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Lot Essay
Certainly one of the most attractive and rarest specimens of all reference 3939, the present watch has been consigned by an important collector and this is the first occasion that it has been offered at auction. Moreover, according to research, it is the only known example with a black dial to feature a stunning red minute track - fully confirmed by the original Certificate of Origin.
Launched in 1993 and produced until 2009, the reference 3939 is one of Patek Philippe’s awe-inspiring minute repeaters, even more impressive is that this model also features a tourbillon. Made in very small numbers, each watch is a masterpiece of the watchmaker’s art. Sold in 2001, the present watch is extremely exclusive in being one of the very few examples to be enhanced by a special dial. The black dial with white gold Breguet numerals and red outer minute track is quite likely to be unique, the red minute track providing an unexpected pop of colour which makes a wonderful eye-catching contrast to the black of the dial and ‘white’ colour of the platinum case.
Reference 3939 is one of the most elegant and understated grand complication wristwatches of recent times, uniting the audible charms of a two-gong minute repeater with the gravity-defying precision of a tourbillon escapement. In keeping with its eternal style, reference 3939 ignores the contemporary trend for larger cases, measuring 33 mm. in diameter, an remarkable achievement for such a technically sophisticated timepiece.
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 3939HP. The ‘H’ for ‘Haute’, meaning that the half-round longer Cathedral gong makes the space needed higher, the ‘P’ for platinum. 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.
Launched in 1993 and produced until 2009, the reference 3939 is one of Patek Philippe’s awe-inspiring minute repeaters, even more impressive is that this model also features a tourbillon. Made in very small numbers, each watch is a masterpiece of the watchmaker’s art. Sold in 2001, the present watch is extremely exclusive in being one of the very few examples to be enhanced by a special dial. The black dial with white gold Breguet numerals and red outer minute track is quite likely to be unique, the red minute track providing an unexpected pop of colour which makes a wonderful eye-catching contrast to the black of the dial and ‘white’ colour of the platinum case.
Reference 3939 is one of the most elegant and understated grand complication wristwatches of recent times, uniting the audible charms of a two-gong minute repeater with the gravity-defying precision of a tourbillon escapement. In keeping with its eternal style, reference 3939 ignores the contemporary trend for larger cases, measuring 33 mm. in diameter, an remarkable achievement for such a technically sophisticated timepiece.
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 3939HP. The ‘H’ for ‘Haute’, meaning that the half-round longer Cathedral gong makes the space needed higher, the ‘P’ for platinum. 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.