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Lot 197 PATEK PHILIPPE
Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3940J
The Property of the Original Owner
Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3940J
The Property of the Original Owner
PATEK PHILIPPE. A VERY FINE 18K GOLD AUTOMATIC PERPETUAL CALENDAR WRISTWATCH WITH MOON PHASES, GERMAN CALENDAR, CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN AND BOX
SIGNED PATEK PHILIPPE, GENÈVE, REF. 3940, MOVEMENT NO. 770’372, CASE NO. 2’831’405, MANUFACTURED IN 1987
Closed20 July 2020
Price Realised
CHF 37,500
More Information
Specialist note
This endangered species strap is shown for display purposes only and is not for sale. The watch will be supplied with a calf leather strap.
Purchased by the original owner in 1987, the present ref. 3940 has never been offered in public before. It is from the model’s first series distinguished by the sunk subsidiary dials and features furthermore the German calendar version, as confirmed by the Extract from the Archives.
Reference 3940
Reference 3940, the quintessential perpetual calendar and distinguished by its timeless elegance, is undeniably amongst Patek Philippe's greatest classics. Launched in 1984 as replacement for reference 3450, it was at the time the slimmest automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch.
An initial series of around 100 pieces were manufactured between 1984 and 1985, the first 25 were especially made for the 225nd anniversary of Patek Philippe's retailer Chronometrie Beyer in Zurich, numbered and personalized. Starting in 1985, reference 3940 went into standard production. Until the model's discontinuation in 2007 when it was replaced by reference 5140 three further series were produced.
The main design variants between earlier and later series include sunk subsidiary dials as opposed to the rather beveled version and a plain leap year dial rather than the one with the quarter separations. Earlier models featured a smaller signature, the designation "Swiss" was printed underneath the beady minute divisions. This was changed in later series with the "Swiss" printing within the ring.
Examples of reference 3940, both regular and the Chronometrie Beyer anniversary version, are illustrated and described in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches - Volume II, p. 300, and in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp 292 - 294.
Purchased by the original owner in 1987, the present ref. 3940 has never been offered in public before. It is from the model’s first series distinguished by the sunk subsidiary dials and features furthermore the German calendar version, as confirmed by the Extract from the Archives.
Reference 3940
Reference 3940, the quintessential perpetual calendar and distinguished by its timeless elegance, is undeniably amongst Patek Philippe's greatest classics. Launched in 1984 as replacement for reference 3450, it was at the time the slimmest automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch.
An initial series of around 100 pieces were manufactured between 1984 and 1985, the first 25 were especially made for the 225nd anniversary of Patek Philippe's retailer Chronometrie Beyer in Zurich, numbered and personalized. Starting in 1985, reference 3940 went into standard production. Until the model's discontinuation in 2007 when it was replaced by reference 5140 three further series were produced.
The main design variants between earlier and later series include sunk subsidiary dials as opposed to the rather beveled version and a plain leap year dial rather than the one with the quarter separations. Earlier models featured a smaller signature, the designation "Swiss" was printed underneath the beady minute divisions. This was changed in later series with the "Swiss" printing within the ring.
Examples of reference 3940, both regular and the Chronometrie Beyer anniversary version, are illustrated and described in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches - Volume II, p. 300, and in Patek Philippe Wristwatches by Martin Huber & Alan Banbery, second edition, pp 292 - 294.