Patek Philippe - The New York Watch Auction: NINE New York Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
    Year: 1971
    Reference No: 3587/2
    Movement No: 5’766
    Case No: 2’699’728
    Model Name: Beta-21
    Material: 18K white gold
    Calibre: Quartz, cal. CEH Beta-21, 13 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K white gold integral Patek Philippe bracelet, max overall length 205mm
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Patek Philippe buckle
    Dimensions: 43mm Width
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin confirming the blue dial and white gold case and bracelet.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Quartz Revolution of the late 1960s and early ‘70s brought profound change to the Swiss watchmaking industry, as brands were forced to compete against low-cost, battery-powered watches produced in mass by Japanese companies. It’s well-known that Swiss watchmakers worked to reinvent their offerings and marketing efforts at the time. However, in the formative years of quartz technology, Patek Philippe, along with other makers including Rolex, Omega, and Piaget, began to research quartz movements, coming together to form the Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH), in 1962. Seeking to develop alternatives to mechanical watchmaking with greater precision, the CEH first released the Beta-1 movement in 1966, with the ground-breaking Beta-21 movement following in 1969, delivering unprecedented accuracy of just five seconds deviation per month. The cooperating brands agreed to produce 6,000 Beta-21 movements that would be shared among the group.

    Patek Philippe’s reference 3587 was introduced in 1969 at Basel as their first quartz wristwatch. It was the largest-diameter, serially produced wristwatch ever made by Patek Philippe at the time, measuring an impressive 43mm in diameter. The watch is the synthesis of 1970s modernity with an oversized cushion-shaped case and screw-down caseback that is opulent and glamorous. The present example with integrated bracelet, weighing almost 200 grams, is in excellent overall condition with a shimmering blue dial and luminous hour markers and hands that have all aged nicely over time. Accompanied with its original Certificate of Origin, the 3587/2 is a watch that has a unique place in history, introduced at a time of great change in the world, from politics to fashion, setting out to counter threats to the world of traditional European haute horlogerie.

  • Artist Biography

    Patek Philippe

    Swiss • 1839

    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.

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Ref. 3587/2
A very rare and exceptional oversized white gold cushioned shaped quartz wristwatch with date, integrated bracelet, and Certificate of Origin

1971
43mm Width
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
$15,000 - 30,000 
CHF13,500-27,000
€14,000-28,100
HK$117,000-234,000
S$20,400-40,800

Sold for $38,100

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman and Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
WatchesNY@Phillips.com
 
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: NINE

New York Auction 9 - 10 December 2023