Ref.3970E Yellow Gold Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

In fact…

This piece is from the second series of Ref.3970, the successor of the highly successful Ref.2499 perpetual calendar chrono. Prior to the Ref.2499, the Ref.1518 epitomized Patek Philippe’s Perpetual Calendar Chrono offering from 1941 to 1950 as the brand’s first Perpetual Calendar Chrono with an in-house movement. Both the movement and external styling have since defined what haute horology meant, and Patek Philippe’s influence in this domain remains prevalent till now.

The second series of Ref.3970 was produced between 1986 to 1991. To identify the second series from the first, look out for the sub-dials, which is the same colour as the dial.

The Patek Philippe Ref. 3970E is the successor to a long lineage of successful Perpetual Calendar Chronographs from the brand. Having been born in 1986 when the Quartz Crisis was shaking up the mechanical watch industry, the Ref. 3970E unfortunately turned into an underappreciated piece in those days, which now in our hands, have turned into a precious collector’s piece. Visit us to find out more about Patek Philippe’s complication watches.