Referred as the “Golden Circle”, the ref. 3604 from the Patek Philippe Ellipse collection is one of the largest produced with a case measuring 37mm width x 37mm length. Introduced in 1971, the reference was the first in the model to be powered by the reliable and slim self-winding cal. 28-255 C, which would later be used in the Nautilus ref. 3700. Manufactured only in 18K white gold or yellow gold, it is estimated that only 1,900 examples of the reference were produced from 1971 to 1980 with approximately a third of the production encased in 18K white gold. With that said, the model was available with various dial options predominantly made by dial maker Stern Frères. However, blue and brown dials were made by dial maker Singer.

The present ref. 3604 encased in yellow gold features a brown sunburst dial made by Singer. Attractive and enhancing its vintage appeal, the dial has developed a tropicalization with various shades of brown developed naturally through age, furthermore the present example is presented with the original Ellipse style pin buckle.