Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar ref 3940J, in yellow gold.
Circa 1992
Case: two-body, solid, polished, concave and stepped bezel, case is unpolished with strong hallmarks showing on side of case. Case is fitted with sapphire back.
Dial: gilt with applied yellow gold indexes, auxiliary dials for the days of the month and the days of week in Italian, the 24 hours, and the leap year, aperture for the moon phases. 'Dauphine' yellow gold hands. Dial is spotless.
Movemnt. 240 Q, stamped with the 'Poinçons de Genève', rhodium plated, 'fausses côtes' decoration, 27 jewels, lever escapement, Giromax balance adjusted to heat, cold isochronism and 5 positions, shock-absorber, self-compensating flat balance-spring, mobile stud bearer, 22K gold micro-rotor mounted on ball bearings.
Fitted with a red OEM Patek Philippe strap and Buckle. Dial, case and movement signed.
Diameter. 36 mm.
More about Patek Philippe:
In 2006, Patek Philippe introduced the reference 5960 in Platinum with a grey dial. The model was Patek Philippe’s first self-winding chronograph, and combined with an annual calendar complication it was quickly sought after for its everyday wearability.
The large subsidiary dial records minutes and hours, with outer red numerals counting 30 minutes, inner blue numerals counting 60 minutes, recorded by a red hand. The inner-most dial and smaller blue hand record up to 12 hours. The dial also contains a small circular window for day and night indication. The annual calendar complication self-adjusts for months that end in 30 and 31 days, and only needs to e adjusted once a year.
The model was updated to include further versions in platinum (with blue and black dials) and in rose gold. Nevertheless, the original platinum 5960 with grey dial is sought after for its elegant and wearable design, and place in Patek Philippe’s history as their first automatic chronograph. In 2014, the 5960 in stainless steel was introduced, and all other metals ceased production.