Patek Philiipe Golden Ellipse 3738/100G-012 Review
The Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse line started in 1968 as a line dedicated to elegant watches in perfect armony.
According to Patek the elips is "An elliptical case, between a circle and a rectangle. A dial in blue gold, with gold hands and hour markers floating over its depths. When it first appeared in 1968, Patek Philippe’s Golden Ellipse was a bold departure from traditional watch shapes. But far from bowing to fashion, this innovative watch had a sense of inner harmony that was very pleasing to the eye. Its design was inspired by the principle of the “golden section” discovered by the ancient greek mathematicians. This “divine” proportion, expressed as a ratio of 1 / 1.6181, forms the basis of some of history’s greatest works of art and architecture.
This is a review of the reference 3738/100G-012 that was launched in 2005 as one of the few and the last ellipse in "gris gold" or grey/white gold
This reference has modest sizes: Case dimensions: 31.1 x 35.6 mm and just 5.8 mm in height being one of the thinnest Patek Philippe watches and probably the thinnest powered by an automatic movement Cal. 240 with the following specifications:
Caliber 240
22K gold off-center mini-rotor
Diameter: 27.5 mm
Height: 2.53 mm
Jewels: 27
Bridges: 6
Parts: 161
Balance: Gyromax® Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz) Power reserve: Min. 48 hours Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal Patent: CH 595 653
As we can see in the above graphic there are various iterations with the last launched in 2018 for the 50th anniversary of the golden ellipse. The current model is powered by the same caliber but has a bigger case with dimensions: 34.5 x 39.5 mm. Height: 5.9 mm.
The Golden Ellipse Reference 3738/100G-012 also had matching cufflinks (available separately but with the same shape and color of the watch) that ,as you can see in the photos, enhances the elegance of the watch creating a very classic combination.
The claps has the same form of the watch, an ellipse.
The default strap for this white gold mode is a light brown that fits well with the anthracite dial enhacing the watch that, despite the small sizing, has a strong character.
The caseback is closed but a good fit for this watch.
The Golden Ellipse is probably the least popular model from the Patek catalogue.
It remains in production mostly as a form of nostalgy for the grandfather of the current owner and CEO.
This said the watch is pefect watch for a CEO looking for a discreet yet distinct watch. It is well recognizable for the "connoisseur" yet not mainstream. As Patek collectors are driving scarcity across all the lines it wouldn't be surprising if the golden ellipse will become more and more popular in the future. For now it remains a classic and elegant watch and a bit of a hidden secret from the Patek collections.