Patek Philippe Calatrava 5022G

sold

Produced over 6 years from 1997-2003, the reference 5022 was introduced in several case and dial variants including the offered configuration with the desirable applied Breguet-style numerals.

Enquire about this watch

This is the Patek Philippe Calatrava reference 5022G. Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe is a name synonymous with high horology. A company that has always been privately owned, Patek has been manufacturing watches for almost two centuries without interruption. The company is currently owned by the Stern family, whose heritage dates back to when they were supplying dials to Patek in the 1920s. Incidentally, the Calatrava was also the first model released by the Stern family as the staple time-only watch in the brand’s collection.

To understand the Calatrava, one must hark back to the roots of the model with the reference 96. The first Calatrava was also the debut of the brand’s first in-house caliber, the cal. 920. Produced over a 40-year span, the 96 would set the foundations of all future Calatravas. Diminutive, minimalist and dressy, these characteristics would go on to define the future references within the line as the brand’s flagship dress piece. The reference 570 was released during the same period as the 96 with a larger case size, though the smaller case size likely was more favoured during that time period. Fundamentally, the idea was the same, spawning later variations such as the aforementioned 5022G.

With a 6-year production period from 1997-2003, the reference 5022 was introduced in not just case metal variants but also several dial variants. Delicately balanced with a 33mm case size and a lug-to-lug measure of 38mm, the reference 5022 incorporates the desirable applied Breguet numerals and a sub-seconds dial at the six. Likely inspired by the reference 3960, the 5022 is powered by the manual-winding Cal 215 PS that carries the Geneva seal. As mentioned earlier, the reference was produced in gold and platinum variants with combinations of guilloche and lacquer as well as Roman and Arabic numerals and stylistically, this dial combination of white with floating Breguet numerals renders the most classic.

With modern counterparts looking less and less like the original Calatrava that was envisioned, the reference 5022 certainly holds its own in being among the purest representations of the line. With its traditional aesthetics reminiscient of early Calatravas, the design of the 5022 is truly one that will remain relevant for decades to come.