A Worthy Update: The Patek Philippe Calatrava “Clous De Paris” Ref. 6119


As was widely expected, Patek Philippe made major headlines with its first go-round as an exhibitor at Watches & Wonders. First, the Swiss manufacture famously capped off it Nautilus collection with the Ref. 5711/1A-01, a green-dialed steel variation to replace the highly-demanded, blue-dialed Ref. 5711/1A. Behind that launch, it introduced the Ref. 5236P-001 In-Line Perpetual Calendar, a timepiece that brought an all-new type of perpetual calendar display to the venerable Calatrava collection. All good things come in threes, as the proverb says, so today we take a look at the third of Patek’s notable releases this year, and perhaps the most classically elegant: the Calatrava “Clous De Paris” Ref. 6119.

The new, time-only, formal gents’ watch is the latest in the Calatrava’s long history of such designs, which dates back to 1932 with the reference 96, and the first update to it in some time. Positioned as a forerunner of Patek’s flagship dress-watch collection, it catches immediate attention for its fine details, its two distinctly attractive colorway options, and its melding of historical and modern Patek Philippe design elements.

The model is offered as two specific references, the 18k rose-gold 6119R with a cream-colored dial, and the white-gold 6119G with a grey-black dial. Each measures 39 mm in diameter and is finished throughout with a fine polishing. The design of the case follows the form of Calatravas prior, updated for contemporary audiences with a larger case than that of the 37-mm Ref. 5196 (pictured above), but maintaining the understated, signed crown that case. The most notable addition is a “Clous De Paris” hobnail bezel, last seen in the Ref. 5119 (below, via WatchBox). The watch, as one would expect, is quite thin, only 8.43 mm, and is highly wearable for a wide variety of wrist sizes with a lug-to-lug width of 46.9-mm. As the watch is a more delicate, formal-occasion timepiece, it has a modest 30-meter water resistance, and is secured to the wrist via an alligator leather strap with a case-matching gold buckle.

Under the sapphire crystal is the simple, perfectly balanced, superbly finished dial, with either a textured and grained, cream colorway on the rose gold model or a vertically brushed, gray-to-black execution on the white-gold edition. Along the outermost sector, a small gap leads to a railroad-style minute ring, punctuated with applied gold dots for each hour. These lead into larger, applied “opus” markers, the sharp faceting of their precious metal meant to provide a “timeless, well-organized” look to the face. Indeed, the dial is excellently organized and balanced, a feature that has come to define the legacy of the Calatrava collection.

A subdial for the running seconds is found at 6 o’clock, intriguingly outlined with another accent of gold and eschewing the popular indentations often used in contemporary watches for a distinctly understated aesthetic. A printed Patek Philippe logo sits in parallel below the 12 o’clock marker, while two more “opus” hands, with a stylized dauphine look, indicate the passing hours and minutes.

On display behind the caseback is the new, in-house Patek Philippe Caliber 30-255 PS, essentially an upsized version of the Caliber 215 PS used in previous Calatravas. The movement, like everything produced by the luxury watchmaker, is excellently finished, featuring beveled edges, Geneva stripes, the signature Patek Philippe quality seal, and many other embellishments to keep the wearer visually engaged for a long time. From a technical standpoint, the hand-wound caliber carries an accuracy of -3/+2 per day, a power reserve of 65-hours, and a frequency of 28,800 vph.

Overall, the 6119 appears to be a worthy update to the historic Calatrava, and one keenly geared toward the contemporary collector. Whether it will be received as eagerly as some of Patek Philippe’s steel sports watches have been in recent years remains to be seen, but its stylistic nod to the Calatrava’s beloved history should have little trouble drawing the interest of contemporary consumers.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava “Clous De Paris” Ref. 6119 will be available later this year at authorized boutiques, with pricing set at $29,570 for both the white-gold and rose-gold models.

To learn more, visit Patek Philippe, here.

No Responses to “A Worthy Update: The Patek Philippe Calatrava “Clous De Paris” Ref. 6119”

Show all responses
  1. Barry Stein

    The new Calatrava reminds of the first Patek I received many years ago. The 3520D same face and finish with the secondary hands added

    Reply
Leave a Reply