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Lot Essay
Christie’s are truly a privileged to offer this factory single-sealed and entirely fresh to the market example of the incredibly rare yellow gold reference 3970EJ-029. The present watch is, to the best of our knowledge, the first of its kind to ever appear at auction. The beautiful black dial, not seen on any other reference 3970 in yellow gold also features a Breguet numeral at 12 o'clock and a tachymeter scale. Only accessible to Patek Philippe’s most loyal and long-standing clients, special order 3970s such as the present watch were made after official production of the reference had ended in 2004. Even the most exacting of collectors will savour the exclusivity of this Patek Philippe single-sealed 3970 in the certain knowledge that no other person outside Patek Philippe has ever handled or worn this watch.
Otherwise only seen in pink gold from the famous ‘Saatchi’ London Exhibition limited edition model of 2015 and a couple of pieces in platinum, the black dial of the present watch presents a completely new look for the yellow gold 3970 not only by the black colour but also with the applied dot indexes and single Breguet numeral at 12 o’clock. This highly appealing departure in appearance from the classic 3970 production model offers collectors the opportunity to obtain what is undoubtedly one of the most ultra-exlusive of special order 3970s.
PATEK PHILIPPE SEALED WATCHES
Original factory ‘Single-Sealed’ and ‘Double-Sealed’ Patek Philippe wristwatches are becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon in today’s market. Indeed, since 1st July 2017 Patek Philippe has specifically forbidden their boutiques and network of authorised dealers to supply its watches to customers either ‘single-sealed’ inside the original plastic factory sleeve, or ‘double-sealed’ with the additional outer cardboard shipping box. Subsequently, only watches that were purchased before that date and have been preserved ever since completely unopened by their owners can still exist as ‘single-sealed’ or ‘double-sealed’. Naturally, over the years, a great many factory sealed watches have been unsealed by their new owners, particularly the high complication and special edition timepieces which have hardly ever remained factory sealed until the present day.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970
In 1986, Patek Philippe launched a new generation of the perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, designated reference 3970, replacing the hugely successful reference 2499 in production in four different series from 1951 to 1985. The main difference in the movement was the arrival of the new Lemania based ébauche which replaced the Valjoux movement used for the previous 50 years.
Starting with movement number 875'000, the first series of reference 3970 was produced with a solid snap on back, comprising approximately 100 examples. The second series introduced a solid screw back, designated reference 3970E (E for étanche, French for waterproof). A small number of watches from both series were also available with a sapphire crystal back, designated reference 3971E. In 1989, a third series of ref. 3970 was launched, fitted with a solid screw back as well as an additional sapphire crystal display screw back. Reference 3970 was discontinued in 2004 and replaced by reference 5970.
While production of the reference 3970/3971 may have ended only thirteen years ago, these modern yet classic perpetual calendar chronographs have become a must-have for the discerning collector of complicated wristwatches.
Literature
Reference 3970 and calibre 27-70 Q are illustrated in: Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp. 305 – 308, reference 3971 in: Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches, Vol. II, p. 307.
Otherwise only seen in pink gold from the famous ‘Saatchi’ London Exhibition limited edition model of 2015 and a couple of pieces in platinum, the black dial of the present watch presents a completely new look for the yellow gold 3970 not only by the black colour but also with the applied dot indexes and single Breguet numeral at 12 o’clock. This highly appealing departure in appearance from the classic 3970 production model offers collectors the opportunity to obtain what is undoubtedly one of the most ultra-exlusive of special order 3970s.
PATEK PHILIPPE SEALED WATCHES
Original factory ‘Single-Sealed’ and ‘Double-Sealed’ Patek Philippe wristwatches are becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon in today’s market. Indeed, since 1st July 2017 Patek Philippe has specifically forbidden their boutiques and network of authorised dealers to supply its watches to customers either ‘single-sealed’ inside the original plastic factory sleeve, or ‘double-sealed’ with the additional outer cardboard shipping box. Subsequently, only watches that were purchased before that date and have been preserved ever since completely unopened by their owners can still exist as ‘single-sealed’ or ‘double-sealed’. Naturally, over the years, a great many factory sealed watches have been unsealed by their new owners, particularly the high complication and special edition timepieces which have hardly ever remained factory sealed until the present day.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970
In 1986, Patek Philippe launched a new generation of the perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, designated reference 3970, replacing the hugely successful reference 2499 in production in four different series from 1951 to 1985. The main difference in the movement was the arrival of the new Lemania based ébauche which replaced the Valjoux movement used for the previous 50 years.
Starting with movement number 875'000, the first series of reference 3970 was produced with a solid snap on back, comprising approximately 100 examples. The second series introduced a solid screw back, designated reference 3970E (E for étanche, French for waterproof). A small number of watches from both series were also available with a sapphire crystal back, designated reference 3971E. In 1989, a third series of ref. 3970 was launched, fitted with a solid screw back as well as an additional sapphire crystal display screw back. Reference 3970 was discontinued in 2004 and replaced by reference 5970.
While production of the reference 3970/3971 may have ended only thirteen years ago, these modern yet classic perpetual calendar chronographs have become a must-have for the discerning collector of complicated wristwatches.
Literature
Reference 3970 and calibre 27-70 Q are illustrated in: Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp. 305 – 308, reference 3971 in: Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches, Vol. II, p. 307.