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    Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse lug width

    Watch line9 references

    Lug widths across the line

    Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse references use 18 mm or 19 mm depending on the reference and case size, so check yours in the list below. The most common is 18 mm (5 of 9 references with a known width).

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    Indicative information. Check your watch before buying a strap: whatsmylugwidth.com is not responsible for an incorrect size. Report an error

    9 Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse references

    FAQ

    What lug width does the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse use?

    Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse references use 18 mm or 19 mm depending on the reference and case size, so check yours in the list below. The most common is 18 mm (5 of 9 references with a known width).

    Do all Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse references take the same strap?

    No. 2 different lug widths appear across the line, often by case size or generation. Check the reference engraved on the case back or between the lugs.

    What buckle size does a Golden Ellipse strap take?

    Patek's 2008 technical data give a 15-mm Golden Ellipse prong buckle for the jumbo 5738P and a 14-mm buckle for the classic-size 3738/100P. The buckle itself is shaped like the case.

    How big is a Golden Ellipse on the wrist?

    It depends on the generation: the original 3548 is 27 x 32 mm, the 3738 and 3738/100 are 31 x 35.5 mm, and the current jumbo 5738 is 34.5 x 39.5 mm and 5.9 mm thick.

    The story of the Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse

    In 1968 Patek Philippe launched a watch that was rounded without being round and rectangular without corners, its proportions taken from the golden section. At its 40th birthday in 2008, Patek called it the second-oldest collection, after the Calatrava.

    1.618the golden section ratio Patek applied to the case's width and length
    2.53 mmthickness of caliber 240, the self-winding movement in every current Golden Ellipse
    100watch-and-cufflink sets in the 2018 50th-anniversary 5738/50P limited edition

    Chapters

    1. 1977 to 2018
      Caliber 240 and the long 3738

      In 1977 the ultra-thin self-winding caliber 240, with a mini-rotor sunk into the movement, entered the Ellipse. The ref. 3738 that carried it moved to a two-piece case with 25 m water resistance, and its 3738/100 version of 1984 became the longest-produced Golden Ellipse, made until 2018.

    2. 1968 to 1976
      Blue gold and the golden section

      The first Golden Ellipse, ref. 3548, measured 27 x 32 mm in gold and ran on the hand-wound caliber 23-300. Its 18K gold dial glowed a deep blue, a finish obtained by vacuum plating cobalt and 24K gold onto the dial. A lugged twin, ref. 3546, appeared alongside it, and both stayed in the catalogue until 1976.

    Worn by

    Queen Elizabeth IIHistory1984

    Sat for a 1984 portrait wearing a diamond-set Golden Ellipse with a blue dial and mesh bracelet, the photo that Drake later posted as his inspiration.

    DrakeMusic2021

    Posted himself on Instagram in September 2021 wearing a diamond-bezel Golden Ellipse with a blue dial, alongside the 1984 portrait of the Queen wearing a near-identical watch.

    Michael SafdieBusiness

    The New York art dealer and Patek collector bought a Golden Ellipse at 23, in the late 1970s, calling it the watch of the rich and famous of that time.

    Moments

    Patek says the name was inspired by the golden section, the ratio of 1.618 it applied to the case's width and length; the ratio was first described by the Greek mathematician Hippasus around 450 B.C.

    After his album Certified Lover Boy topped the charts, Drake posted a diamond-set Ellipse next to a 1984 photo of Elizabeth II wearing a near-identical one. Patek declined to comment, citing customer privacy.

    Generations and strap changes

    1. 2018
      Refs. 5738R and 5738/50P

      The rose-gold 5738R adds an ebony black sunburst dial and an onyx cabochon in the crown. The 5738/50P, 100 pieces in platinum, has a hand-engraved white gold dial with black enamel and came with matching cufflinks.

      Both ship on hand-stitched shiny black alligator with a prong buckle echoing the case shape; Patek notes that the strap attachment is concealed beneath the caseband.

    2. 1984
      Ref. 3738/100

      The longest-running Golden Ellipse, made until 2018. It came in yellow gold with a sunburst blue gold dial, white gold with charcoal and rose gold with chocolate brown.

      Patek's 2008 data for the platinum 3738/100P give a 31.10 x 35.60 mm case on an alligator strap with a 14-mm Golden Ellipse prong buckle.

    3. 1977
      Ref. 3738

      First Ellipse with the self-winding caliber 240. The case became two-piece, giving the line a standard 25 m water resistance for the first time.

      Case grew to 31 x 35.5 mm.

    4. 1974
      Refs. 3746 and 3748

      Successors to the 3546 and 3548, with the slimmer hand-wound caliber 215 in the same 27 x 32 mm size. The 3748 was a hit and stayed in production until 1994.

    About Patek Philippe

    Founded in 1839 in Geneva, Switzerland.

    The Patek Philippe story

    Help

    What is lug width?

    The gap between the two lugs that hold the strap, in millimetres. A new strap must match it exactly: 20 mm lugs take a 20 mm strap.

    Measure it in 30 seconds

    1. Take the strap off, or look at the back of it: many straps print their width.
    2. Measure the inside gap between the lugs with a caliper or a millimetre ruler.
    3. Round to the nearest whole millimetre. Most watches use 18, 20 or 22 mm.

    Strap, quick release or system?

    Most watches use spring bars, so any strap of the right width fits. Many smartwatches use their own band system instead, such as Apple Watch bands or Garmin QuickFit.