Patek Philippe Ref. 3448 - A Mini Collector’s Guide
What is most impressive with the 3448 is the case size - coming in at 37,5mm in diameter, the 3448 is exceptionally modern for its time. In the same instance as the watches it shared displays with at the time like the 2499, 3700 which were also large for the time. This larger than average size is part of what made the 2499 and 3700 such important and reverred watches to this day and is what will in my opinion win over the heart of many modern collectors looking to get started in the world of vintage. This combined with he fact the watch is powered by one of the finest automatic movements ever made is also a great bonus as many modern collectors are bothered by mechanical movements.
In terms of wearability, this size also makes for an extremely modern looking and feeling watch - it really feels like something Patek could’ve made today.
So now that your interest has been sparked by the ref. 3488 - which one should you collect ?
In terms of case metals, the 3448 was produced in 3 metals initially, yellow (approx. 500 pieces), white gold (approx. 100-150 pieces) and the extremely rare rose gold (2 known). Later on, some collectors asked Patek to recase some watches into Platinum cases which was done on special request (two known, converted from yellow gold cases by JPH).
The obvious grail is the rose gold - but it last sold for north of 2M CHF in 2011 - the next step would be a nice White Gold, and these can go anywhere from 400k CHF to 1M+ CHF depending on the series.
Disclaimer : All this information is approximated and cannot be deemed an exact science - dates, exact quantities are estimated from archives, auction results etc. The information has been simplified and whilst some may separate the 3448 production into many more sub-sections, this is the way I see it. Transitional versions also exist with engraved enamel signature and printed date track.