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May 26th 2025
For some connoisseurs, the Calatrava wristwatch is the most powerful expression of pure watchmaking craftsmanship. The Calatrava also plays a decisive role in the history of the last family-owned watch brand in Geneva. When the Stern family took over the business in 1932, wristwatches were far from enjoying the reputation they enjoy today. But the Sterns recognized the great future that pocket watches would have on the wrist. Even more astonishing: the legendary reference 96 was launched in the same year, incidentally the very first with the catalog designation that is common today. And for those who really didn’t know: the Calatrava cross in the manufactory’s coat of arms comes from a famous Spanish order of knights who bravely defended the castle of Calatrava la Vieja in Castile against the Moors in the 12th century. Since then, the elegant Calatrava model has been reissued in many versions. The dials, which were always simple, only showed the hours and minutes, sometimes the seconds and rarely the date.
As the epitome of the round wristwatch and a perfect emblem of the Patek Philippe style, the reference 5196 with manual winding, for example, was part of the collection from 2004 to 2021. The Manufacture is now expanding its range of understated watches of timeless elegance by reinterpreting this classic in a new platinum model with a slightly larger diameter. The dial is given a special touch by the vintage feel of its rose gold opaline decoration. The faceted hour markers and the Dauphine hour and minute hands in white gold, whose anthracite gray coating stands out clearly against the background, ensure perfect legibility. The small second hand is discreetly displayed at 6 o’clock. A design with the linear aesthetics of the Calatrava and in line with the minimalist design principles of the Bauhaus style, according to which the form of an object is determined by its function.
The wonderfully simple, polished case is characterized by its smooth, beveled bezel, its satin-finished flanks and its slender lugs, which form a harmonious transition to the bracelet. As with all Patek Philippe platinum models, the middle section at 6 o’clock is set with a brilliant-cut diamond. Timekeeping is controlled by the hand-wound Caliber 30-255 PS, which was introduced in 2021 on the Calatrava Clous-de-Paris (reference 6119). This robust and powerful movement with an extremely slim profile (2.55 mm) stands out in particular for its 65-hour power reserve and its stop-seconds system, which allows the time to be set to the nearest second.
The transparent sapphire crystal case back allows you to admire the harmonious arrangement of the Côtes de Genève bridges. The timeless elegance of this new Calatrava (reference 6196P-001) is rounded off by a bracelet in shiny chocolate-brown alligator leather with a platinum pin buckle.