Patek Philippe - Legendary Understatement

[johnswatch]

Fresh back from service and it's an excuse to post shoddy pictures of my new old watch.

Nothing understated about Patek's sales literature however!







And the money shot...

[Manofsteelpt]

Very sharp! I picked up my first PP a few days ago... A 5134G Travel Time.

[dddrees]

Simple and Classy, glad to see you got it back.

How long did it take if you don't mind me asking?

[brkanand]

A big 'welcome back' to your watch!

[conrail]

Beautiful! That is classic elegance. 1950s?

[johnswatch]

It's 1940's watch.

I took it to a local watchmaker and the turnaround time was a massive 5 days and that includes the weekend!

Grand cost of Euro 25.

If only official service centers were like that!

[Dickson Lim]

Originally Posted by johnswatch

It's 1940's watch.

I took it to a local watchmaker and the turnaround time was a massive 5 days and that includes the weekend!

Grand cost of Euro 25.

If only official service centers were like that!

Fast and CHEAP! McDonald!

[Timber Loftis]

Originally Posted by johnswatch

It's 1940's watch.

I took it to a local watchmaker and the turnaround time was a massive 5 days and that includes the weekend!

Grand cost of Euro 25.

If only official service centers were like that!

Ok, so I've been looking at an Omega from the 1950's era. It would be Hrs/Mins only, with no complication. It's in 18K gold.

Should I be looking for similar quick turn-arounds on that watch? as far as servicing goes?

[Timber Loftis]

Originally Posted by johnswatch

If only official service centers were like that!

I think you make a fine point for independent watchmakers. If that is not your intent, let us know.

Personally, I like the independent watchmakers.

[johnswatch]

Originally Posted by Timber Loftis

Ok, so I've been looking at an Omega from the 1950's era. It would be Hrs/Mins only, with no complication. It's in 18K gold.

Should I be looking for similar quick turn-arounds on that watch? as far as servicing goes?

It was a local guy, an old-timer who has serviced watches from well before the quartz crisis.

It was cheap and fast but a very light service. No parts replaced, just disassemble, clean, oil, put back together.

To be honest it really shouldn't take long as there's not much to it. It's no more complex than a simple pocket watch. Bear in mind that a Patek service would have been far more involved and I'd expect it to keep time like new. This would however be reflected int he service cost.

Where possible I always use independent simply because it's so much quicker.

[stockjock1975]

Great watch! Congrats on having it back on the wrist! By the way, I would love to read the sales brochure you show there. Speaking on behalf of myself (and others I'm sure), I would be interested in reading it if you ever find the time/desire to scan those pages in on the Calatrava.

[masterserg]

Very beautiful!

[HL65]

Classic and understated elegance for sure!! Very nice.....

[johnswatch]

Originally Posted by stockjock1975

Great watch! Congrats on having it back on the wrist! By the way, I would love to read the sales brochure you show there. Speaking on behalf of myself (and others I'm sure), I would be interested in reading it if you ever find the time/desire to scan those pages in on the Calatrava.

Thanks for all the kind comments. I appreciate that the style isn't to everyone's taste but it's noce to feel appreciated!

The pages are from the Patek hardback catalogue I received from an AD. I don't want to break the spine so I won't scan it but I'm happy to take a few more detailed photos and put them in this thread.
Basically it's just a bunch of current Calatrava photos along with marketing gumpf about how timeless and elegant their watches are!

I've been wearing the watch daily for the last couple of weeks and must say that I really love it. This is a good example of why you can't talk about watch sizes in millimeters and you really need to look at the whole package. At 31mm (!) most would dismiss the watch as being far too small.

I had been a bit concerned about this as I wear a Panerai (44mm) or Oris diver (49mm!) at weekends and a 38mm dress watch for work. Now I appreciate why this size Calatrava remained in production for so long. The proportions work perfectly. The watch has a small absolute diameter but a very thin bezel making it wear slightly larger. The case is also about the same thickness as a current production model so despite being very thin it looks chunky due to the ratio of diameter to thickness. Overall the effect is I believe one of elegance but then I would say that as it’s my watch ;)

The watch size has an interesting effect on others. Non-watch fanatics don’t notice it. It really is a very discreet watch that fits comfortably under any shirt sleeve. Watch lovers on the other hand notice it immediately. I believe this is because it is much smaller than the current standard for dress watches and is a design familiar to many watch aficionados even if they don’t care for it personally.

The great thing is that the size keeps prices down to manageable levels. It’s amazing that you can get the essence and quality of Patek, Vacheron Constantin and even more so Audemars Piguet for a fraction of the price of a new watch. If you’re looking for a discreet dress watch then there aren’t too many other options than the vintage market.

[eric23]

Nice watch!!