The ref 3970 is one of the most stunning grand complications ever produced by Patek Philippe and certainly the last truly vintage one.

The reference 3970 was introduced in 1986 as the successor to the legendary and ultra-collectible reference 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph. The reference was produced for an impressive 18 years, before it was replaced by the updated ref. 5970. The introduction of the 5970 marked the end of an era, with Patek shifting towards housing its grand complications in significantly larger–and thus more modern looking–cases.

This ref. 3970EJ (E = étanche, which means waterproof in French; J = jaune, for gold) is a third-series execution dating back to 1994 with German discs. The watch features a classically-sized 36 mm 18K yellow gold case with pump pushers and is equipped with the screw down, closed case-back. It comes accompanied by a sapphire see-through case back through which the exquisitely hand finished manual-winding movement can be viewed.

The silvered dial sports 18K yellow-gold pointed baton indices and matching pointed baton hands. Two apertures at the 12 o’clock position reveal the day and month mechanism. The dial features three sub-dials. The recessed sub-dial at the 9 o’clock position displays a running seconds as well as a 24-hour hand while the recessed sub-dial at the 3-hour position incorporates a 30-minute chronograph counter and a leap year indicator. Finally on the lower sub-dial we find a charming moon phase indicator, which is surrounded by a date complication.

The watch comes on a beautiful red-brown alligator Patek Philippe strap together with an 18K yellow gold Patek Philippe buckle. This legendary piece comes as a full set as it is accompanied by the box, certificate d'origine and booklets. Also the original pushpin tool is included to set your watch to the exact time and settings it needs to be in.