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Patek Philippe

Printing Issue/Mistake or ...? Patek Philippe Dial ref 3940 from 1991

 

Hi everyone,

Last year, I purchased a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar reference 3940 from 1991, as stated in the Certificate of Origin (COO).
It is a late 2nd Generation dial with a cross-divider on the leap year and month subdial located at 3 o'clock.


The dial is clean and sharp, with no visible flaws to the naked eye. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that some ink is chipped off or may have been misprinted during manufacturing.

Specifically, on the 3 o'clock subdial, the letter "E" in "SEP" is missing some ink. I'm unsure if this is due to the watch's age, poor storage conditions, or simply a printing error, which I've heard can happen.

There are no scratches around the letter "E" that might indicate mishandling during servicing; the area looks pristine.


Do you have any thoughts or explanations about this? I'm considering taking the watch to Patek Philippe in Geneva for a check-up and to ask their advice on whether it should be refined, though that may be costly!
Thanks for your input! Have a great day, everyone!





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17 Comments view entire thread 

I am thinking

 
By: watch-er : November 11th, 2025-13:50
that may be age related deterioration of the ink. Alternatively, the area of the dial may have been touched be a tool during a service. In any event it is hardly noticeable on such a beautiful watch.

I was actually wondering if it could have been a factory printing mistake

 
By: tictoc852 : November 12th, 2025-02:12
I red on some blogs that the printing technique (stamping) used in the past may left some "blank"space sometimes, although very rare.

Congratulations on getting such a great watch ! If

 
By: GLau : November 11th, 2025-18:12
it bothers you, then it is worth the money to make your more happy 😃! Thoughts 🤔 ?

I know PP does not want to do dial work.

 
By: watch-er : November 14th, 2025-17:31
Their current policy is to only work on the dial if the condition poses a risk of damage to the movement. I just had a watch there.