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Lot Essay
Reference 3939
Officially launched in 1993 and remained in production until 2009, available in all three gold versions and in platinum. The present watch is reference 3939H. The ‘H’ for ‘Haute’, meaning that the half-round longer Cathedral gong makes the space needed higher.
One of the most elegant and understated of Patek Philippe’s Grand Complication timepieces of recent times, only 200 pieces were ever made and only around 25 platinum examples are known to have returned to the market. Each watch of the series was tested for precision timekeeping before being awarded a C.O.S.C. certificate for superlative accuracy – a remarkable achievement in a complicated watch because any additional function in a watch, such as minute repeating, often adversely affects its timekeeping qualities. In keeping with its eternal style, reference 3939 ignores the contemporary trend for larger cases, measuring 34 mm. in diameter, it is a feat of technical excellence that makes it a watch of immense sophistication. As with all Patek Philippe minute repeaters, the present watch had to pass one final test before being handed over to its future owner - since Patek Philippe launched the production of these cherished timepieces in 1989, not a single one left the workshop before Philippe Stern, the company's president until 2009, now honorable president, had deemed the sound of its chiming worthy of the firm's exemplary standards. In the tranquility of his office, Mr. Stern listened to the sound of each watch to assure the inimitable richness of timbre that is one of the trademarks of Patek Philippe's minute repeating wristwatches.
Reference 3939 with movement no. 1'903'000 and calibre RTO 27 PS was never sold, given to the Patek Philippe Museum and is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 330.
Officially launched in 1993 and remained in production until 2009, available in all three gold versions and in platinum. The present watch is reference 3939H. The ‘H’ for ‘Haute’, meaning that the half-round longer Cathedral gong makes the space needed higher.
One of the most elegant and understated of Patek Philippe’s Grand Complication timepieces of recent times, only 200 pieces were ever made and only around 25 platinum examples are known to have returned to the market. Each watch of the series was tested for precision timekeeping before being awarded a C.O.S.C. certificate for superlative accuracy – a remarkable achievement in a complicated watch because any additional function in a watch, such as minute repeating, often adversely affects its timekeeping qualities. In keeping with its eternal style, reference 3939 ignores the contemporary trend for larger cases, measuring 34 mm. in diameter, it is a feat of technical excellence that makes it a watch of immense sophistication. As with all Patek Philippe minute repeaters, the present watch had to pass one final test before being handed over to its future owner - since Patek Philippe launched the production of these cherished timepieces in 1989, not a single one left the workshop before Philippe Stern, the company's president until 2009, now honorable president, had deemed the sound of its chiming worthy of the firm's exemplary standards. In the tranquility of his office, Mr. Stern listened to the sound of each watch to assure the inimitable richness of timbre that is one of the trademarks of Patek Philippe's minute repeating wristwatches.
Reference 3939 with movement no. 1'903'000 and calibre RTO 27 PS was never sold, given to the Patek Philippe Museum and is illustrated in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, p. 330.