Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Patek Philippe · Golden Ellipse
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 37 mm Blue Ceramic
Reference 31647OR.12
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Patek Philippe
- Collection
- Golden Ellipse
- Model
- Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 37 mm Blue Ceramic
- Reference number
- 31647OR.12
- Year / era
- 1963 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 188 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 37 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 50E — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1963 – 1968
- Limited-edition quantity
- 188 pieces
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 37 mm Blue Ceramic sits within Patek Philippe's Golden Ellipse line, introduced in 1963. It carries the house codes established since 1839 — ceramic case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Patek Philippe
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1839
- Founder
- Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava, Complications, Grand Complications, Golden Ellipse, Gondolo, Twenty~4, Cubitus
- Signature technologies
- Composite and ceramic case materials · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- Patek Philippe Nautilus 38 mm Slate Quartz (1999) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 41 mm Blue Carbon (1995) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 38 mm Slate Sapphire (1964) · Patek Philippe Nautilus 36 mm Meteorite Grade (1986)
Brand history
Patek Philippe has spent more than 187 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Nautilus, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe established Patek Philippe in 1839, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Patek Philippe calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1839
Antoine Norbert de Patek & Adrien Philippe founds Patek Philippe in Switzerland.
1879
Patek Philippe earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Patek Philippe to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Patek Philippe enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Patek Philippe continues to produce Nautilus, Aquanaut, Calatrava and other icons in limited numbers.
More Golden Ellipse
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 36 mm Green Carbon
Ref. 26789OR.24
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 38 mm Slate Sapphire
Ref. 92701OR.48
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 43 mm Slate Grade
Ref. 98147OR.74
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 36 mm Ice Carbon
Ref. 47971OR.88
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 38 mm Ice Ceramic
Ref. 75905OR.34