製造商: Patek Philippe 年份: 1985 型號: 3940 dial further signed "No. 10" 機芯編號: 770'010 錶殼號碼: 2'817'887 材料: 18K yellow gold 機芯: Automatic, cal. 240Q, 27 jewels 錶帶/ 錶鏈: Original alligator Patek Philippe strap 錶扣: 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe pin buckle 尺寸: 36mm Diameter 簽名: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed 配件: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin dated October 11, 1985 with Beyer retailer stamp confirming doré dial, 225 years of Beyer product literature, setting pin, additional product literature, special box inscribed "Beyer 1760-1985" and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
Reference 3940 is one of the most iconic models that Patek Philippe ever produced. Launched in 1985 under the tutelage of Mr. Philippe Stern, it marked a design shift for the manufacture's perpetual calendar models. No longer sharp and elongated, the case transformed into a tonneau-shaped Calatrava-style design.
Beyond being a stellar example of a reference 3940 with its original certificate, what sets this timepiece apart is the fact that is numbered 10 of the first 25 examples were specially made for the 225th anniversary of Chronométrie Beyer, and displays a champagne dial signed Beyer with the individual number at 6 o'clock. Mr. Stern himself donned a reference 3940 with champagne dial, attesting to the beauty of this exact model. Most notably, the dial of the present example is in German (research shows that 15 were made with a German dial and 10 with an English dial). Like other first series examples, this watch also has a solid caseback, which is engraved "Patek Philippe No 770010 Fabriquée pour le 225ème anniversaire de Beyer à Zurich 1760-1985".
Consigned by the original Swiss owner, it most impressively is accompanied by its certificate of origin stating the preset watch is numbered 10 and confirming the doré dial and presentation box inscribed "Beyer 1760-1985".
Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.
Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.
