Piece Unique ‘Ovitz’ Patek Philippe 3940R

Prepare for some weapons-grade Patek Philippe nerdery. If you’re familiar with the 3940 on an intimate level, this will immediately feel a bit strange. There are Breguet numerals. The hands and dial are luminous. The certificate of origin shows a production date of 2014, which surely can’t be right for a 3940? This is level of privilege that Patek Philippe afford to their very top clients. Not only do you have an intimidating level of influence over how details are executed for your next watch, you can even bring references back from the dead. That is the kind of flexibility that Patek Philippe provided here to one time president of Disney, agent of Hollywood stars, and Patek mega-collector Michael Ovitz. His creations are fuel for dreams for us mere mortals, except this one has recently surfaced in the market.

Ovitz has been spotted with nearly all the classics on his wrist at various media showings throughout his career: a blue dial 5139G with Clous de Paris, 5004J with spherical hours, salmon 3940G with Breguets, and this 3940R amongst others. All of them have a tiny ‘MSO’ monogram designed and printed somewhere on the dial by Patek Philippe, for ‘Michael Steven Ovitz’. Nearly each is unique configuration or slight twist on a classic. Breguet numerals work so well on a 3940 it’s almost surprising this wasn’t made. No, we’re left to hunt them like the last remaining unicorns of an era.

And that’s what we see here. It’s a 3940R, but with a grained chocolate dial. This is maximum warm tones, so much so that I’m pretty sure it comes with a roaring fireplace and bottle of Laphroaig Cairdeas. When you study the 3940 closely, which is kind of my job, deviations from standard production jar. This watch stands out violently to those who really know Patek like Boris Johnson when telling the truth. Two things stand out as particularly interesting here. First, that Ovitz would let go of this perpetual calendar with which he’s quite famously associated. Why on Earth would you? But what’s truly insane, when you stop to contemplate it: the 2014 production. The 3940 had been retired for a decade when Ovitz requested this be made. I wonder what the statute of limitations is on that? If I got powerful enough could I commission a steel 1463 for instance? 1518? A mortal man can dream. Ovitz, though, could probably do it with a phone call.

As examples go, this is rare that condition almost doesn’t matter. Nonetheless it looks pretty great. The hallmarks a magnificently deep. There’s no bashes, barely even a hairline. It’s almost like he wore this with the intent to look after it for eventual sale. I hope the next owner chooses not to let it live in a safe. It comes from Perpetual London, full set included.