Every year, the watch community waits with bated breath to find out what the giants of the sector will release, to lure us to remortgaging our houses and promoting our souls. Will Rolex watches be changing a bezel color?? Will Patek be releasing a new stainless steel version??
This year, the Coronavirus pandemic, among other things, place Baselworld to bed for the foreseeable and the industry was left waiting and wanting. Many other AAA brands nonetheless launched their brand new watches schedule, but Rolex and Patek continued to stay silent.
Thankfully for its Patekaholics amongst us, the brand has stepped from the virus-induced darkness and announced its first new watch of this year 2020. Hurrah! It’s actually a damn good-looking piece if you ask me — say hello to the limited variant Patek Philippe watches Calatrava Ref. 6007A-001. It is not just a name that rolls off the tongue with ease, but I cant see this version (or any Calatrava for this idea ) getting a catchy Rolex-esque nickname any time soon. Would you?
With regard to something I said at the onset of this guide, there is a definite sense of irony. Every year that the market clamours for Patek to discharge a bit in stainless steel. Something accessible. This season, the year when watches got cancelled, Patek gave the men and women what they wanted. Granted the fans of stainless steel watches had been treated to the 5212 Calatrava Weekly Calendar last year, but this was an opinion which didn’t match the masses. That wasn’t the droid that they were looking for.
Scottish Watches and Moritz Grossmann
In 2020 Patek appears to have gotten it right, surely in my own opinion. Historically I have never been a massive fan of the Calatrava range. They have always been somewhat fuddy-duddy rather than aged well. Some will tell me that’s sacrilege and that they’re timeless, timeless designs, but that’s subjective of course. As for me, I’ve never paid much attention as that style of dress watch simply does not do it for me. This watch however, sees a continuation of the openness that Patek has shown to evolve and modernise some of its basic design language over the past couple of years. I really like the fact they’re beginning to realise that just changing a colour here and there is not going to cut it some more (looking at you, Rolex).
The reference 6007A-001 is a limited edition of 1,000 bits to celebrate the company’s brand new addition to its production center in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. More interesting than this is the fact it is stainless steel. I know I’ve mentioned this over once already, but this is in fact a major thing. From the present Calatrava line, there’s only one other model now available in the non-precious metal — that unique 5212.
Another huge deal here for me is that the addition of lume! That glorious bright stuff. This is somewhat unusual for one of those Swiss brand’s non-sports models, but the 6007A-001 has lume on the palms AND implemented numerals. From the present collection, composed of 19 other versions, not a single one boasts lumed hands or dial markers, including the metal 5212 Weekly Calendar. Gotta love a number of that sweet, sweet glow however.
Moving on to the dial, this is my favourite thing about the watch. What they are basically saying is that what you may have fairly thought to be a superb hand-crafted, guilloche dial would be, in actuality, stamped. Some individuals have voiced their displeasure at this but for me this isn’t a huge thing. I get it, I really do. For the price of 28k, and being a limited edition, you would probably expect to obtain a real engine-turned dialup, but you don’t. No matter the delivered aesthetic is quite nice. It might be stamped but it’s been very nicely executed.
