$84,960
Ref. 3970E, "Yellow Gold" Patek Philippe, Genève, No. 875262, case No. 2846590, Ref. 3970E. Sold on April 11th, 1989. No longer in production. Very fine and extremely rare, astronomic, 18K yellow gold gentleman’s wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar, moon phases and an 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe buckle. Accompanied by a fitted box and the Certificate of Origin. Notes Ref. 3970 It was once possible for astute collectors to acquire the rare Ref. 3970s for a fraction of its retail price. Since that time, however, several factors have contributed to a sudden and sharp (but not entirely surprising) rise in value for this watch. The Ref. 3970 is now truly considered a classic by collectors, following in the footsteps of its predecessors Ref. 1518, Ref. 2499, and Ref. 2499/100. They have become virtually unattainable to all but the wealthiest and most patient individuals. Obviously, the next best choice will be a Ref. 5970. Hopefully, this note will shed some light on the different variations of the Ref. 3970 and help to better define its value, while clearing up some misconceptions. The Series: One can distinguish three series in the production of Ref. 3970. We define a “series” by the variation in case designs or features, whereas we designate dial variations as being “first generation”, “second generation” ,and so on. As a general rule, the Ref. 3970 was produced in 18K white, rose, yellow gold, and platinum, with platinum being the r
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2007-03-28
