Based on a unique piece Calatrava Ref. 565, this might be the ultimate ‘everyday’ Patek Philippe
With this year’s release of the limited edition 50th anniversary Nautilus collection, Patek Phillipe’s par excellence sports-lux watch was back to centre of attention. This of course prompted a deluge of frenzied calls to ADs and countless Instagram posts extolling the new pieces, seeing as pretty much everyone was delighted to see its return. But, flying in the face of its readily apparent popularity, the model’s contentious discontinuation in its classic stainless steel guise in 2021 was a shrewd and, arguably, necessary move. It gave other pieces from Patek Philippe’s catalogue – pieces which reflect the Maison’s raison d’etre in a more holistic and historically comprehensive fashion – the opportunity to rightfully reclaim some of the limelight lost to the Nautilus hype train.
Don’t get me wrong, the Nautilus is a great and storied part of Patek’s heritage and lineup, but the level of attention it has received over the past few years was starting to feel claustrophobic. And if you were to look beyond the handsome new ‘golden jubilee’ Nautilus collection and a little deeper into Patek’s current line-up you’d soon come across pieces like the Calatrava Ref. 5226.
Making its debut at Watches & Wonders 2022 instalment, the 5226 is a self-winding ‘everyday’ three-hander with date complication, housed in a 40mm white-gold case water-resistant to 30 meters. Its vintage inspired design cues (‘vanilla’ faux-aged lume, a patina-like textured dial, and mid-century ‘syringe’ handset design) are nicely offset by its polished case, heavyweight gold construction and its Clous De Paris knurled edge. It’s a practical, wearable watch that possesses some of the charm of the brand’s vintage back catalogue.
The 5226’s throwback-design looks to pay homage to a believed-unique version of the Calatrava Ref. 565, nicknamed the ‘Night Watchman’. Apparently, this piece was a company gift from Patek to one of its security guards. Manufactured in 1947, it subsequently sold in a 2016 Phillips auction for CHF 322,000. That’s a solid pension. When compared, the parallels between the 5226 and the 565 Night Watchman are clear: lume-applied hands/hour-markers (befitting the guard’s professional nocturnal duties) as well as the military-issue style of hour-marker typography and graduated chapter ring.
Produced from 1938 to 1952, the Ref. 565 in general was also something of a groundbreaker, with an oversized (for the time) case sourced from supplier Taubert & Fils, it was one of the first Pateks to be serially produced in stainless steel (alongside the expected gold alloys), featured water and dust resistant two-piece case/screw-on caseback construction, and had a magnetic-resistant soft iron core to boot. It was Patek’s first move in earnest towards a ‘sports’ watch and thereby, ultimately, the Nautilus.
With its remixed vintage sporty looks the 5226 is a watch that is simultaneously in keeping with Patek’s traditional ‘house style’ whilst reflecting an ongoing shift in company attitudes. There’s no doubt Patek is a brand which subscribes to classic styling, but we’re now routinely seeing pieces which adopt a more informal and contemporary approach to design. The Ref. 5935 / 5330 / 6007 and their carbon-fibre pattern dial designs; the Ref. 5316 / 6159G and their ‘smoked’ crystals; the Ref. 4946G and its milled ‘block’ lume numerals; the entire Calatrava Pilot collection; the ‘denim’-effect calfskin straps found across the Ref. 5980 / 4946 / 5330, and even Patek’s now common use of ‘quick release’ spring bars. It’s exciting times as Patek Philippe strives, harder than ever perhaps, to produce a truly well-rounded catalogue for its ever-growing and increasingly diverse range of customers.
For now, the Ref. 5226 is about as good as it gets. And that’s very, very good.