launched this new series of watches in 1985, Ref. 3940 had a metallic clip-on back, while Ref. 3941 was equipped exclusively with a sapphire crystal back. The reference number of this model was soon standardized to Ref. 3940, and was sold with two case backs, except for the platinum model. Consequently, very few examples bear the Ref. 3941.
A similar watch is published in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, 1998 Edition, pp. 292-294.
Seal of Geneva, or Poinçon de Genève, Are punch-marks in the form of the Geneva coat-of-arms The Poinçon de Genève is considered an equivalent to a Bulletin Officiel de Marche. Watches beaqring this mark on a movement bridge and main plate, may be officially termed ?chronometers?.
Ref. 3940 Production of this reference started in 1985 and ceased in 2007. Ref. 3940 replaced references 3848 and 3850, and is among the most sought-after of Patek Philippe models. The first 25 watches of the reference were manufactured as a limited edition to mark the occasion of Chronometrie Beyer's 225th Anniversary that same year. No. 1 was dedicated to Theodor Beyer by Philippe Stern and is now in the Museum of Time Measurement in Zürich. Watch No. 6 was Theodor Beyer's personal watch. Number 6 had a special significance to Theodor as he was the 6th generation of the Beyer family to run Chronometrie Beyer in Zürich. Watch No. 2 was sold by Antiquorum, in the "100 Years of Wristwatches" sale held on November 19, 2000, as lot 354.