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Lot Essay
With Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming manufacture of the movement of the present watch with gold wheels in 1912; it was encased and sold on 13 January 1939.
Fresh to the market this "Calatrava" model is fitted with a movement incorporating the typical characteristics found in "Gondolo" watches, e.g. wolf's tooth winding, gold wheel train, straight line "moustache" lever escapement with a bimetallic compensation balance and the cam wheel or snail cam regulator, allowing for very precise but practical adjustment of the watch, an improvement of Jean Adrien Philippe's French Patent no. 142376 of 16 April 1881.
Introduced in 1932, reference 96 is unquestionably Patek Philippe's most legendary design. Incorporating elements of Bauhaus, late Art Deco and modernism, it is the perfect 1930s representation, its timeless case proportions as modern today as they were at the time of its creation. Amongst connoisseurs, reference 96 is better known as Calatrava, a name which stands for avant-garde philosophy thanks to its subtle, elegant lines - clearly Patek Philippe's signature piece.
A similar watch is illustrated in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches Volume II, pp. 329-335.
Fresh to the market this "Calatrava" model is fitted with a movement incorporating the typical characteristics found in "Gondolo" watches, e.g. wolf's tooth winding, gold wheel train, straight line "moustache" lever escapement with a bimetallic compensation balance and the cam wheel or snail cam regulator, allowing for very precise but practical adjustment of the watch, an improvement of Jean Adrien Philippe's French Patent no. 142376 of 16 April 1881.
Introduced in 1932, reference 96 is unquestionably Patek Philippe's most legendary design. Incorporating elements of Bauhaus, late Art Deco and modernism, it is the perfect 1930s representation, its timeless case proportions as modern today as they were at the time of its creation. Amongst connoisseurs, reference 96 is better known as Calatrava, a name which stands for avant-garde philosophy thanks to its subtle, elegant lines - clearly Patek Philippe's signature piece.
A similar watch is illustrated in Patek Philippe Museum - Patek Philippe Watches Volume II, pp. 329-335.