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Lot Essay
Accompanied by an extra brown vintage new old stock Patek Philippe strap. Furthermore delivered with Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming production of the present watch in 1972, and its subsequent sale on August 18th, 1972.
Fresh to the market, the presently offered yellow gold 3448 is one of two known 3448s that were delivered with two case backs. Made to special order, the sapphire case back allowed the user to view the 27-460Q caliber in its full beauty and see on demand the mesmerizing oscillation of the 18k gold hand engraved rotor. Dr. Norman Stone, the original owner of this watch, admired another example of a 3448 with sapphire back on the wrist of a Tiffany & Co. manager who specially requested his watch from Patek Philippe to assist him in selling Patek Philippe watches to clients who have never seen Patek movements before. In the case of Dr. Stone, he desired to have an identical example of this watch and immediately placed his order in early 1972. In the summer of 1972, he received this special order watch with two backs and always chose to wear the timepiece with the sapphire back. The solid case back was never placed on the watch and remains in mint unpolished condition.
Over the 44 year history of this watch, it has only been serviced by Patek Philippe USA and Geneva through Tiffany & Co., San Francisco. A surprising element of this particular watch is the unusual placement of the Patek Philippe logo above the day and month aperture. Never before seen on a Patek Philippe 3448 or 3450, this unusual printing placement of the Patek Philippe logo in relationship to Tiffany & Co. logo under the moon phase aperture has earned this watch the nickname of The Topsider.
The overall condition of this watch is quite impressive with the movement and case lovingly cared for by the owner and Patek Philippe since the day it was originally delivered. The hallmarks on the lugs are crisp and the movement is in exceptional condition as seen through the sapphire back. The solid case back is in pristine condition with a crisp outside 18k mark for the U.S. market and the sapphire caseback in equally unmolested condition with the number 509 etched on the inside of the caseback bezel.
The combination of the two-backs, the Topsider logo, Tiffany & Co. retail, and freshness to market make this is an extraordinary discovery for today’s Patek Philippe collecting community.
Launched in 1962, the reference 3448 was the first automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch serially produced by any manufacturer. It was made primarily in yellow gold in low numbers: estimates put the total production, all case metals, at approximately 600 units. A minority were cased in white gold (approximately 150 pieces), and one example in pink gold and two in platinum (with cases originally born in yellow gold).
This model is the perfect embodiment of a very peculiar period in the evolution of watchmaking design. Wristwatches had moved from the flamboyant cases and multi-tone sector dials of the 1920s and 1930s, to the military-flavored creations of the 1940s, with telemeter and tachometer railroad scales. With the 1950s and 60s a new trend takes shape: the technological advances of the time inspired, in all fields of design, futuristic shapes and cleaner looks. This watch perfectly epitomizes such trend: the dial is clean to the extreme, a remarkable feat of design considered that, after all, this is still a perpetual calendar with moon phases and as such the amount of information that the dial has to report is quite abundant. The case is a triumph of clean looks and sharp edges: the circular polished case with flat satin-finished band and generous sloped blank bezel looks decades away from the construction of previous models, such as reference 2497, with fluted carved lugs, concave bezel and convex band.
Dr. Norman Stone
Dr. Stone, the original purchaser and only owner of this watch to date, was born in 1939 and lives a multi-faceted life as a highly respected psychotherapist, philanthropist and major American collector of modern and contemporary art. As an art collector, he is widely recognized as one of the leading American collectors of art since the 1980s. As a philanthropist, he and his wife Norah Stone actively support many institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, and Tate International Council in London. His generous donation of the presently offered watch to the Pristine Mind Foundation is a symbol of his dedication to selflessly helping others.
The Pristine Mind Foundation
The Pristine Mind Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche dedicated to helping people live fully, die fearlessly, and transform every area of their lives by offering accessible and experiential Buddhist teachings.
Fresh to the market, the presently offered yellow gold 3448 is one of two known 3448s that were delivered with two case backs. Made to special order, the sapphire case back allowed the user to view the 27-460Q caliber in its full beauty and see on demand the mesmerizing oscillation of the 18k gold hand engraved rotor. Dr. Norman Stone, the original owner of this watch, admired another example of a 3448 with sapphire back on the wrist of a Tiffany & Co. manager who specially requested his watch from Patek Philippe to assist him in selling Patek Philippe watches to clients who have never seen Patek movements before. In the case of Dr. Stone, he desired to have an identical example of this watch and immediately placed his order in early 1972. In the summer of 1972, he received this special order watch with two backs and always chose to wear the timepiece with the sapphire back. The solid case back was never placed on the watch and remains in mint unpolished condition.
Over the 44 year history of this watch, it has only been serviced by Patek Philippe USA and Geneva through Tiffany & Co., San Francisco. A surprising element of this particular watch is the unusual placement of the Patek Philippe logo above the day and month aperture. Never before seen on a Patek Philippe 3448 or 3450, this unusual printing placement of the Patek Philippe logo in relationship to Tiffany & Co. logo under the moon phase aperture has earned this watch the nickname of The Topsider.
The overall condition of this watch is quite impressive with the movement and case lovingly cared for by the owner and Patek Philippe since the day it was originally delivered. The hallmarks on the lugs are crisp and the movement is in exceptional condition as seen through the sapphire back. The solid case back is in pristine condition with a crisp outside 18k mark for the U.S. market and the sapphire caseback in equally unmolested condition with the number 509 etched on the inside of the caseback bezel.
The combination of the two-backs, the Topsider logo, Tiffany & Co. retail, and freshness to market make this is an extraordinary discovery for today’s Patek Philippe collecting community.
Launched in 1962, the reference 3448 was the first automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch serially produced by any manufacturer. It was made primarily in yellow gold in low numbers: estimates put the total production, all case metals, at approximately 600 units. A minority were cased in white gold (approximately 150 pieces), and one example in pink gold and two in platinum (with cases originally born in yellow gold).
This model is the perfect embodiment of a very peculiar period in the evolution of watchmaking design. Wristwatches had moved from the flamboyant cases and multi-tone sector dials of the 1920s and 1930s, to the military-flavored creations of the 1940s, with telemeter and tachometer railroad scales. With the 1950s and 60s a new trend takes shape: the technological advances of the time inspired, in all fields of design, futuristic shapes and cleaner looks. This watch perfectly epitomizes such trend: the dial is clean to the extreme, a remarkable feat of design considered that, after all, this is still a perpetual calendar with moon phases and as such the amount of information that the dial has to report is quite abundant. The case is a triumph of clean looks and sharp edges: the circular polished case with flat satin-finished band and generous sloped blank bezel looks decades away from the construction of previous models, such as reference 2497, with fluted carved lugs, concave bezel and convex band.
Dr. Norman Stone
Dr. Stone, the original purchaser and only owner of this watch to date, was born in 1939 and lives a multi-faceted life as a highly respected psychotherapist, philanthropist and major American collector of modern and contemporary art. As an art collector, he is widely recognized as one of the leading American collectors of art since the 1980s. As a philanthropist, he and his wife Norah Stone actively support many institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, and Tate International Council in London. His generous donation of the presently offered watch to the Pristine Mind Foundation is a symbol of his dedication to selflessly helping others.
The Pristine Mind Foundation
The Pristine Mind Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche dedicated to helping people live fully, die fearlessly, and transform every area of their lives by offering accessible and experiential Buddhist teachings.