Comments:
This is a limited production piece. An AD in the UK had one in 2018
Thank you so much.
I would also have a very hard time choosing, but I think a J would make me very happy (3940 doré dial or 5140).
Here's a cool one - X dial and a 1st series in white gold.
My all time favourite remains a classic J 1st series though !
3940G X dial with Italian calendar
3940G 1st series
all time favourite - 3940J 1st series
Best,
M
3940G X dial with Italian calendar
3940G 1st series
all time favourite - 3940J 1st series
Thank you for these great variants!
I join you in the choice of a J ! I would maybe just opt for the doré dial which looks stunning to me.
Best, Emmanuel
Best, Emmanuel
I knew I would do something wrong 😬😅
But I’m very happy to make up for my mistake. Here’s the 5550! Best.
5550P
5550P
Thank you so much, Yacomino.
I just take the time to choose the best ones available online…
Thank you for for this epic 3940 post!
Just coming across it now. Amazing.
On a related note - I always wondered if Patek made a 3940 or 5140 in steel as a one off for a VIP. I guess we may never know!
I find the smaller sharp block font
on the 3940s much easier to read than the softer font on the 5140s. And the 3940 has a concave bezel so it does not scratch from shirt cuffs as does the convex bezel of the 5140.
3940P is my grail, but after getting 5140G. I think I can live without it. For the price of it I got 5140 and 5065, so I think I make a right decision. I don’t know maybe one day.
Two such pieces for the price of another
that is very similar or close to one of the two: it definitely sounds like a good decision. Except if you keep missing the 3940P of course.
Best, Emmanuel
Best, Emmanuel
3940J with a black dial
This is a limited production piece. An AD in the UK had one in 2018
Thanks for pointing this variation!
It's 3940J-028: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6394596
There's also a Micheal Ovitz bespoke piece with Breguet numerals: https://www.christies.com.cn/en/lot/patek-philippe-ref-3940j-a-unique-18k-6378284/?intObjectID=6378284&lid=3
The 3940 (any iteration) is as close to perfect as a watch can get...
...btw, I'd buy one with the Romans and the hobnailed bezel if they hadn't 'flipped' the Roman numerals : )
It makes no sense to flip them....
...aesthetically it would look better in the traditional manner. Watches are small clocks. I have yet to see an old clock with Roman numerals that are flipped...
I've been trying to understand your point of view and,
though I fully respect it, I really don't feel the same way: for me, each different layout has its own charm.
Just my feeling of course.
Best, Emmanuel
1/ Vertical Roman
2/ Vertical Arabic
B/ FLIPPED RADIAL
1/ Flipped Roman
2/ Flipped Arabic
A/ VERTICAL
2/ Vertical Arabic
B/ FLIPPED RADIAL
1/ Flipped Roman
2/ Flipped Arabic
C/ NON-FLIPPED RADIAL
1/ Non-flipped roman
credit: classic 55 (1), the watch collectors (2), amwhk (3), revolution (4), the watch club (5), berne horology (6), lbj watches (7)
2/ Non-flipped Arabic
credit: classic 55 (1), the watch collectors (2), amwhk (3), revolution (4), the watch club (5), berne horology (6), lbj watches (7)
Nice example...
...I can handle anything but flipped Romans. I made my living making sure things looked 'right.' Maybe the thing that bothers me is...why?
We don't use Roman numerals for actual math or in daily life. In a way, Roman numerals are just symbols of the past that we recognize. Clock makers understood this. They arranged the numerals radially. Why did watchmakers decide that flipping the numerals was a good idea just because the format was smaller?
I kind of understand flipping Arabic numerals (although I don't prefer it). In a date sub-dial, for instance, someone might confuse a 6 for a 9 or a 12 for a 21, etc.
I also believe that manufacturers, even the largest and most prestigious manufacturers treat graphic design and typography on watches as an afterthought. Some of what I see would earn failing grades for a first-year design student.
All of this said, I also know that I am in a small minority. One of the things that made me good at my job was attention to minute detail...a kind of visual OCD if you will. Very few people have this trait (it's a curse most of the time). I still yell at the TV when I see words in ads that aren't kerned properly : )
I will end with an example of a brand who tends to do things right more often than not...
I hear and understand your arguments.
I also value attention to detail a lot.
VC Reference 4261 (1951)
But flipping Roman numerals doesn't always seem to me to be the result of negligence.
As in the following comparison, where I personally think that both dials make sense.
Best, Emmanuel
VC Reference 4317 (1945)
VC Reference 4261 (1951)
credit: hodinkee
For the record, flipping at 6 ONLY is tolerable...
...not ideal, but on the right watch I can live with it : )
Many thanks for this exhaustive review of the 3940 and 5140 iterations
As for me I made my choice and certainly don’t regret it one second, 3940 anyhow way ahead of the 5140 😉
The only other versions which make me horny are the yellow gold doré dial (the personal watch of Mr Philippe Stern) or the doré dial Beyer LE. But honestly my “regular” first series makes my day every time I wear it 😉
Your 1st gen example is definitely stunning, Mike!
So much to love.
The sharp sunken sub-registers with short gold hands and longer blued (?) hands: wonderful.
Have a nice day!
Best, Emmanuel
The sharp sunken sub-registers with short gold hands and longer blued (?) hands: wonderful.
Have a nice day!
Best, Emmanuel
Tbh my only regret is…
…that I should have acquired it much before. It is a wonderful daily wearer, a simple but iconic and historical beauty, but flies under the radar which is important nowadays.
Fyi since I know you like to go deep in details, mine is from 1986 and has a dial made by Stern Créations, first variant (short E). There is a second variant made by Stern (long E), and some dials have been made by Singer (Geneve with no accent, and the sigma mention at the bottom slightly differs). I enjoy this piece tremendously 😉
Fyi since I know you like to go deep in details, mine is from 1986 and has a dial made by Stern Créations, first variant (short E). There is a second variant made by Stern (long E), and some dials have been made by Singer (Geneve with no accent, and the sigma mention at the bottom slightly differs). I enjoy this piece tremendously 😉