Patek Philippe
Reference 3450 in white gold
Phillips is delighted to present this
exceptionally rare and highly important
white gold reference 3450 with original
certificate and fitted presentation
box. This watch was last seen on the
market in 1993 in New York. Originally
purchased at the Patek Philippe salon in
Geneva, the watch was manufactured
in 1985 and it has been retained in
remarkably sharp, crisp condition with
two extremely sharp hallmarks to
the side of the case. The case is still
retaining its original factory proportions,
faceted lugs, smooth bezel with very
crisp edges. The dial is in immaculate
state of preservation and there are
no flaws at all to this incredibly rare
reference 3450 cased in white gold.
To match the incredible rarity is the
presence of the certificate of origin,
a rarity in itself for any complicated
Patek Philippe wristwatch.
HK WATCHES_NOV15_420-575_bl_CS5.indd 446
The reference 3450 was first introduced
to the market in 1981 and was a successor
of the reference 3448. The 3450 differs
from the 3448 by the modified leap year
indication at 4 o’clock on the dial. The first
generation was fitted with a simple red
disc and Arabic numerals, the second with
Roman indication, a total of 244 examples
of the reference 3450 were made, most of
which, in yellow gold cases.
There exist an exception to the production
of the 3450 and a microscopic quantity
of cases other than yellow gold were
produced. In fact, there are only two other
case metals of the reference 3450 are
known to exist and they are both cased
in white gold, which includes the present
watch. According to scholarship, they are
the present watch, numbered 1’119’799
and 1’119’729, which was sold at auction in
New York, October 1989.
Wristwatches by Patek Philippe with
calendar and perpetual calendar
indication have been in production since
the 1920s but for half a century never
featured a leap year indication. The first
known Patek Philippe wristwatch that
did feature this leap year indication was
a reference 3448 made in 1970 but then
later upgraded following a request of a
senior director at the firm at 1975. The
second known watch with this indication
for leap year was a unique reference 3563
that was manufactured in 1981 and is now
on view in the Patek Philippe Museum.
The present white gold reference 3450
is not only an extremely rare in terms
of its case metal and function but also
in regards to its history and condition.
Consequently the watch presents itself
in an incredibly beautiful, crisp and
as close to factory finish as possible.
The manufacture name, mechanical
complexity, rarity, condition and
provenance makes it one of the most
important, beautiful, desirable and
valuable discoveries to the world of
Patek Philippe watch collecting.
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