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Phillips to Offer ‘The Blue Royale’, a Unique Patek Philippe Reference 3448/100 Cased in Platinum with Sapphire-Set Indexes in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIII – November 25-26, 2021
HONG KONG – 6 October 2021 – Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is pleased to announce the sale of a unique Patek Philippe reference 3448/100, a perpetual calendar wristwatch cased in platinum, to be auctioned during The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIII on 25 and 26 November. The star lot of Phillips’ upcoming two-day auction series in Hong Kong, this example from 1973 is the only example known with unique sapphire-set indexes, making it one of the most celebrated reference 3448 to be offered to the public.
Thomas Perazzi, Head of Watches, Asia, said: “Following Phillips’ strongest season for watch auctions in company history in Asia, we are very delighted to present to our community of connoisseurs, the highly important and unique Patek Philippe reference 3448/100 as a key highlight of this season’s sale. So far this year, all the watches offered in our live and online auctions have found a new home. And in response to the ever-growing number of watch collectors around the world, we are excited to bring to the watch community over 300 timepieces this season spanning a diverse array of brands, styles, and price points. We look forward to welcoming collectors and watch lovers to our auction previews across 7 cities in Asia and Europe and are excited about the other highlights that we will be announcing over the coming weeks.” First introduced in 1962, Patek Philippe’s groundbreaking reference 3448 was the world’s first self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch, and it was the only self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch available in the market for the next 16 years. Nicknamed the “Padellone” by Italian collectors, the reference is adored by collectors for its oversized, 37.5 mm diameter case with clean, angular lines and dial with perfect harmony and symmetry. Discontinued in 1986, together along with its short-lived counterpart reference 3450 equipped with a leap year indication, it is believed that an estimated 568 examples were produced over the course of its production across all metals, with the majority in yellow gold, a small number in white gold and in pink gold, and only two in platinum that were originally born with gold cases.
The two known examples cased in platinum were both re-cased in 1997 including an example from 1966, which sold for over CHF one million at Phillips’ The Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN in May 2018. The present example from 1973 is the only example known with unique sapphire-set indexes. Only a prominent collector with high standing with the Stern family, the owners of Patek Philippe, could obtain the utmost privilege of having a special platinum cased reference 3448. These platinum examples were both special orders by the original owners and the commission for these unique pieces taking place 11 years after the discontinuation of the reference had to be re-produced.
Moreover, through Phillips’ extensive research, the present example is perhaps the only complicated Patek Philippe reference from the respective era to feature sapphire-set indexes, making this already rare timepiece in its case, unique. To further exemplify its importance, the present example is one of three known reference 3448 to feature a sapphire display caseback, possibly a result from the specific request from the original owner to admire the finest self-winding caliber at the time, cal. 27-460 Q.
The present watch has been away from the public market for the last 23 years. Boasting an extremely crisp case with strong bevels and edges that are further complimented with a clean and unrestored unique dial, the present example is a true trophy for the discerned collector that is perhaps looking for the missing puzzle in their collection.
### The Hong Kong Watch Auction XIII Evening Session: 25 November 6pm HKT | Day Session: 26 November 10:30am HKT Location: JW Marriott, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
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