Pre-Owned Patek Philippe Calatrava

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Why We Love It 

Patek Philippe has long been known for its complicated watchmaking, but following the stock market crash of 1929, fewer clients had the means to purchase these high-end timepieces. After securing a controlling interest in the firm, Jean and Charles Henri Stern decided to enlist the help of an English designer named David Penney to create a simple watch that would come in at a lower price point and appeal to the firm’s clientele. 

Using the principles espoused by the Bauhaus school and its minimalist, function-first philosophy, Penney conceived the Calatrava, taking its name from the Spanish military order established in the 12th century which had become the symbol of Patek Philippe. Since its debut in 1932, the Calatrava has become a byword for a simple, time-only dress watch — even from brands other than Patek itself.

This particular Calatrava, a reference 2460, embodies all of the things we love about the world’s most elegant dress watch family: Housed in a 32mm yellow gold case in good condition, it features a beautiful, lightly patinated satin silver dial with applied yellow gold dart indices, a printed outer minute track and a matching yellow gold handset with a blued steel seconds hand. Complementing the beautiful dial is an acrylic crystal, an 18K yellow gold unsigned crown, and the Patek Philippe Calibre 27 SC manual-winding movement. An included extract from the Patek Philippe archives confirms production in October of 1951 — the heyday of simple, attractive dress watches such as these.  

Sure, you could get yourself a modern dress watch that tells the time just fine — and that probably ends up in a drawer after a while. But a real Calatrava from the world’s greatest watchmaker is forever. 

The Patek Philippe Story

Patek Philippe.

Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history. Few luxury brands in the world carry the gravitas of their name, and for good reason.  The firm's commitment to excellence in horological manufacture is unflinching, and their track record of innovation in design without peer.  They continue to lead the industry, and even their fiercest competitors have nothing but the utmost respect for the company.

Owning a Patek Philippe is for many the ultimate goal of timepiece collecting, and for a certain type, the only timepieces they collect. Whichever way you look at it, there is no questioning the elegance of design, superlative manufacture of their cases and movements, or the sheer elegance and emotion that comes from owning one.

Of course for a brand that is steeped in heritage, we are told ‘You never actually own a Patek Philippe…”

Well, you know the rest.