patek philippe 3970 1st series or 2499 5th series ?
But what does the first series 3970 truly represent? And why was I blabbing on about the industrial revolution and globalisation ?
The 3970 represents the transition from the old to the new Patek, from hand-made, to machine made – mixing a hand-made case with a wonderful vintage two tone dial with printed markings. A real mix of eras. Another important detail for many is the fact this is the last Perpetual Calendar Chronograph designed by Philippe Stern before Thierry Stern’s 5970.
So why does this speak to a 20 something year old? Well to me the watch marks the transition from the great to the now, it borrows cues from the past whilst still improving on some design aspects like symmetry and dial layout and remains ultra-wearable today despite some being bothered by its size. The snap back also allows for a much thinner wear on the wrist, and charmingly hides the mechanical marvel underneath – preserved for the watchmaker’s eyes only.
All of this combined with the extremely limited production numbers, and the fact that many dials were changed in service makes these watches an extremely rare breed. It’s something as John Mayer would say you need to “look closer” to understand, but when you bump into someone who knows what you’re wearing that’s when you know you’ve found a real Patek nerd.