Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 3940
When it became clear that the then-new quartz technology would forever change the Swiss high quality cheap watches landscape in the 1970s and 1980s, different watch brands adopted different strategies to ride the surging tide. Some companies have embraced the quartz revolution by offering their best-selling watch models with quartz movements, some have converted their entire catalogs to quartz timepieces, and still others, such as Patek Philippe, continue to emphasize the beauty and excellence of traditional mechanical movements. engineering design.
Of course, Patek Philippe did make quartz watches during that era (and still makes some today); however, the company never abandoned mechanical movements and continues to work tirelessly in that department. This brings us to the famous Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 3940, a large complication watch powered by a new automatic movement developed during the Quartz Crisis and launched in 1985.
Although the now-discontinued Patek Philippe 3940 is severely undervalued in the collector market, its value has been rising in recent years as more and more collectors and enthusiasts pay attention to this watch. That’s why we’ve put together a collection’s guide to the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 3940, covering the history and evolution of the watch’s four different series. Patek Philippe Grand Complications Perpetual Calendar
240Q movement To begin our overview of the Patek Philippe 3940, we will first discuss the Caliber 240 and the subsequent Caliber 240 Q.
Released in 1977, the Caliber 240 was a remarkable feat of microengineering. Although it is an automatic movement, the Caliber 240 is as thin as a manual winding movement, measuring only 2.53 mm thick. Patek Philippe is able to achieve this thanks to an ingenious construction that includes a very small off-center winding rotor that is completely recessed into the plane of the plate. To compensate for its smaller size, the rotor is made from 22K gold to increase its mass and therefore its winding power.
In addition, other technical measures were required to increase overall efficiency, such as one-way winding to reduce friction, a new and improved gear train to increase power reserve and precision, and a reduction in frequency (to 3 Hz or 21,600 times per hour) to reduce noise. Energy consumption. It’s worth noting that the Caliber 240 (and the many variations based on the Caliber 240) remain at the heart of many currently produced Patek Philippe watches. replica Jacob & Co EPIC X Watches
Less than a decade after the launch of the Caliber 240, Patek Philippe launched the Caliber 240 Q. The "Q" in the movement name stands for "Quantieme Perpetual" or "perpetual calendar" in French. So, to develop the 240 Q, Patek Philippe took the existing ultra-thin Caliber 240 automatic movement and tackled the seemingly impossible task of adding a perpetual calendar module. The result is the ultra-thin perpetual calendar self-winding Caliber 240 Q, measuring just 3.75 mm thick.
The 240 Q movement made its debut in the Patek Philippe ref. 39.4 million perpetual calendar in 1985.
Design of the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 3940 Along with the launch of the new movement, the Ref. 3940 also provides new dimensions and looks for Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendar watches. For example, the dimensions have been reduced to 36 mm, and the pair of windows showing the date and month that were present in the previous model have been eliminated, replaced by small dial indicators.
Although the perpetual calendar is a complex luxury replica watches, the Patek Philippe ref. 3940 dial is simple and easy to read. There is a small dial with month and leap year indicators at three o'clock. There is a date and moon phase display at six o'clock. Day of the week and 24-hour (day/night) indicators at nine o'clock. Finally, centrally located are two Dauphine hands indicating the hours and minutes.
Patek Philippe manufactured the Ref. 3940 from 1985 until 2007. As expected, the 3940 appeared in several versions over its twenty-plus years of production. In fact, there are three different series of Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 3940, which we will detail further below. However, the basic blueprint for Ref exists. 3940 remains unchanged across all variants and series.
Bayer dial variant Philippe Stern, then president of Patek Philippe, was good friends with Teddy Beyer of Chronometrie Beyer. Therefore, to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Chronometrie Beyer, the first 25 models of the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar are launched. 3940 pieces are stamped and numbered by BEYER and sold exclusively at the renowned retailer in Zurich, Switzerland. The first 15 contain German calendars, while the remaining 10 contain English calendars. Unsurprisingly, Teddy Beyer wore the No.1, which is now on display in the Clock and Watch Museum Beyer Zurich below the store. No. 2 is currently housed in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, but it once belonged to a famous collector. replica Bell & Ross BR 05 CHRONO
Patek Philippe Ref. 3940 Series 2 Patek Philippe 3940 watches produced from 1987 to 1995 are Series 2 and have the following design features:
There is no accent in "GENEVE" LARGE PATEK PHILIPPE NAME ON DIAL Sigma "σ SWISS σ" label printed below the hour and minute markers Solid caseback or display caseback on special request. Later in the second series of production, Patek Philippe began offering the Ref. 3940 with a display caseback and an additional solid caseback in the box. The platinum models are an exception as they are only available with a solid case back. Beveled recessed subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock. The month and date are stamped on the bevel, while the leap year and day/night indicators are stamped in the recesses Early examples have no crosshairs on the leap year indicator; examples made after 1989 have crosshairs The left side of the case is engraved with the logo (750 and the Helvetia symbol on the gold model; 950 on the platinum model). Late second series Patek Philippe 3940 examples have hallmarks on the sides of the case and below a pair of lugs on the bottom
Patek Philippe Ref. 3940 Series 3 The Patek Philippe 3940 watches, produced from 1995 until the end of production in 2007, are Series 3 watches. These watches have the following design features.
There is no accent in "GENEVE" LARGE PATEK PHILIPPE NAME ON DIAL Sigma "σ SWISS σ" label printed consistently with dots and minutes markers All models (except platinum) come with a display caseback and an extra-sturdy caseback included in the box The movement is now marked Caliber 240/114. The oscillating weight inside the movement is marked with the Calatrava cross Beveled recessed subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock. The month and date are stamped on the bevel, while the leap year and day/night indicators are stamped in the recess. Small dials begin to use more modern sans serif fonts Crosshairs on leap year indicator Since 1997, all models with leather straps have a deployant buckle instead of a pin buckle By 2004, all lugs had the logo on the underside and no longer appeared on the case side
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