Patek Philippe

It has been widely recognized that Patek Philippe produces the most magnificent minute repeaters, rendering it a perfect complication choice to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the manufacturer. The present reference 3979 represents the condensed knowledge of Patek Philippe working with minute repeaters.

Ever since the 16th century, the minute repeater was developed for users to tell time in the dark. With artificial lighting it seems that modern society never experiences true darkness, though the minute repeater still remains very popular for its thoughtful mechanism and meticulous craftmanship.

The 3979 incorporates the automatic caliber R 27 PS with a 22k gold planetary rotor, displayed with a sapphire crystal back proudly exhibiting this phenomenal execution. Visually speaking, the watch bears a porcelain white dial, decorated with astounding black painted Roman numerals and a minute chapter ring. Upon activating the slide-piece, the striking mechanism converts the vision on the hands to the sensation of the ears.

According to our research, the first serial numbers of this reference started with 1,904,000, making the present lot the 24th being produced from this series. Moreover, the watch bears an intriguing gold mark reading 'JHP' between the bottom lugs, which indicates that the case was forged by master case maker Jean-Pierre Hagmann, further indicating that the present 3979J ranks amongst the early production of this reference.