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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Certificat d'Origine et de Garantie, Registered Card for Guarantee, original invoice and presentation folder. Furthermore delivered with Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1974 and its subsequent sale on 16 August 1976.
This watch is an exciting and unusual example of reference 3574. Launched in 1970 and in production until 1974, a very short time span for a Patek Philippe reference, it is estimated that the total output for this reference to be around 500 pieces. It was available exclusively in steel with silvered matte dial, or Calatrava-pattern engine-turned dial, or blue dial, like the present watch. So far only 19 watches are known from the market. Of these, about a dozen with white dial, six with engine-turned dial, and only one with a blue dial. The present watch is, then, the only second example of reference 3574 with the navy blue dial to appear on the market.
A remarkable detail is given by the finish of the hands and numerals. A very unusual stylistic choice for Patek Philippe, this finish would seem to be present exclusively on blue-dial 3574. While the engine-turned numerals have been seen on a handful of Patek Philippe pieces, the matching hands (absolutely original to the watch), hand-engraved because too long, thin and prone to warping to be engine-turned, are however an even more unusual detail: it would indeed seem that this watch is the only known example of this model featuring this unusual finish to the hands.
On top of all of this, it has to be noted that this watch is not only delivered with a cornucopia of original documents, but furthermore that they are fitted into a display folder. Such practice, today the standard for highly complicated Patek Philippe pieces, is very unusual for the time, and most often found in watches originally sold in Japan.
This watch is an exciting and unusual example of reference 3574. Launched in 1970 and in production until 1974, a very short time span for a Patek Philippe reference, it is estimated that the total output for this reference to be around 500 pieces. It was available exclusively in steel with silvered matte dial, or Calatrava-pattern engine-turned dial, or blue dial, like the present watch. So far only 19 watches are known from the market. Of these, about a dozen with white dial, six with engine-turned dial, and only one with a blue dial. The present watch is, then, the only second example of reference 3574 with the navy blue dial to appear on the market.
A remarkable detail is given by the finish of the hands and numerals. A very unusual stylistic choice for Patek Philippe, this finish would seem to be present exclusively on blue-dial 3574. While the engine-turned numerals have been seen on a handful of Patek Philippe pieces, the matching hands (absolutely original to the watch), hand-engraved because too long, thin and prone to warping to be engine-turned, are however an even more unusual detail: it would indeed seem that this watch is the only known example of this model featuring this unusual finish to the hands.
On top of all of this, it has to be noted that this watch is not only delivered with a cornucopia of original documents, but furthermore that they are fitted into a display folder. Such practice, today the standard for highly complicated Patek Philippe pieces, is very unusual for the time, and most often found in watches originally sold in Japan.