Patek Philippe Calatrava Watches

Exuding the utmost sophistication and elegance in timepieces, the Patek Philippe is one of the most coveted watch brands in the world of horology. Holding a long legacy of 180 successful years the brand’s most admired, the Patek Philippe Calatrava timepieces have occupied an eminent position in the hearts of many watch lovers. Through this article, we are going to take a deep dive into the origins of this iconic Patek Philippe watches.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava
The very first Patek Philippe Calatrava watch was created in the year 1932. During this time pocket watches were superabounding the watch market and the wristwatches were just making a debut. The producer of first Patek Philippe Calatrava watch, David Penney, had a great admiration for the Bauhaus style of designs so he carried forward the concept in the watch designs as well. The Bauhaus movement was initialised in the year 1919 with an aim of bridging the gap between art and industry by combining crafts and fine arts. The Bauhaus style greatly influenced the design aesthetics of Patek Philippe Calatrava watches. The first Patek Philippe Calatrava was made up of gold and featured a clean ivory dial with applied gold markers and a tiny subsidiary seconds dial located at 6:00 o'clock. Additionally, the first Patek Philippe Calatrava was a 31mm rounded timepiece fitted with integrated lugs on the three-part case. The presence of tapered lugs made it very comfortable to don on the wrist. The watch was embedded with the Jaeger LeCoultre mechanical calibre because during that time Patek Philippe was not involved in the manufacturing of in house movements. But later in the year 1934, Patek Philippe made efforts to launch its own in house calibre 12"'120. This same Patek Philippe mechanical movement was used for powering the later versions of Calatrava during that time.

The name Patek Philippe Calatrava has been accorded to this collection taking inspiration from the Calatrava cross. The Patek Calatrava watches honours the Spanish Catholic order of knights, founded in the year 1158. The Patek Philippe Calatrava watches are one of the highest selling timepieces from the Patek's collection and apparently, it is a flagship model for the brand. Being acquainted with the symbolic significance of Patek Philippe Calatrava cross this symbol was adopted as a brand logo in the year 1887. Since then all the production from brand came adorned with the Patek Philippe Calatrava cross logo. This trademark symbol can be sported on the winding crown, the back of the case, and the clasp of the Patek Philippe watches.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava Collection and Variations
The Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 96 prototypes continued to be in production for more than 40 years. Although they were presented with various modifications, including 35.5mm (Ref. 570), an enlarged version of 1938. This Patek Philippe watch was treated as a reference for the later iterations.

In the year 1953, Patek Philippe released its first-ever automatic Calatrava watch, Ref. 2526. This watch was encapsulated in a 36mm case size and had a round bezel. Less than 600 of these Patek Philippe watch prototypes were made and they are still very much in demand by collectors even today.

In the year 1973, Patek Philippe debuted the watch exclusively designed for modern watch enthusiasts. These Patek Philippe watches are popularly known as the signature Calatrava. They feature beautiful bezel with Clos de Paris guilloche or hobnail along with straight and polished lugs.

Another timeless invention by Patek Philippe is the Officer's Style Calatrava. This watch was unveiled in the year 1989. It featured straight lugs and a hinged dust cover protecting the transparent case back. The design aesthetics of this watch were the motivation for Patek Philippe pilot watch 5524G, released in Baselworld 2015. This pilot watch flaunted the Patek Philippe's patented Travel Time mechanism. Presently these Patek Philippe watches are available in different dial colour variants.

The current Patek Philippe Calatrava assortment consists of a number of stylish and elegant timepieces. Due to their simplicity and euphuism, these Patek Philippe timepieces are the much-celebrated ones. Being iconic in the Patek Philippe's history these timepieces are must to have watches. They are versatile timepieces and can be donned and paired with any kind of attire.

Moreover, to fulfil your urge for economical pricing, these luxury line of Patek Philippe watches are even available at low price ranges. The Patek Philippe Calatrava price may vary from as less as $ 16,710 to the highest up to $11 Million.