The 3448's case measures 37.5mm and is complimented by sharp, angular lugs that draw attention to the large, wide dial. Its thin, sharply raked case and bezel, as well as its relatively thin, sharply raked case, led the Italians give it the nickname "Padellone", or "Frying Pan". Between 1962 and 1981 the watch was produced in 500 pieces, 100 of which are white gold. Two more rose-gold models are also available. Two watches were made of white gold, but Jean-Pierre Hagmann modified them with platinum cases long after this model had been discontinued.swiss replica watches According to the story, Philippe Stern granted permission to do this in order to fulfill a 1996 special order from a client who was obviously very important. One of these two 3448 platinum watches is currently owned by Jean-Claude Biver, a legend in the watch industry. Phillips sold a platinum watch at auction in 2018 for SFr.1,092,500. Christie's sold a platinum watch 3448 in 2009 for SFr.783,000. It's a good deal, considering that white-gold watches in excellent condition can sell for up to SFr. 600,000.
Four distinct series can be distinguished by the dials of the 3448s. The first three series used the same dials with grand feu enamel, gold baton markers applied in short lengths and sword-shaped hand. All three series featured gold pearls applied to the minute track. We should pause to appreciate how difficult it can be to create these dials. These stunning dials must be made uniformly white and printed with the Richard Mille Replica logo and date wheel in the space below the twin apertures. These delicate dials must be pierced in order to accommodate the markers and each pearl on the minute track. Close-up photos of the white second-series 3448 sold by Christie's, in 2016, clearly show this piercing.
The typography, or the size of numbers for the date, can help you distinguish between the three series. According to Christie's the first series watches were made between 1962 and 1966. The dials of the watches are enamel with a medium print size for the numbers on the date ring. The date ring numbers are usually formatted in a way that they are inverted for better visibility.Roger Dubuis Replica Otherwise, you would have to read them upside down. The dials are marketed as "Swiss", but there is no sigma sign on either side. (The "sigma dial" was introduced later by the Association pour la Promotion Industrielle de l'Or APRIOR - essentially, the Swiss Federation for Gold - to increase the value of mechanical watch by emphasizing solid gold parts.
In the second series, made between 1965 and 1973, the printed numbers are smaller and lighter. The numbers can be inverted or not, i.e. they do not flip from "11" through "23", and so appear upside-down. The Swiss hallmark may have the sigma symbols on both sides (usually on dials made after 1970), which refers to the gold indexes used on the dial.
The third series, made between 1971 and 1978, is identical to the first two series but with numbers that are distinctly bigger. The date ring can be inverted or not. It will also have the Swiss hallmark and sigma symbols.
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