Released in 1932 and named after the cross that the Calatrava Knights paraded around Spain and Portugal during the 12th and 13th centuries, the Patek Philippe Calatrava was released as a simple timepiece with broad appeal that would help secure Patek Philippe's finances following Jean and Charles Henri Stern's investment in the brand in the same year. Designed with a strict Bauhaus-inspired aesthetic in mind, the Calatrava used, and continues to use, simplicity as its means of establishing intrigue around the craftsmanship required to construct such a stunning timepiece. Without a complicated movement or a busy design, collectors gravitate towards the Calatrava's clean aesthetic and practicality, and the ref. 438 that we have here embodies that same design language perfectly. Launched in 1935 as a “boy-size Calatrava,” the ref. 438 was a smaller version of the original Calatrava with a 28mm case instead of the 31mm used by the ref. 96. Designed as a slightly sportier watch, it was the very first Patek to feature a screw-down caseback and offer its wearer some water resistance, making it far more capable than most other dress watches at the time. Featuring 18kt gold hands and hour markers, this example’s silver dial provides a window back in time to how watches used to be made, with its applied stick indices completing the design of this impeccable timepiece.

A seldom-seen watch at the best of times, the ref. 438 is a legendary offering thanks to its status as the first time a screw-down caseback was offered in the Calatrava collection.