Deconstructed: Patek Philippe, Ref. 5127

Patek Philippe refers to its Calatrava family of watches as its “signature collection,” one that has come “to represent the epitome of a round wristwatch. Elegant in its simplicity...timekeeping at its most classically understated.” This modern reference 5127 from 2008 is a wristwatch designed with the same austere beauty as the first Calatrava, the Bauhaus-inspired reference 96. Both watches (and every Calatrava in between, like this previously deconstructed ref. 2555 ) exhibit an economy of form that understates the challenges of its simple design — Chris Greenberg

The Origins

Despite Observatory awards and a client list that reads like a who’s who of European royalty and American industrialists, Patek, Philippe & Cie, as the company was formerly known, ran into financial difficulty during the first part of the 20th century. The company was rescued in 1932 when brothers Jean and Charles Henri Stern purchased controlling interest; their family owned Fabrique de Cadrans Stern Frères, a dial manufacturing firm that supplied Patek, among other Swiss manufacturers. Immediately the brothers quit sourcing ébauches from Jaeger (the firm was not yet united with LeCoultre) and that same year released the perfectly simple reference 96, a year before releasing ‘The Graves’ supercomplication pocket watch.

The Varieties

That first Calatrava — a simple, 30mm, round, time-only piece — started a family of watches that has been a staple design for Patek ever since. Calatravas have been the standard-bearers for modern design during every decade. Since its introduction, collectors have been treated to all manner of iterations: dials in black, white, silver, brown, and sector; applied indexes, Breguet or Roman numerals; calibers with and without date modules; sub-, center- or sidestep-seconds placement (the latter puts the subdial at 5 o’clock); officer style; straight or integrated lugs; smooth, flat, or hobnail bezels; cases in steel, gold, or platinum. This reference 5127 is a classically refined inheritor of the longstanding Calatrava aesthetic.

The Dial

The slightly cream-colored dial provides a subtle but noticeable contrast to the coolness of the grey gold case, particularly with its white date window. Applied grey gold dots add softness to the minute track; everything else is sharp and angular. The large dauphine hour and minute hands, as well as the pencil-shaped applied hour indexes, are all chamfered grey gold. Even the seconds hand is counter-weighted and architectural. Overall, it’s a utilitarian but dressy arrangement, with an important detail that particularly distinguishes it: this dial is co-signed by Tiffany & Co.

A Long Relationship

In 1851, two important things happened to the Patek brand: First, Patek and Philippe renamed the company to more accurately reflect their partnership; second, the firm began a relationship with Tiffany & Co. USA that remains unbroken. From the outset, a variety of pocket and jewelry watches were co-branded, with Patek even supplying movements for watches Tiffany produced and sold under its own name. The co-branded pieces are favorites among vintage collectors and the practice continues. Today, Pateks allocated for Tiffany & Co are sent to New York where the Tiffany signature is added by the Henri Stern Watch Agency (a handful of exceptions exist).

The Case

As important to the Calatrava as the plain dial, the case of this 5127 is perfect in its form. Larger than the reference 96, the 5127 is 37mm of highly factory-polished grey gold that appears liquid-like as it follows the contour of the bezel left of 12 o’clock and as it rises up to guard the crown at 3 o’clock. The Calatrava cross in relief on that crown makes it almost dome-like; looking straight down on the watch, the line appears unbroken as one moves from top to bottom lug along the right side. The case is a three-piece design with a screw-down, transparent sapphire case back.

The Center Seconds Movement

In its 82-year history, the Calatrava has used a variety of movements, including this automatic caliber 315 SC ( second au centre). Calibers are often described by their dimensions in lignes (French for “lines”). The French ligne is equivalent to approximately 2.25mm, so at 12 lignes wide the 315 SC is about 27mm — a nice size for this watch. The 18k solid gold rotor stands out against rhodium-plated bridges, which are decorated with fausses cotes (parallel stripes with fine semi-circular grain). Mechanically, the movement includes a free-sprung Gyromax balance (Patek patent in 1953), 29 jewels, and a beat rate of 3 Hz, which is 21,600 beats per hour.

Versatility

This grey gold Calatrava is a unique aesthetic choice that further demonstrates Patek’s attention to detail. The slight grey tinge provides versatility not found in yellow or pink gold: The coolness of the metal can be enhanced with a black strap or warmed with rich brown tones. Additionally, the look is more steel-like than golden, making this 5127 a good everyday watch. But what is grey gold? Like pink, white and green gold, grey gold is an alloy, which combines gold with other metals in varying proportions to bring out specifically desired hues. In this case the mix is gold and palladium.

Images by Austin Considine for Christie's