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 signalled a departure from the traditional shapes in watchmaking. This Grande Golden Ellipse reference 3634 dates back to 1976 and is the largest execution of the Ellipse. The 18k yellow-gold case measures a modern 38 x 33.5 mm. Yet, with inclusion of the ultra-thin caliber 28-255C automatic movement (the same one that was used for the reference 3700 Nautilus) the watch is just slightly over 6 mm thick.

The case shape is quite unusual as it consists of three thin convex gadroons that wrap around the crystal, giving the impression of a stepped case. The Ellipse dispenses 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. While the 3634 is uncommon already, you’re even less likely to run into one with an Onyx dial. Stone dials are quite fragile and many of them develop cracks or rips over the years. Hence, a flawless dial will increase the value greatly. To give the Onyx stone space to shine, the dial is completely blank except for two lines of text at the twelve o’ clock position and a small "SWISS" signature at the bottom of the dial. Complementing the case and bracelet, the dial features simple yellow-gold dauphine hands.

The watch comes on an elegant black piano leather Patek Philippe strap with an 18k yellow-gold Golden Ellipse buckle, signed Patek Philippe. This beauty of a watch is accompanied by an Extract From the Patek Philippe Archives.