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. 2526 we have here embodies that same design language perfectly. Launched in 1953 and offered as one of, if not the first, model to feature Patek’s first inhouse self-winding movement, the cal. 12-600AT, the ref. 2526 is one of the Calatrava’s most important references. Boasting an off-white enamel dial, the ref. 2526 showcases the best craftsmanship that Patek had to offer at the time – a fact reflected in the high degree of finishing used on the cal. 12-600AT movement.

Offered as the peak of technology for the time, the ref. 2526 also featured a screw-down caseback that granted a significant amount of water resistance to the model at the time – a large upgrade for a dress watch. Additionally, the ref. 2526 features a large, for the time, 36mm case that offers a wonderfully contemporary touch to the collection’s original 31mm case, as used by the ref. 96, which added to its ahead-of-its-time movement and screw-down caseback. Offered with its original 18kt yellow gold V-shaped bracelet made by Gay Freres, this ref. 2526 maintains a direct link back to its past through its Gubelin stamp that adorn its dial just below its central hand pinion and marks who originally retailed the watch all the way back on the 7th of February in 1955, as referenced by its Extract from the Archive.

Offering perhaps the most classical watch design ever created, the Calatrava has always been a timeless collection, however, with its larger-than-normal 36mm dimensions and screw-down caseback, the ref. 2526 is as timeless as they come, and with a unique 18kt yellow gold bracelet like this example, and a co-signed dial, this first series example is as stylish as it is timeless.