The History of the Patek Philippe Calatrava
Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 2526 / Credit: Bogoff
Patek Philippe, essentially the epitome of horology, has the illustrious history expected of the company responsible for the majority of the world’s most expensive timepieces. But what about the story of one of their older models, the Patek Philippe Calatrava?
Patek released the first Calatrava, the ref. 96, in 1932, launching a men’s wristwatch when they had only just started to gain traction over pocket watches. In addition, Patek had recently been acquired by the Stern family, who sought to create a simple watch that could compete with the more complicated timepieces of the time – mostly to boost the sales after the slump of the Great Depression.
The ref. 96 was designed by Englishman David Penney, a horologist who was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus principle and followed it in his watch design. Patek Philippe, who did not yet manufacture its own movements, turned to Jaeger-LeCoultre to provide them with one of theirs (although two years later they released an in-house caliber that was used for subsequent Calatravas). The Calatrava ref. 96 was produced for over 40 years and remained exclusively manual winding until 1953; when the collection's first self-winding movement was released in the ref. 2526, an edition of 600 pieces.
To this day it remains a highly exclusive timepiece, revered amongst enthusiasts for its simple, yet aesthetically pleasing design. Still, it is sometimes overlooked for some of Patek’s more iconic models.