This Patek Philippe ref. 3587/3G is one of the rarest of all Beta 21 watches and odds are you have never seen this one before in this configuration. This is the first and only example we have ever seen, and to the best of our knowledge, the only one known to exist. Made in 1971, it represents an exceptionally early and important chapter in Patek Philippe’s presentation of the Beta 21. This particular ref. 3587/3G is distinguished for its unusual white gold bracelet, signed by both Patek Philippe and Gay Frères. The bracelet features a folding clasp with a design language reminiscent of Rolex bracelets of the same era, no coincidence, as Gay Frères also supplied bracelets to Rolex. Its construction gives the watch an even more architectural and integrated presence on the wrist with its distinctive fold over clasp.
The ref. 3587 is already one of the most significant and unconventional wristwatches Patek Philippe produced in the modern era. Launched at the dawn of electronic watchmaking, it was fitted with the celebrated Beta 21 movement, the groundbreaking Swiss analog quartz caliber developed by a consortium of leading Swiss manufactures, including Patek Philippe, at the Centre Electronique Horloger in Neuchâtel. Introduced in 1970, the Beta 21 marked a defining moment in 20th-century horology, and the ref. 3587 stands as Patek Philippe’s bold response to this new technological frontier.
