Patek Philippe 3940J First Series Perpetual Calendar Review

Even in the upper echelon of Patek Philippe’s catalog of great perpetual calendar watches, the 3940 remains unparalleled. Its production spanned three continuous decades, from 1985 to 2007, one of the longest production runs in Patek’s history. It was exclusively available in precious metals, first in yellow gold, and later in rose and white gold, as well as some platinum versions, and its flowing curves and 36mm size both alluded beautifully to Patek’s legacy of elegant perpetual calendars. 

Most importantly, it was a drastic departure from the preceding 3450. On that reference, the perpetual calendar was displayed in small apertures, with a leap year indicator in a small circle at the 3:30 position, and the day and month in rectangular windows above the hands. Instead, the newer 3940 perpetual calendar was more in line with tradition, replacing the apertures with classic subdials and stacked lettering to indicate numbers and days of the week. The moonphase was retained at the proper six o’clock position, and nearly everything else seemed to evolve around it. 

The 3940’s case is slim and rounded on every surface, foregoing the width and chunkiness of its predecessor. It is a look that aligns with the late-1980s watch aesthetic that sought to round off any and all angular edges, creating organic softness. (This was later done to excess in the watch industry as a whole throughout the 1990s, with certain watches more resembling Alien’s xenomorphs). 

The 3940 uses the Caliber 240Q, a micro-rotor automatic that became one of the thinnest automatic movements ever to be found in a perpetual calendar, and a symbol of modernity for Patek. This model was a first-series piece, whose sunken subdials at the three and nine o’clock positions are smaller and more delicate-seeming than later variants, and therefore prized by Patek Philippe devotees. 

In fact, Patek Philippe introduced the 3940 alongside an even grander perpetual calendar, with an extra complication: the 3970, which paired the perpetual calendar with a chronograph movement. In 1985, both were considered a dual show of defiance against the ongoing upheaval of the quartz revolution. Yet it’s the 3940 that remains humble by comparison, if one of horology’s most rarefied complications can be considered humble. Philippe Stern was known to wear a 3940 every day, a rousing endorsement for the 3940 as a “daily driver,” from the head of the maison himself.