Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 1971 Reference No: 3574 Movement No: 1'211’410 Case No: 520’628 Model Name: Calatrava Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 23-300 PM, 18 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle Dimensions: 35mm diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Japan product literature and paper service packaging. Further delivered with Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the present timepiece’s date of manufacture in 1971 and its subsequent date of sale on 13th March 1973.
Catalogue Essay
Introduced in 1970, the Patek Philippe ref. 3574 was manufactured for no longer than five years with a small output of an estimated 500 pieces, in stainless steel only. This reference offered various dial designs, including a simple matte silvered version or a Calatrava guilloche dial, as seen on the present timepiece.
Beautifully preserved in excellent overall condition, this ref. 3574 is the 42nd example known to the market and to the best of our knowledge, it is also the 16th to be identified with this configuration. According to its Extract from the Archives, the present timepiece left the Patek Philippe workshop bearing this highly unusual and desirable dial, dominated by hand-etched Calatrava crosses.
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.