Not every timepiece from the world’s greatest watchmaker fits neatly into the mold of an overarching theme or collection.
While we love a simple Calatrava, a sporty Aquanaut, or a complicated perpetual calendar as much as the next guy, the oddball, more overlooked and usually limited-production, shaped watches made by the maison in the second half of the 20th century are often some of the most innovative and charming in oeuvre.
Take this fantastic piece for example. Aptly nicknamed the ‘UFO,’ this Reference 3580A features a 35mm stainless steel case with a radially finished bezel, a slightly domed crystal and an awesome Patek Philippe signed stainless steel mesh bracelet mounted to a set of hidden ‘T’ lugs.
The crown, you may ask?
Well it’s positioned on the caseback making this particular Reference the only stainless steel, back-wind configuration in the entire Patek catalog!
Like the Ellipses of the time, this piece is adorned with a stunning sunburst blue dial with a matching handset and applied ‘black line’ markers. At its core, this piece is powered by a self-winding Calibre 350 movement.
Steel Pateks are rare. Uncommon at the very least; and with a speculated 500 examples of this Reference ever having been produced, this piece is beautiful, scarce, and a unique piece of art — and there's no telling when one of these with a matching bracelet will surface again.