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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch with white gold bracelet in 1972 and its subsequent sale on 29 March 1972. Furthermore delivered with Patek Philippe original fitted black presentation box.
Consigned by a distinguished gentleman, the present 3448/6 model has never been offered in public before and is believed to be the only example of this reference known to exist to date. It is furthermore preserved in excellent, close to mint overall condition.
Reference 3448
Reference 3448, introduced into the market in 1962, was at the time the first automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch. According to literature, a total of 586 examples were made, the majority in yellow gold cases. Few watches have been cased in white gold and only two examples in platinum and one example in pink are known to date.
Reference 3448 was fitted with the celebrated calibre 27-460, amongst the most sophisticated and lavish automatic movements ever made. It was later upgraded with Patek Philippe's patented perpetual mechanism fitted on the movement plate underneath the dial and renamed 27-460 Q. In 1981, reference 3450 was introduced into the market with the improved 27'460 QB (Quantième Bissextile) calibre. The model differs from its predecessor by the modified leap year indication, the eccentric small window to 4 o'clock. The first series was made with a simple red disk and Arabic numerals, the second with Roman I, II, III and IIII leap year indication.
A total of 244 examples of reference 3450 were made, the majority in yellow gold cases, only a small number in white gold are known to date.
Production of both reference 3448 and 3450 was discontinued in 1985 when reference 3940 was launched.
Reference 3448 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 288 and in Ore d'Oro by Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti and Franco Nencini, p. 45.
Consigned by a distinguished gentleman, the present 3448/6 model has never been offered in public before and is believed to be the only example of this reference known to exist to date. It is furthermore preserved in excellent, close to mint overall condition.
Reference 3448
Reference 3448, introduced into the market in 1962, was at the time the first automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch. According to literature, a total of 586 examples were made, the majority in yellow gold cases. Few watches have been cased in white gold and only two examples in platinum and one example in pink are known to date.
Reference 3448 was fitted with the celebrated calibre 27-460, amongst the most sophisticated and lavish automatic movements ever made. It was later upgraded with Patek Philippe's patented perpetual mechanism fitted on the movement plate underneath the dial and renamed 27-460 Q. In 1981, reference 3450 was introduced into the market with the improved 27'460 QB (Quantième Bissextile) calibre. The model differs from its predecessor by the modified leap year indication, the eccentric small window to 4 o'clock. The first series was made with a simple red disk and Arabic numerals, the second with Roman I, II, III and IIII leap year indication.
A total of 244 examples of reference 3450 were made, the majority in yellow gold cases, only a small number in white gold are known to date.
Production of both reference 3448 and 3450 was discontinued in 1985 when reference 3940 was launched.
Reference 3448 is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 288 and in Ore d'Oro by Jader Barracca, Giampiero Negretti and Franco Nencini, p. 45.