Patek Philippe

Sotheby's is honored to offer this, fresh to the market, possibly unique Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref 3998 in platinum with hieroglyphs.

Reference 3998 with Egyptian hieroglyphs first appeared on the public market in 2014, prior to that appearance, no other Patek Philippe timepiece with Egyptian hieroglyph dials were known.

The present watch comes directly from an important Scandinavian family that received the watch as a gift direct from the first owner.

The choice of hieroglyphs is one of the most unusual and unique options ever found on any Patek Philippe dial and is reminiscent of Masonic pocket watches with symbols in place of numerals, which for the initiated, hold specific meaning. Close inspection of the dials of each watch reveals they each have unique hieroglyphic combinations and layouts. Their placement puzzled watch enthusiasts, since they don’t follow the traditional hour marker pattern, with numerals placed around the outer edge of the dial. By translating the hieroglyphs, one gets a clearer understanding and appreciation for these most unusual timepieces. The dial of the present lot spells out “ SAUD” at 6 o’clock and “AL TANI” at 12 o’clock.

Saud bin Muhammed Al Thani (28 February 1966 - 9 November 2014), a Qatari Prince who served as Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, was an avid art collector, and the owner of the Henry Graves Supercomplication, which he purchased during the famed 1999 Time Museum auction in New York City. The Henry Graves Supercomplication was loaned by the Prince to the Patek Philippe Museum and is certainly an indication of the strong relationship between the brand and Al Thani, demonstrating his ability to make extraordinary requests for personalised timepieces. Following Sotheby's sale of the Titanium Collection in June 2014 in NY, in November 2014, the Henry Graves Supercomplication would be sold at auction in Geneva for US $24 million – still the highest price ever achieved for a pocket watch.

The watch was a personal gift from Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani to a Scandinavian gentleman after he acquired a rare collection of ancient Greek coins from him in 2008. The collection was one of the world’s most unique collections of ancient Greek coins and had been built up by the Scandinavian gentleman over his lifetime. To separate from his collection was a tough decision, so as a token of appreciation Sheikh Al-Thani gifted this very rare watch to him in the hopes that it might nurture his interest for watches and possibly give him something else to collect. 

Known Patek Philippe 3998 Watches :

3998/013J Case 4'153'886 Made 2002

3998/015J Case 4'153'896 Made 2002

3998/001P Case 4'177.275 Made 2002

3998/001T Case 4'255'205 Made 2003