Patek Philippe Ref. 3998P: Reference Guide

Admittedly, this is the first watch I’ve encountered with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the dial. If you happen to have a taste for Patek Philippe watches with quirky and probably unique dials, here is something for your consideration. This watch dates to 2002 and was made for Saud bin Muhammed Al Thani, who was a Qatari Prince that served as its Minister of Culture and Arts. The chap had some clout at Patek Philippe as they agreed to this request for a personalised timepiece. Which, for those wondering what the Egyptian hieroglyphs indicate, explains the transliteration of SAUD indicated by the hieroglyphs from the 7 o’clock position to the 5 o’clock position and AL THANI from around the 11 o’clock position to the 2 o’clock position.

𓋴 (folded cloth) for S
𓂝 (forearm with palm upwards) for A
𓅱 (quail chick) for U
𓂧 (hand) for D

𓂝 (forearm with palm upwards) for A
𓃭 (lying lion) for L

𓏏 (bread loaf) for T
𓂝 (forearm with palm upwards) for A
𓈖 (water ripple) for N
𓇋 (flowering reed) for I

As far as I am aware, no mummies from the reign of Seti I reanimated as a result of me reading out loud the hieroglyphs.

The story goes that the prince gifted the watch to a Scandinavian gentleman in exchange for him agreeing to allow him to acquire his impressive collection of ancient Greek coins. Apparently, the gifting of the watch was to have him to consider getting into collecting watches since he had agreed to part with said coins.



The watch is 34mm in diameter and is made of platinum.



The movement is calibre 315/190 which beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour with bi-directional automatic winding and a power reserve of 48 hours.