On the occasion of the grand collection&rsquo;s 90th anniversary, we recount how it came to be the beloved collection it is today.

The Calatrava is an exemplary demonstration of Patek Philippe&rsquo;s defining watchmaking virtues, distilled down to its simplest. Originally designed in the early 1930s by English horologist David Penney, and modelled after the Bauhaus philosophy of form following function, the Reference 96 provided the blueprint for what would become the Calatrava. But not just for Patek Philippe, the Reference 96 went on to become the gold standard by which all other elegant dress watches would take bearing.

In most instances, the Calatrava has been a time-only watch, and therein, sort of a canvas with a standard base coat, that has allowed Patek Philippe to effortlessly paint upon without losing its fundamental identity. In fact, soon after its 1932 launch, Patek Philippe began to create animations of the time-only watch with a variety of baton markers, various designs for the hands and choice precious metals. There were also other flourishes such as one with no small seconds, elegant Breguet numerals for the hours and more daring examples such as ones with sector dials and even a pilot&rsquo;s watch type with large luminous Arabic numerals and luminous hands. Reference 96s with more ornate cases such as those that had hobnail patterns on the bezels, were designated 96D (D for d&eacute;cor). Patek Philippe even had the foresight to create larger Calatrava iterations as early as its first decade, which included the 565 that was made to be hardy with a screwdown crown, monocoque case and predominantly produced in steel.

By the 1970s the Calatrava grew to become a full-fledged collection. Some further landmark moments for the Calatrava henceforth included the 1985 ref. 3919 with the manually wound caliber 215 PS, a revolutionary movement developed by Patek Philippe with the first of its kind to be fitted with a 4Hz Gryromax balance wheel. In the 21st century, the contemporary Calatrava collection has evolved again to include pieces that are far removed the time-only philosophy, with watches such as the ref. 6000, which introduced an unusual dial with an outer chapter ring for date display and the even more complicated ref. 5212A Calatrava Weekly Calendar. Perhaps the most recognized Calatrava today, and the most unorthodox, is the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, which has appeared in several references thus far: ref. 5524 and 7234.

Deviations aside, the reference that remains most true to the original 96 today is the 6119. Announced at Watches &amp; Wonders Geneva 2021, the 39mm ref. 6119 has brought the Calatrava up to more current size preferences, with the added flourish of a Clous de Paris bezel. Most importantly, ref. 6119 is powered by the newly developed manual calibre 30-255 PS, a wider movement that properly fills up the display caseback for your admiration. 2022 marks the 90th year since Patek Philippe launched the Reference 96, and thus, the Calatrava. While the year is not being formally celebrated, earlier at the 2022 Watches &amp; Wonders Geneva, the company announced the Calatrava Ref. 5226G-001 in white gold with a hobnail pattern on the caseband, powered by the automatic caliber 26-330 S C. The timepiece is decorated with a textured charcoal gray dial, reminiscent of antique camera cases and adorned with white gold applied numerals and syringe-shaped hands that are filled with a beige luminescent coating. This is the first time that Patek Philippe has used the color beige on one of their dials.

What has been amazing through the Calatrava&rsquo;s nine-decade long lifetime, is that while there have been many animations within the collection, with decorations and complications added, Patek Philippe has always made it a point retain an iteration of the Calatrava in its time-only form. One could suggest that by doing so, Patek Philippe has never lost sight of its watchmaking identity stripped down to its simplest, a sort of canvas with a standard base coat, to effortlessly paint upon.
Visit <a href="https://www.patek.com/en/collection/calatrava">patek.com</a> to find out more.

The Calatrava is a fundamental icon of Patek Philippe

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