Patek Philippe officially opened its long-awaited new PP6 production facility this morning at its Plans-les-Ouates headquarters on the outskirts of Geneva, and, as is customary, revealed a new watch to celebrate. Now for all but the most avid watch nerds, the opening of a building doesn’t sound all that exciting, but thankfully, the watch in question is.
The 6007A-001 is a stainless steel Calatrava, a material Patek Philippe has been lacking for years, making the yellow gold Ref. 5196J Calatrava the entry point into the brand’s men’s watches. Curiously, rose gold and white gold examples of the same watch are more expensive.
Unfortunately, this stunning new example did not enter the collection permanently, but was instead produced in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces.
The Stern family introduced the Calatrava in 1932, shortly after taking control of the business, and the modern model mentioned above still looks much the same today. However, the collection has opened up somewhat in recent years, with the inclusion of the Ref. 6006G pointer-date and last year’s surprise, the Ref. 5212A-001 weekly calendar, which is even called a Calatrava.
This new watch is certainly the most modern Calatrava, and perhaps even the most modern Patek Philippe full stop.
Immediately striking is the blue multi-layered dial, which includes three distinct concentric rings and a decorative center. The two outermost rings feature a white printed minute/seconds track and striking, oversized, applied Arabic numeral hour markers. These appear to be filled with luminous material (we’re awaiting confirmation), which would certainly make this one of the most potent Patek Philippes ever made.
In the very center, surrounded by a track printed with white rails on a snailed ring, is a disc with a cross-hatched checkerboard decoration, a pattern Patek Philippe calls “carbon,” which may not be necessary for a high-tech reference, but it certainly looks good. A date window at three o’clock (as pleasing as the date window is) and perforated white gold hands painted in white and filled with luminous finish the dial.
Flipping over the highly polished 40mm stainless steel case, Patek Philippe used a sapphire crystal caseback with a Calatrava cross and the words “New Manufacture 2019”, referring to the year the first workers made their home in the new building, to show off its manufacture automatic 324 SC movement.
The strap, however, had me a little confused. It looks great, don’t get me wrong, but Patek Philippe lists it as calfskin with a fabric pattern embossed on it when the images we’ve all seen clearly show a fabric strap. I’ve seen very convincing embossed patterns on straps before, but I can’t believe the images we’ve seen are anything other than a fabric strap. I actually prefer it to be fabric.
And you wouldn’t think a watch marking the opening of a building would be exciting.
Price and specifications:
Brand: Patek Philippe
Model name: Calatrava 6007A
Reference number: 6007A-001
Case/dial: 40mm diameter x 9.07mm thickness, stainless steel
Water resistance: 30m (3 bar)
Movement: Calibre 324 SC, in-house, automatic, Patek Philippe signature
Frequency: 28,800 vph (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 35-45h
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Strap: Gray-blue calfskin with steel pin buckle
Price: 25,720 EUR, limited to 1,000 pieces
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