The Art of Patek Philippe, Legendary ...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Nov 14, 1999

LOT 611

Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève, No. 875064,case No. 2824188, Ref. 3970, made in 1987, sold on June 15, 1987.Very fine water-resistant, astronomic, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar and moon phases, leather strap and 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe buckle and an 18K yellow gold and black push-pin, in original wooden fitted box.

CHF 45,000 - 50,000

Sold: CHF 55,200

C. three body, massive, polished, concave bezel, fluted lugs. D. matte silver with applied yellow gold indexes, auxiliary dials for the seconds, the 30-minute register, the 24 hours, the days of the month and the leapyear, apertures for the days of the week, the months and the moon phases. "Feuille" yellow gold hands.M. Cal. 27-70 Q, punched with the Poinçons de Genève, rhodium plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 24 jewels, lever escapement, Giromax balance adjusted for heat, cold isochronism and 5 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 36 mm.Accompanied by Extrait des Registres.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: * 2
Dial: 2 - 01

Notes

Ref. 3970 and 3971.When Patek Philippe first launched this new series of watches in 1986, Ref. 3970 was the model bearing a metallic clip-on back, while Ref. 3971 was equipped with a screwed sapphire crystal back. Very soon, the reference number of this model was standardized to Ref. 3970, sold either with one or two screwed backs; one of these backs could be a screwed metallic back, while the second, (non-compulsory), a screwed sapphire crystal back. In consequence, very few examples bear the Ref. 3971.A similar watch is published in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber and Alan Banbery, 1998 Edition, p. 305.Poinçons de GenèveThe voluntary quality control of watches at the Geneva Observatory, was established by a law dated November 6, 1886. Conditions were laid down for the attribution and stamping of the Poinçons de Genève, punch-marks designed as the coat-of-arms of Geneva. Pocket watches, or wristwatches which carry the Poinçons de Genève, considered as an equivalent to a Bulletin Officiel de Marche, punched on a bridge and on the main plate of the movement, were qualified to be officially termed "chronometers".