Tag: patek philippe calatrava
Patek Philippe Calatrava
Patek Philippe is introducing an updated Calatrava with a series of primary-colored dial variations.
Meet the new Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 6007G, in three different colors: yellow (ref. 6007G-001), red (6007G-010), and blue (6007G-011). It’s similar to the limited-edition 6007A that Patek released back in 2020 to celebrate the opening of its new manufacturer, but now it’s in white gold, not steel. Unlike that model, the new 6007G uses Patek’s newer-generation movement, the caliber 26-330 S C.
Like 2020’s 6007A, the new 6007G measures 40mm in diameter and 9mm thick. The white gold case is entirely polished and water resistant to 30 meters. The dial in each of the three references is black, with yellow, red, or sky blue accents on the minute and hour track, and a matching center seconds hand. On the black calfskin strap, Patek has also added contrast stitching that matches these colorful accents
Keeping with the more casual vibe of the watch, the Arabic numerals and hands have Super-Luminova. Keeping with the fact that it’s still a Patek, the numerals are applied and in white gold.
The Patek Philippe Calatrava black dial has different finishes for each of its concentric circles: “carbon style” stamped guilloche is in the center, surrounded by circular graining and brushing. It’s the same dial treatment seen in the 6007A (and last year’s 5935 World Timer); we’ve also seen the carbon-style guilloche in a unique 5004T and 5208T. Yes, the guilloche in the 6007G is stamped, and yes, it was hand-engraved on those unique examples. Those unique examples also sold for EUR 2.9 million and CHF 6.2 million, respectively. The 6007G already costs nearly $40,000, so adding elements of true engine-turned guilloche would’ve sent it into another stratosphere.
The new Patek Philippe Calatrava 6007G trio is powered by Patek’s relatively new caliber 26-330 S C, which can be seen through the sapphire caseback. It has a date at 3 o’clock, hacking seconds, and ticks at 28,800 beats per hour with a 45-hour power reserve. It represents a practical (hacking seconds!) and technical upgrade over the 6007A’s 324.
First introduced in 2019 as a base for the surprisingly lovely 5212A Weekly Calendar, Patek also swapped the 26-330 into the Nautilus 5711 for the last couple years of its run. Its most important technical upgrade as compared to the 324 is the addition of a new second wheel that’s made using LIGA and has long, slotted teeth on each gear. This is meant to smooth the ticking of the seconds hand and prevent the backlash seen on other seconds hands. Retail for each color of the 6007G is $37,850. A lot for a time-and-date watch, to be sure, but also in line with last year’s 5226 ($40,220, also powered by the 26-330), and within spitting distance of the more traditionally-minded manual-wind 6119G ($31,940). It’s also about the same as that Weekly Calendar I love, which I’d probably take if I had a spare $40,000, but I can already hear my local authorized dealer laughing about my chances of getting one of those, even as I type this sentence (hi, Allison!).
It’s easy to point to the recent 6007A as the inspiration for this watch, but really this more casual, perhaps instrument-inspired take on the Calatrava can be traced back to the early ’90s when Patek introduced the 5000G. This was followed by the 6000G in 2005 and then the 6006G in 2017, both larger riffs on the original 5000G that added a pointer date. Thirty years on, the design is a well-trodden, if infrequent, part of Patek’s Calatrava catalog.
With watches like the 6007, last year’s 5226G, and even the 5212A, it seems Patek is trying to chart a middle-ground for a new kind of Patek Philippe watch. It’s not a sport watch (this is clearly not a Nautilus or Aquanaut), and it’s not your grandfather’s Patek (for that, there’s the 6119). It’s a daily wearer for the type of person who wants a Patek – someone who’s ready for a Calatrava, but maybe they discovered watches years ago via something like a Hamilton Khaki Field or IWC Pilot’s Watch, or even that eye-popping run of colored Rolex Oyster Perpetuals.
Of course, it’s funny that what’ll probably be referred to as the “colorful Calatravas” still have black dials and really aren’t that colorful. A few secondary pops of bright colors is all it takes to liven up a line that’s been around since 1932.
There’s a rumor that the original 5000G was produced for a potential Patek-Ferrari partnership and is inspired by a car’s instrumentation. The partnership never came to fruition, but if the rumor is true, the red-accented 6007G especially feels like the most attenuated of connections to the origin story of the reference that laid the groundwork for this new trio of Calatravas.
If Rolex can try out brand-new bezel and dial colors (and combinations thereof), I think we can allow Patek a few colorful tick marks and a sweeping seconds hand.
I’d quibble with other details that stray from older Pateks like that 5000G – a smaller diameter and no date would’ve been nice – but with the different dial finishes, at least the dial looks proportional. Perhaps because of the red we’ve seen in Pateks before (in limited editions, piece uniques, and even standard production watches) or just my Chicago Bulls fandom, the red 6007G-010 makes the most sense to me.
Light blue is a trendier pick, though at least it’s a few shades away from that other light-blue Patek. It does feel very Patek that, for its “colorful Calatravas,” it’d choose the three primary colors. No reason to spin the color wheel around too far.
I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t mind your grandfather’s Patek and might even prefer it (especially if it happens to be this one), but who also wants a modern Patek to be a modern Patek. While perhaps more expensive than an old Patek Philippe Calatrava , the new 6007G strikes a workable balance between traditional and modern, sport and dress, restrained and colorful.
patek philippe calatrava
You’d be forgiven if you mistook Patek Philippe’s newest Calatrava for, well, anything other than a Calatrava. After nearly a century, the patek philippe Calatrava has become almost archetypal in its design language, acting as a beacon that can guide even the most, shall we say creative watchmakers back to horology’s original style. Occasionally, however, the Swiss get a wandering eye and strike out for glory. Such was the case with the 5000J and its 4 o’clock sub-seconds subdial, an asymmetrical curveball that somehow fit perfectly with the 1990’s irreverence that spawned the 5000J, but that looks positively quaint by today’s standards.
This week’s flurry of new watch releases has been notable for lots of reasons and, in no small part, Patek’s new Calatrava is part of that story. The 5226G marks another departure from the Calatrava’s staid style, introducing some all-new elements while ditching others that have been long-held. The gold rotor affixed to the automatic movement is, as usual, a trademark of Patek timepieces but the addition of a hobnail patterned guilloche caseband is both new and exciting, especially by the uniform Calatrava standards. While the caseband is more subtle, more noticeable are the 5226G’s bold new dial, hands, and numerals. All three represent significant departures from the typical patek philippe Calatrava fare.
To begin, the dial here is a deep charcoal shade that fades to black at the edges. This gradient is also richly textured, appearing more like asphalt than anything else. Applied to it are clean, sans-serif gold Arabic numerals that are a far cry from the typical cursive fonts often seen on many Calatravas. These markers are coated with beige luminescence, a choice that veers the 5226G close to the “fauxtina” cliff, but thankfully, it manages to stay on course in part thanks to the light tan calfskin strap that makes the taupe theme more cohesive. And speaking of numbers, observers will notice Patek’s utilitarian choice to include numerals at 5-minute intervals around the outer minute track. Certainly, this is not something seen on most dress watches which begs the question, is the 5226G even a dress watch at all?
That question will likely remain open to interpretation. Syringe hands like those on the 5226G can be found on dress and tool watches alike. Similarly, date windows — historically an automatic disqualifier for defining a watch as “dressy” —have reached wider acceptance and can be found on many watches that are generally agreed to be dress watches. It’s too soon to say how history will judge the Calatrava 5226G but for now, we applaud the new style.