Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: Circa 1979 Reference No: 3727/12J Movement No: 1’390’972 Case No: 2’770’276 Material: 18K yellow gold, lapis lazuli and diamonds Calibre: Manual, cal. 16-250, 18 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe Henri Stern pin buckle Dimensions: 30mm width x 32mm length Signed: Dial, case, movement and buckle
Catalogue Essay
Witnessed on ancient sculptures and jewels of the Egyptian empire. Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone with a rich royal blue hue and further identifiable by its glistering gold flakes. Measuring a mere 5 – 5.5 on the MOHS hardness scale, lapis lazuli is by far not the hardest precious stone on the scale, which makes it incredibly hard to execute the perfect cut.
The present example is a lovely and impressive 18K yellow gold, lapis lazuli and diamond-set wristwatch by Patek Philippe from the late 1970’s.
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.