Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 1941 Reference No: 570 Movement No: 864’180 Case No: 297'237 Model Name: Calatrava, "Calatravone" Material: 18K pink gold Calibre: Manual, cal. 12'''120, 18 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold PPCo pin buckle Dimensions: 35.5mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming the pink dial and production of the present watch in 1941 and its subsequent sale on 15 December 1941.
Catalogue Essay
In the history of horology, Patek Philippe’s Calatrava wristwatch has stood as a monument to design excellence and has remained in its collection since the reference 96 was first released in 1932. It is a model that needs no introduction and was offered at a time of change and upheaval for a brand that today is at the pinnacle of Swiss watch manufacturing. In order to ensure the financial success of the firm, the brand chose to design a mainstream model, which would have a broad appeal to the general public. The watch which they offered was the reference 96 Calatrava, named for the cross symbol used by Calatrava knights in the 12th century, and registered by Patek Philippe as its logo in 1887.
The reference 570 is a descendant of the ref 96; keeping its elder’s design language, it offers a larger diameter and a personality of its own. Reference 570 is a potent mix of sophistication and simplicity. A rather large watch, it has been nicknamed "Calatravone" (Italian for large Calatrava), its timeless design with large flat bezel and thick lugs made it a staple within the Patek Phillipe catalogue from 1938 till its discontinuation in 1972.
The reference 570 was cased predominantly in yellow gold and rarely in pink gold, white gold, stainless steel and platinum and featured a multitude of dial variations.
The present “pink on pink” example impresses by reason of its superb state of preservation, the pink gold case with original brushed and polished surfaces and, two very strong hallmarks. The two-tone pink dial – confirmed by the Extract from the Archives- stands out with vibrant colors and crisp raised enamel signature.
This example furthermore features an indirect center seconds mechanism - an exceedingly rare complication for the reference. As the result of a collaboration between Victorin Piguet and Patek Philippe, this ébauche featured an additional centre seconds mechanism that was ingeniously added to the existing 12'''120 subsidiary seconds register movement, attesting to both firms’ technical superiority.
In fact, this case/dial/movement combination is extremely rare, of the 36 pink gold case with pink dial reference 570s known, only 5 have an indirect seconds mechanism.
Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.
Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.