Easily situated amongst the most iconic dress watches ever, the Patek Philippe Calatrava embodies the very essence of what a classically-styled timepiece should look like. Defining the entire market niche in 1932 when it debuted, the Calatrava has become the foundation of Patek Philippe’s elegant offerings, with the collection growing to include a multitude of references of various designs across a variety of dials, materials, complications and more – which the example we present here proves, the Patek Philippe ref. 5153G. A stunning example of an officer watch, the ref. 5153G features the collection’s emblematic round case with a solid hinged caseback which provides a beautiful view of the gorgeously finished automatic cal. 324 movement found beneath it when its opened. With straight soldered lugs featuring screw-in bars further emphasising the historical officer watch aesthetic, the ref. 5153G is a distinctive watch in its unique design as a modern Patek Philippe. Launched a limited edition collection of just 80 pieces available primarily through Patek’s UK partners in 2015 to celebrate the brand’s 175th anniversary, as engraved on its hinged caseback, this ref. 5153G-012 boasts a white dial with blackened gold hands and Breguet numeral indices, which ensure that this rare ref. 5153G variant is a monochromatic beauty that will look immaculate on any wrist and stand proud with its distinctive design language that we seldom see any more in today's horological landscape.

First launched in 2011 with great fanfare thanks to its respect to the officer case tradition, the ref. 5153G was a fantastic choice to help celebrate Patek's 175th anniversary given the historical importance of this style of watch with its turban-style knurled crown, straight screwed bars and hinged caseback.