Patek Philippe Collection: First Post Introduction

Mike-On-A-Bike, a long-time lurker and first-time poster, shares his personal horological journey, emphasizing the emotional connection watches hold beyond their material value. His detailed account of acquiring significant pieces, including a Rolex 116710BLNR and a Patek Philippe 3940G, offers a relatable perspective for both new and seasoned collectors. This article delves into the nuances of collecting, from initial research to the intricacies of auction purchases and servicing, providing valuable insights for anyone navigating the luxury watch market.

I was inspired by WH’s post earlier. I too am quite impressed with the level of maturity and general civility in this forum and have enjoyed the discussions very much. Special thanks to the moderators for keeping this place a positive forum for all.

Similar to WH, I’m in my mid 30s and still relatively new to watch collecting. I have a handful of humble pieces that probably don’t qualify to even be called ‘a collection’. I’m mindful that the veterans on this forum have perhaps been collectors for longer than I have been alive! But as did WH, I’m fascinated by how watches carry so many personal stories yet being inanimate objects - a legacy, a milestone in one’s life, an emotion… and that’s something I think anybody can appreciate regardless of age or experience or price tag of what’s on their wrist.

For those who may indulge me on a long post... my story also starts with an assortment of Flik Flaks and Swatches gifted to me in my youth that I don’t remember anymore. First time I purchased a watch with my own money (saved up from mowing lawns and babysitting neighbor kids) was a Tissot quartz chronograph - which I picked up before going off to college. At the time it just felt like an appropriate ‘grown up’ thing to do.

Fast forward 15 years. My wife and I exchanged watches when we got married. I got a (#1) Rolex 116710BLNR “Batman”, and my wife got a two-tone 26mm ladies Datejust. 

Side by side in this photo taken the day we purchased, still in wrapper.

Prior to purchasing these watches, we must have spent at least 6 months researching and visiting ADs - and really all signs pointed to Rolex. There was a good amount of disastrousness related to our wedding ceremony (a story for another time), but I’m glad we made the right call on the wedding watches. I’m not saying Rolex is perfect, but for the uninitiated, you really can’t go wrong with a Rolex. 

I remember putting on my Batman for the 1st time and saying “wow”. The heft of a ‘good’ watch, the instantly-recognizable quality and precision of everything - I think to me this was the point I got hooked to fine watches.

c.2 years later, I got a (#2) 36mm Nomos Neomatik Orion as my 2nd ‘nice’ watch. I was promoted at work from being a lowly grunt to being a slightly-less-lowly middle management. To celebrate, I wanted to get something more ‘formal’. Basically, something thin, simple, and on a leather strap. I got interested in Nomos after reading a Hodinkee article (setting aside the controversies of what they’ve been up to lately, I think credit is due for what Hodinkee has done to bring in more debutants like myself into the world of horology). 

My wrist size is 6.25 inch, and I realized 36-38mm was the best size for my wrist.

I know Nomos is not exactly a brand you see people ‘flex’ on social media, but at this price point, I think they have very good value proposition.

At some point, I realized I don’t have the active lifestyle that necessitates a sports watch. I don’t fly planes (or plan on going to space), I don’t do deep water diving, I don’t do extreme mountaineering… So actually a dress watch fits me better for 90% of my life. 

My latest purchase was a late-series (#3) Patek Philippe 3940G, which is my first PP and my first complicated watch. Since it cannot be purchased new, I’ve been searching for and bidding on this reference at every auction over the past 2 years, and just so happens that when I finally won at an auction in Nov 2019, it coincided with the completion of a pretty big project at work that I had also been working on for a long time (Hence was the justification to the wife)

I initially planned on following the standard path of first getting a simple Calatrava like a 5196 or 5227… and then working my way up to a QP. But I figured if the one I really want is the 3940, life is too short to beat around the bushes

Setting aside the well-documented praises for the 3940 as a reference, an extra excitement for me personally was that I was fortunate to find one that’s 95% exactly the specification I was looking for.

Foremost, I wanted a “G”. “P” would of course be nice but the lack of sapphire back was a deal-breaker for me.

And then I wanted one that preserved the original case i.e. was not polished. Just based on the examples I came across, I noticed earlier versions (i.e. from 1985 to c.2000) often had stronger signs of polishing (faded / no hallmarks) vs. later ones, which makes sense. Although I liked the ‘yellow moon’ on the older version more (later versions have white moon for white gold case), I was willing to accept the trade off for one with less milage. The one I ended up getting had probably the most crisp hallmarks that I had seen on a 3940.

The Official Swiss Hallmark where you can still distinguish even the ear of the Saint Bernard, and the “C” designating the assay office in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This ties with the poincon de maitre number 357 inside the caseback, indicating the manufacturer was Calame & Cie SA, which is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds (interestingly, Calame was acquired by Patek in 2001)

I wanted a late version, but not ‘too late’ though. You could say I am a bit ‘petty’… but the final run of the 3940s had different “Js” on the dial, that I don’t prefer. I prefer the older “Js” which had the longer ‘top line’ and bottom tip that curves back up (right photo), as opposed to the newer dial versions where the bottom tip stayed down (left photo) like they do on the 5140 and 5327.

Overall, it ticked a lot of boxes for me, but the only down side is it’s pretty beat up with a lot of scratches and dents (hence the missing 5%) - But I’m hoping a PP service could help clean this up.

I fear I’ve lost myself a bit in minutiae, but the point is that I’d spent a long time getting this piece, but like any good acquisition, the due diligence definitely paid off.

I don’t plan on selling any of my current or future watches - although I certainly may gift them to my children or extended descendants some day. Hence I do prefer watches that (at least in my opinion) may stand the test of time whether that means aesthetics, durability, serviceability.

Next watch: definitely want to add a world timer in the collection (a white-metal 5231 would be a dream come true). Also planning on getting a Rolex 114270 at some point just so I have a better sized beater for outdoor occasions. Any other suggestions for small wrists? The journey continues, and grateful to have a place like WPS along the way.

Mike