Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Alessandro Squarzi spotted wearing Patek Philippe

Alessandro Squarzi, the Florentine entrepreneur and fashion-world fixture best known as founder of the denim brand Replay's early creative circle and a fixture on the Milan street-style circuit, was photographed wearing a Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph reference 3970J in yellow gold with a white dial — a combination that represents some of the most enduring Geneva watchmaking of the late twentieth century.

The Patek Philippe 3970 was introduced in 1986 as a direct successor to the ref. 2499, carrying forward the lineage of Patek's perpetual calendar chronograph in a case that measured 36mm in diameter — modest by today's standards but perfectly proportioned for its era. The movement inside is the manually wound Caliber CH 27-70 Q, a construction that marries the venerable Valjoux-derived column-wheel chronograph base with Patek's own perpetual calendar module. The mechanism tracks day, date, month, and moon phase with the characteristic Patek logic: a single pusher at 10 o'clock advances the calendar displays. The white dial variant of the 3970J presents that complexity with admirable restraint — applied baton indices, crisp subsidiary dials, and the discreet but unmistakable four-line calendar window at 3 o'clock.

The 3970 remained in production until 2004, when Patek Philippe replaced it with the reference 5970 — a larger 40mm case housing the new automatic Caliber CH 29-535 PS Q with an instantaneous perpetual calendar and a revised dial architecture. The differences between the two references are meaningful to collectors: the 3970 offers a more intimate case size, manual winding, and a continuity with pre-quartz-crisis horological tradition; the 5970 brings modern finishing standards and greater wrist presence. Both are considered blue-chip Patek.

Squarzi is among the most photographed watch collectors in the Italian entrepreneurial world. His taste runs toward references with genuine pedigree — pre-owned grand complications, vintage sports references — rather than novelty. A 3970J in white dial configuration is precisely the kind of understated, deeply correct choice that reflects that sensibility.

On the secondary market, yellow gold examples of the Patek Philippe ref. 3970J with white dials command significant premiums. Condition, service history, and original box and papers shape pricing considerably, but clean examples regularly trade above the six-figure mark in euros at auction and through specialist dealers — confirming the 3970's standing as one of the most collectible perpetual calendar chronographs of the modern era.