The perfect fake Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph reference 3970 is about as good as it gets (and “as good as it may ever get”). Produced from 1986 until 2004, the 3970 was the successor to the 1518 and the 2499. The perpetual calendar chronograph is the most important complication combo to Patek Philippe replica for sale – what the Daytona is to Rolex, the perpetual calendar chronograph is to Patek.
I never really thought about the 3970 much until I tried one on for the first time and my heart became full knowing that this perfectly sized (for me) 36mm watch is the one I’d lust after for the rest of my life. I’d never seen a 3970 in platinum with a black dial in person before, which made this example at Sotheby’s all the better. It gives the 3970 a slightly sporty vibe, which is weird to say given what this luxury super clone Patek Philippe is, not to mention the serif typewriter font, apertures, and other classic cues.
The 3970 was the first perpetual calendar chronograph to use a Lemania-based movement, and it represents 1:1 replica Patek Philippe sticking to its traditional complications and sizing, even as the watch world around it turned upside down in the ’80s. It’s everything that can be great about modern and vintage copy watches.
For me, the 3970 is perhaps the best complicated watch ever made.
Meanwhile, the 5270 comes from a different era. Introduced in 2011, it was AAA fake Patek Philippe‘s first in-house perpetual calendar chronograph. Unlike its predecessors – the 3970 and the 5970 – it didn’t have immediate appeal. It was too big or too bulky (on the wrist, this 5270R is actually quite wearable); there was even a “chin” that collectors loved to complain about for a while. This 5270R at Sotheby’s comes from 2018, and luckily by this point, Swiss copy Patek Philippe had arrived at a more balanced design.
Still, every single element of the 3970 feels so tight and considered, especially when put next to the 5270. The 5270 isn’t a bad watch at all – on the contrary, it’s an amazing watch! high quality replica Patek Philippe holds six patents on the in-house caliber 29-535 PS, the chronograph operates smoothly, and the finishing is excellent; Paul Boutros, now of Phillips, did an excellent in-depth review of the 5270 way back in 2014.
Very different questions were being asked of Patek Philippe fake for sale in the ’80s and in the 2010s, and I tend to like its answers to those challenges from the ’80s more. In 2018, Cara wondered why results of the 3970 always felt a little softer than they should – and in the last couple of years, they’ve crept upward. At Sotheby’s, these two perpetual calendar chronographs have the same high estimate ($120,000); I’m choosing the 3970EP every day.
There’s a reason Mark and I paused to get a wrist shot with the top super clone Patek Philippe 3970 and not any of the other best quality fake watches. Winner: Patek 3970EP
