There are some works of art which transcend their singular appeal and importance; in virtue of either rarity, peculiar traits, sheer beauty or a mix of all of the above, they become cornerstone objects of a certain collecting category, spoken of with a mix of reverence and desire among the most discerned scholars of the respective fields.

Very few timepieces have so far achieved this mythological status. Some examples of this "Beyond" category would be Paul Newman’s Paul Newman, the Patek Philippe JB Champion Observatory, or the present reference 3448 in pink gold.

First appeared on the auction market 2011, the watch at the time solved an ongoing dispute among collectors and scholars: had reference 3448 ever been cased in anything other than yellow and white gold? Rumors had been circulating of pink gold examples, but these were regarded with the same kind of skepticism as a Big Foot sighting would. The appearance of the present piece - truly a mythological beast in the realm of watchmaking, if ever there was one - finally proved that, yes, at least one example of ref. 3448 was cased in pink gold. So far, no other pink gold specimen has appeared on the market.

Notwithstanding its rarity and intellectual importance, the watch presents technical and aesthetic traits which would render it an absolute masterpiece even if hundreds of these had been made. One of the vintage Patek Philippe models with the most modern appeal, ref. 3448 is distinguished by its generous 37mm case size (made by maker Antoine Gerlach - case maker number 4 inside a key - indicating the Geneva provenance) and its very contemporary, angular and clean overall architecture. In fact, a very similar case design is today employed by the company in reference 5235 and reference 5236. The pink gold livery infuses the design with a warmth not present in the other metal variations which somehow grants more soul and emotion to the timepiece.

An addition which will delight Patek Philippe connoisseurs is the presence of the "Double P" crown featuring two back-to-back "P" as emblem of the brand, rather than the commonly seen (to this very day) Calatrava cross. This crown was reserved, in the early days of Patek Philippe automatic movements, to indeed subtly announce the presence of a rotor inside the case instead of printing an "automatic" designation on the dial. In fact, to this very day, it appears that Patek has virtually never wrote "automatic" on the dial, possibly deeming this addition would not be on par with the standards of elegance of the brand.

The wonderfully preserved engraved/enamelled Second Series dial (in use throughout most of the 1960s and identifiable by the pearl minute divisions and small calendar numbers) has acquired with time a subtle ivory hue that seems hand-picked to match the warmth of the case.

Obviously, one of the most appealing traits of the watch is the Freccero signature, as expected, printed rather than engraved/enamelled, present at 6 o’clock. The Uruguayan retailer was at the time one of the most important Patek Philippe doors, and it is relatively unsurprising - bar the fact that this is a ref. 3448 - to find a pink gold timepiece retailed by them as this hue was then very fashionable in South America. Ref. 3448 holds an important place in the history of Patek Philippe and horology at large. It was the world’s first self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch, replacing the manually wound perpetual calendar references 2497 and 2438/1. Today, it is seen as one of the most sought-after vintage Patek Philippe models due to its robust and sculpted yet harmonious design, and its eminent practicality.

Launched in 1962, it was produced for a period of 20 years before being replaced by reference 3450. The production can be split into four different Series as follows:

- The First Series features baton minute divisions with engraved/enameled graphics and small date ring - 1962 to circa 1965.

- The Second Series, such as the present piece, introduced pearl minute divisions. The date ring remains small (earlier ones have engraved/enamelled graphics, whereas later ones are printed) - 1965 to circa 1973.

- The Third Series maintains the pearl minute divisions but the date ring now features a large font. The graphics are printed - 1971 to circa 1978.

- The Fourth Series reintroduces the baton minute divisions found on the First Series albeit now they are printed. The date ring remains large - from circa 1978.

Technically, the model is an absolute dream. The calibre beating inside ref. 3448 can be considered, without a doubt, a masterpiece of engineering. Cal. 27-460 is the final evolution of cal. 12-600, first introduced in reference 2526 and universally considered one of the most accurate, reliable and lavishly decorated automatic movements of all times. It is the result of 30 years of R&D (the time necessary for Rolex’s patent on the rotor to expire). In this instance, the added perpetual calendar module makes it become cal. 27-460 Q, where Q stands for "quantiéme": calendar.

Without a doubt one of the greatest vintage timepieces ever made, the present watch truly is "beyond endgame level" collecting. A singular trophy, like a few others, would be the star of any of the most important watch collections in the world.