If I were to create a list of my personal Patek Philippe “grails,” you might find a stainless steel ref. 1518 and other extremely out-of-this-world choices. But possibly the most realistic Patek “grail” of mine is a doré-dialed UK perfect replica Patek Philippe watches ref. 3940J, specifically this one, “No. 10” made for Beyer, but just about any example would suffice, I suppose.
Surfacing for sale via a smaller, estate-focused auction house in Detroit, Michigan, this best fake Patek Philippe watches ref. 3940 feature that all-important champagne dial tone. “Doré” dials, as they are known on original Patek certificates of the time, are a rarer dial option than the more standard silvered or “white” dials that are typically seen on these yellow gold Patek QPs. As 3940s go, the earlier the production, the better, and it just so happens that these champagne-flavored dials are concentrated in first and second-series examples, only adding to their collectibility. While the dials are typically found in the most collectible production runs and on those earliest Beyer-retailed examples, the flat-out truth is that the doré tone suits the 3940J best. I am typically not a fan of gold-tone dials, but this reference is a notable exception.
This particular watch comes to auction from what we can presume to be either the original owner or a long-time owner. Fresh from a private collection in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, the UK top quality copy watches appear to be consigned by the same owner as an early Aquanaut ref. 5066 — quite the two-watch collection. Per the auction listing, this example is a full set with its original box (peeling on the inside, as is typical) and papers. Important to note are the two hallmarks on the nine o’clock side case flank. These hallmarks are unique to early AAA replica watches and often, with polishing, completely gone. A similar example with box and papers but polished hallmarks sold for £105,000 in November of 2022 via A Collected Man.
This cheap super clone Patek Philippe ref. 3940J watches are lot 1 of DuMouchelle’s April 2025: Day One sale on Thursday, April 17th, at 11:00 PM ET.