Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...
Hong Kong, Jun 27, 2009
LOT 479
Ref. 3974 Black Dial. Patek Philippe, Genève, movement No. 1906012, case No. 2867035, Ref. 3974. Made in 1990. Sold on October 11th, 1990. Extremely fine and rare, astronomic, minute-repeating, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with perpetual calendar, leap year indication and moon phases. Accompanied by an additional silver dial, setting pin, additional solid gold back, Extract from the Archives and Certificate of Origin.
HKD 2,000,000 - 2,700,000
USD 280,000 - 380,000 / EUR 200,000 - 270,000
Sold: HKD 3,000,000
C. Three-body, solid, polished, transparent case back, stepped bezel, fluted lugs, sapphire crystals. D. Black with painted white radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, auxiliary dials for the days of the month, the week, the 24-hour indication (A.M. - P.M.), the months and the leap year, aperture for the moon phases. Pink gold dauphine hands. M. Cal. R 27 Q, stamped with the Geneva Quality Mark, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 39 jewels, straight line lever escapement, Gyromax balance adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism and 5 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring, mobile stud bearer, 22K gold micro-rotor, repeater on gongs by means of a slide on the band. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 36 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 2* |
Very good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
Ref. 3974
This series was produced in yellow, pink or white gold and platinum. Production began in 1989 with the calibre R 27 Q, featuring 467 components and bearing the serial number 1906000. The production stopped in 1997. The present watch with movement 1906012 is therefore the13th model of the series. It is a technical exploit to incorporate in a 12 1/2''' movement a micro-rotor oscillating mass together with a minute repeating mechanism and perpetual calendar. The first watch of this Ref. 3974 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches, by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, 1998 Edition, p. 325.
Poinçons de Genève
The 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".
What is a Minute Repeater?
A minute repeating watch tells the time both visually and audibly. A slide on the side of the case, usually near the 9, will activate two hammers in the movement. These hammers strike two gongs curled within the case. First one hammer strikes a gong of lower tonality; it will count out the hours. Then both hammers will strike both gongs alternatively to count out the quarter hours after that hour, and then the second hammer alone striking a gong of higher tonality will count out the minutes after that quarter hour. The repeating mechanism was developed by Daniel Quare. In 1687, he had patented a mechanism that sounded the hours and the quarter hours. The early repeaters used bells. At the end of the 18th century, two bent-wire gongs became the more popular mechanism. In 1892, the first minute repeater wristwatch was produced by Omega, a model with a round-shaped case.