Lot Essay
This real treasure of reference 3448 is, to the best of our knowledge, one of only three examples known publicly that are double signed for Patek Philippe’s distinguished Italian retailer, Hausmann & Co. in Rome. Official representative of all the greatest watch manufacturers in the world, the company was founded in Rome in 1794 by Ernst Hausmann and Hermann Frielingsdorf.
In the rarefied world of complicated vintage Patek Philippe masterpieces, the reference 3448 is one of the most sought after of all. Its minimal good looks and large size is perfectly suited for today’s most discerning collectors. Only 586 examples of the 3448 were ever made, of these, only an incredible three specimens, including the present watch, are known to be double-signed for the highly prestigious Rome retailer Hausmann & Co. The present watch is therefore one of the most individual and exclusive specimens of the great classic reference 3448 to be offered at auction.
Entirely fresh to the market and still retaining a Patek Philippe service sticker on the back, it is a wonderfully honest example featuring an incredibly attractive and well preserved rich ‘velvety’ silvered dial with hard enamelled signature and date numerals that are beautifully raised, the ‘pearl’ minute divisions perfectly complementing the gold baton hour markers. The silky finish is a feature of the very best dials made by Stern Frères, called ‘satiné opalin’. Exactly correct for the year 1970, the present dial would be one of the last of the engraved hard enamelled dials to be used on the reference. The dials changed to printed signature and calendar numerals from 1971. The 18K gold case is in very good condition with clearly legible hallmarks and sharp, well-defined edges.
Reference 3448
Reference 3448, introduced into the market in 1962, was at the time the first self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch. According to research literature, a total of 586 examples were made, the majority in yellow gold cases. Only around 130 were cased in white gold, 2 in platinum and 1 in pink gold are known to exist to date.
Reference 3448 was fitted with the celebrated caliber 27-460, amongst the most sophisticated and lavish automatic movements ever made. It was later upgraded with Patek Philippe's patented perpetual mechanism fitted on the movement plate underneath the dial and renamed 27-460 Q.
Reference 3448 was available with four different dial styles:
-enamelled small baton minute divisions from 1962 to circa 1965
-beady minute divisions and small date ring from 1965 to circa 1973
-beady minute divisions and large date ring: 1971 to circa 1978
-printed, not enamelled small baton minute divisions: after 1978
In 1981, reference 3450 was introduced into the market with the improved 27'460 QB (Quantime Bissextile) caliber. The model differs from its predecessor by the modified leap year indication, the eccentric small window to 4 o'clock.
With the launch of reference 3940 in 1985, production of both references 3448 and 3450 was discontinued.
In the rarefied world of complicated vintage Patek Philippe masterpieces, the reference 3448 is one of the most sought after of all. Its minimal good looks and large size is perfectly suited for today’s most discerning collectors. Only 586 examples of the 3448 were ever made, of these, only an incredible three specimens, including the present watch, are known to be double-signed for the highly prestigious Rome retailer Hausmann & Co. The present watch is therefore one of the most individual and exclusive specimens of the great classic reference 3448 to be offered at auction.
Entirely fresh to the market and still retaining a Patek Philippe service sticker on the back, it is a wonderfully honest example featuring an incredibly attractive and well preserved rich ‘velvety’ silvered dial with hard enamelled signature and date numerals that are beautifully raised, the ‘pearl’ minute divisions perfectly complementing the gold baton hour markers. The silky finish is a feature of the very best dials made by Stern Frères, called ‘satiné opalin’. Exactly correct for the year 1970, the present dial would be one of the last of the engraved hard enamelled dials to be used on the reference. The dials changed to printed signature and calendar numerals from 1971. The 18K gold case is in very good condition with clearly legible hallmarks and sharp, well-defined edges.
Reference 3448
Reference 3448, introduced into the market in 1962, was at the time the first self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch. According to research literature, a total of 586 examples were made, the majority in yellow gold cases. Only around 130 were cased in white gold, 2 in platinum and 1 in pink gold are known to exist to date.
Reference 3448 was fitted with the celebrated caliber 27-460, amongst the most sophisticated and lavish automatic movements ever made. It was later upgraded with Patek Philippe's patented perpetual mechanism fitted on the movement plate underneath the dial and renamed 27-460 Q.
Reference 3448 was available with four different dial styles:
-enamelled small baton minute divisions from 1962 to circa 1965
-beady minute divisions and small date ring from 1965 to circa 1973
-beady minute divisions and large date ring: 1971 to circa 1978
-printed, not enamelled small baton minute divisions: after 1978
In 1981, reference 3450 was introduced into the market with the improved 27'460 QB (Quantime Bissextile) caliber. The model differs from its predecessor by the modified leap year indication, the eccentric small window to 4 o'clock.
With the launch of reference 3940 in 1985, production of both references 3448 and 3450 was discontinued.