Patek Philippe watches are known for their exquisite and complicated designs. The aesthetics of these luxury timepieces have had people marvel at them for decades. Today, there is one particular Patek Philippe watch we are going to shine a lens on, which is reference 3970.
The ref 3970 was originally released in 1986. Even though it is an excellent watch, the times back then were favoring quartz movements instead of chronographs. That made it challenging for retailers to sell this watch when it initially came out. They did not even want to take on any Patek Philippe inventory at all due to how difficult it was to sell them at the time. Thankfully for this watchmaker, this has changed.
The reference 3970 is the successor to the famous reference 2499. That timepiece was produced from 1951-1986. Before ref 2499, ref 1519 was the perpetual calendar chronograph produced by Patek Philippe. It was the very first perpetual calendar chronograph that was serially made.
Going back to the 3970, this watch comes in white, yellow, and rose gold variations. It also comes in platinum if you prefer that precious metal instead of the softer gold. The case is 36mm, making it smaller than the ref 2499 by 1.5mm. There are also three dials, which include a leap year indicator, chronograph 30 min totalizer at 3:00, moon phase, and date at 6:00, as well as a chronograph 12-hour totalizer and running seconds at the 3:00 position. You have a place to indicate what day of the week it is, as well as what the month is.
The center of the 3970's movement is a CH 27-70 Q caliber. This is a point of distinction to make considering that it is the first movement for Patek Philippe to use within a chronograph that was not based on Valjoux. What the movement is based on instead is the Lemania 2310, which is what you will find in earlier Omega Speedmaster timepieces. The self-winding movement contains a massive 60-hour power reserve, which is plenty of reserve power and quite reliable. The movement was used in later versions of the 5970 and 5004. The movement is an elegant one that is still used today in other luxury timepieces as well, such as Vacheron's Cornes de Vache. The hand-done finishing is marvelous on this watch and demonstrates just how remarkable the CH 27-70 Q movement is.
This is an excellent luxury timepiece, although it may be challenging to get your hands on one these days. You can also consider getting a Patek Phillipe Nautilus, which is a highly popular watch from Patek Philippe that is a stunning watch in its own right. Wrist Aficionado has an extensive collection of Nautilus timepieces that will match any taste. Browse our collection today and find one that is perfect for you!