The Patek Golden Ellipse sits on a different plane, somewhere between a circle and a rectangle. Although simple in design, its adherence to the ‘Golden Ratio’ gives the Ellipse a pleasing harmony.

The Golden Ellipse was introduced in 1968 and signaled a departure from the traditional shapes in watchmaking. The Ellipse also dispensed with the traditional extended lugs found on other watches, only allowing the end of the strap to briefly interrupt the smooth lines of the case.

The ref. 3605 is one of our favorite executions of the Ellipse for a few reasons. For one, it’s an ‘oversized’ version compared to its smaller sibling references, measuring 33 x 38 mm. Oversized doesn’t mean obnoxiously large in this case, it’s a classic dress watch after all. However, due to its dimensions and oblong shape it has a contemporary look on the wrist and would look equally good with a classic suit or a more casual getup.

A second aspect we love about the ref. 3605 is that it’s the first Ellipse with an automatic movement. In fact, it carries the same ultra-thin automatic caliber as the original ref. 3700 Nautilus. Moreover, the 3605 is one of the few Ellipse models with a useful date copmplication.

Last, but certainly not least, the ref. 3605 comes on a stunning braided integrated 18K yellow gold bracelet, which elevates it from a classy dress watch to an exquisite piece of jewelry.

This ref. 3605 is executed in an 18K yellow gold case with the iconic elongated Ellipse shape. The watch features a beautiful deep blue—or cobalt blue as Patek calls it—dial with a sunburst effect, applied pointed 18K gold stick indices, and a discreet gold-rimmed date window at the 3 o’clock position.

A cool detail on the dial are the sigma (‘σ’) markings at the 6 o’clock position, an indication that was used by select Swiss watchmakers (namely Patek, Rolex, Vacheron, and IWC) in the 1970s and 1980s to indicate the use of gold on the dial; in this case referring to the 18K gold indices and hands.

This ref 3605 dates back to 1981 and is accompanied by an extract of the Patek Philippe archives and an oval Patek Philippe box.