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Lot Essay
Christie’s is honoured and delighted to present this superb factory double-sealed ‘Saatchi Edition’ pink gold reference 3970ER-028 from Patek Philippe’s legendary London Exhibition. It was made in only 5 examples, as such, it is one of the rarest of all the company’s modern production. The present watch is, to the best of our knowledge, only the second example of this reference to appear at auction. The ravishing black dial features a Breguet numeral at 12 o'clock and a tachymeter scale. Only accessible to Patek Philippe’s most loyal and long-standing clients, the London ‘Saatchi Edition’ 3970s were made in 2015, 11 years after official production of the reference had ended in 2004. Enthusiasts and discerning collectors will appreciate the incredible exclusivity of this double-sealed 3970 in the certain knowledge that no other person outside Patek Philippe has ever handled or worn this watch.
The watches released for Patek Philippe’s Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition held at the Saatchi gallery in London in 2015 were a quite spectacular array of completely new versions of discontinued models. Collectors were immediately attracted by their stunning aesthetic and new dial colours not available in the original versions but also by the use of new-old-stock movements and unused cases from series production. Combining breathtaking good looks with extreme rarity, the ultra-limited London ‘Saatchi’ edition 3970 instantly became stratospherically desirable. Naturally, the fortunate individuals who were hand-selected to receive an example were some of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Indeed, so treasured are these timepieces that almost all examples have remained with their original owners.
An interesting aspect of the specification of the present model is the use of the last non-manufacture perpetual calendar movement, caliber CH 27-70 Q based on a Lemania ébauche that was significantly modified and finished by Patek Philippe. Such ‘out of series’ late production watches are fascinating to collectors and are among the rarest pieces of any reference. The standard production 3970 was introduced in 1986 and discontinued around 2004.
The Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition London 2015 was a resounding success. Open to the public from May 27 until June 7, 2015 at the Saatchi Gallery, the event attracted more than 42,500 visitors over the course of 12 days. It was a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the history of watchmaking and the world of Patek Philippe. Watch enthusiasts were able to deepen their knowledge of fine horology and the general public had the opportunity to ignite their passion for watchmaking and artisanship by completely immersing themselves in the world of the last independent Geneva watch manufacturer. "This is the biggest exhibition we ever held, and we knew from the beginning we wanted to host it in London", Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe said. "We had 21 rooms dedicated to watchmaking with its many skills, showing watchmakers at work and revealing what is inside the movement. This is clearly the benchmark for the global watch industry".
PATEK PHILIPPE SEALED WATCHES
Original factory ‘Single-Sealed’ and ‘Double-Sealed’ Patek Philippe wristwatches are becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon in today’s market. Indeed, since 1st July 2017 Patek Philippe has specifically forbidden their boutiques and network of authorised dealers to supply its watches to customers either ‘single-sealed’ inside the original plastic factory sleeve, or ‘double-sealed’ with the additional outer cardboard shipping box. Subsequently, only watches that were purchased before that date and have been preserved ever since completely unopened by their owners can still exist as ‘single-sealed’ or ‘double-sealed’. Naturally, over the years, a great many factory sealed watches have been unsealed by their new owners, particularly the high complication and special edition timepieces which have hardly ever remained factory sealed until the present day.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970
In 1986, Patek Philippe launched a new generation of the perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, designated reference 3970, replacing the hugely successful reference 2499 in production in four different series from 1951 to 1985. The main difference in the movement was the arrival of the new Lemania based ébauche which replaced the Valjoux movement used for the previous 50 years.
Starting with movement number 875'000, the first series of reference 3970 was produced with a solid snap on back, comprising approximately 100 examples. The second series introduced a solid screw back, designated reference 3970E (E for étanche, French for waterproof). A small number of watches from both series were also available with a sapphire crystal back, designated reference 3971E. In 1989, a third series of ref. 3970 was launched, fitted with a solid screw back as well as an additional sapphire crystal display screw back. Reference 3970 was discontinued in 2004 and replaced by reference 5970. These modern yet classic perpetual calendar chronographs have become a must-have for the discerning collector of complicated wristwatches.
The watches released for Patek Philippe’s Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition held at the Saatchi gallery in London in 2015 were a quite spectacular array of completely new versions of discontinued models. Collectors were immediately attracted by their stunning aesthetic and new dial colours not available in the original versions but also by the use of new-old-stock movements and unused cases from series production. Combining breathtaking good looks with extreme rarity, the ultra-limited London ‘Saatchi’ edition 3970 instantly became stratospherically desirable. Naturally, the fortunate individuals who were hand-selected to receive an example were some of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Indeed, so treasured are these timepieces that almost all examples have remained with their original owners.
An interesting aspect of the specification of the present model is the use of the last non-manufacture perpetual calendar movement, caliber CH 27-70 Q based on a Lemania ébauche that was significantly modified and finished by Patek Philippe. Such ‘out of series’ late production watches are fascinating to collectors and are among the rarest pieces of any reference. The standard production 3970 was introduced in 1986 and discontinued around 2004.
The Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition London 2015 was a resounding success. Open to the public from May 27 until June 7, 2015 at the Saatchi Gallery, the event attracted more than 42,500 visitors over the course of 12 days. It was a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the history of watchmaking and the world of Patek Philippe. Watch enthusiasts were able to deepen their knowledge of fine horology and the general public had the opportunity to ignite their passion for watchmaking and artisanship by completely immersing themselves in the world of the last independent Geneva watch manufacturer. "This is the biggest exhibition we ever held, and we knew from the beginning we wanted to host it in London", Thierry Stern, President of Patek Philippe said. "We had 21 rooms dedicated to watchmaking with its many skills, showing watchmakers at work and revealing what is inside the movement. This is clearly the benchmark for the global watch industry".
PATEK PHILIPPE SEALED WATCHES
Original factory ‘Single-Sealed’ and ‘Double-Sealed’ Patek Philippe wristwatches are becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon in today’s market. Indeed, since 1st July 2017 Patek Philippe has specifically forbidden their boutiques and network of authorised dealers to supply its watches to customers either ‘single-sealed’ inside the original plastic factory sleeve, or ‘double-sealed’ with the additional outer cardboard shipping box. Subsequently, only watches that were purchased before that date and have been preserved ever since completely unopened by their owners can still exist as ‘single-sealed’ or ‘double-sealed’. Naturally, over the years, a great many factory sealed watches have been unsealed by their new owners, particularly the high complication and special edition timepieces which have hardly ever remained factory sealed until the present day.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970
In 1986, Patek Philippe launched a new generation of the perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, designated reference 3970, replacing the hugely successful reference 2499 in production in four different series from 1951 to 1985. The main difference in the movement was the arrival of the new Lemania based ébauche which replaced the Valjoux movement used for the previous 50 years.
Starting with movement number 875'000, the first series of reference 3970 was produced with a solid snap on back, comprising approximately 100 examples. The second series introduced a solid screw back, designated reference 3970E (E for étanche, French for waterproof). A small number of watches from both series were also available with a sapphire crystal back, designated reference 3971E. In 1989, a third series of ref. 3970 was launched, fitted with a solid screw back as well as an additional sapphire crystal display screw back. Reference 3970 was discontinued in 2004 and replaced by reference 5970. These modern yet classic perpetual calendar chronographs have become a must-have for the discerning collector of complicated wristwatches.