An extremely rare 18k Patek Philippe ref. 3971 gentelman's wristwatch.
Exceedingly rare watch. Sapphire glass, chronograph with perpetual calendar, moon phases, date, month and week day apertures. Small dial at 9 o'clock for day and night. Long second hand. Dial at three o'clock for the four year cycle including leap years. Long hand as a 30 minute counter of the chronograph. Small dial at 6 o'clock for date aperture and moon phase. Window at 12 o'clock for week day and month. White enamel dial with gold baton indices. Gold feuille hand and blued steel second hand. Screw-mounted back panel with sapphire glass window. Original leather bracelet and clasp. Manual winding. Movement no. 875534, ref. 3971, cal. 27-70Q, case no. 2856556. Geneva hallmarks. 24 jewels. The watch was overhauled by Patek Philippe in Geneva in the summer of 2022. Dial, case, movement and clasp signed. Correction pen missing. ⌀ 36 mm. L 23.5 cm. Weight 78.28 g.
Geneva, Switzerland, ca. 1990.
Released in 1986, the Patek Philippe ref. 3971 and its sibling the ref. 3970 feature remarkable technical improvements on the prestigious manufacturer's previous models. The model provides its wearer with information about the leap year and the day and night cycles. In addition to this, the ref. 3970 was a contemporary witness to an extremely important development in the art of Swiss watchmaking. In the late 1980s, Patek Philippe began to focus once more on mechanical movements. This era can be seen as a time of radical change. It marked the beginning of the renaissance of mechanical movements and the timeless aesthetic they embody.
While a solid back panel was still preferred for the ref. 3970, a more elegant version was chosen for the ref. 3971. The first series was produced with a hinged glass case back. The models of the second series, to which the present example belongs, have a screw-mounted glass back panel but retain the dial design of the first series.
Following further changes for the third series, the ref. 3971 was discontinued and only the ref. 3970 continued to be produced. Since then, it has been offered with both a metal and a glass back panel. The design of the dial also changed. The hands are now baton hands and the indices are no longer perfectly rectangular. The placement of the hallmarks is unusual for the majority of these models, regardless of manufacture and model. Only the early models of this watch have the four hallmarks on the outside of the lugs.
The second series of the ref. 3971 offered here is in extremely good condition. The watch has been specially refurbished for this auction by Patek Philippe in Geneva.