Introduced in 1938, the Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 570 has been a favorite among collectors, due to its clean aesthetics featuring an oversized case, a flat bezel and a simplistic dial. Earning its nickname the “Calatravone” (Large Calatrava in Italian), the reference was the enlarged variant of the acclaimed ref. 96. The reference was available in various case materials including stainless steel, yellow gold, pink gold and platinum with examples featuring either center seconds or small seconds. Launched in three series, the first series examples featured cal. 12”’200, seconds series examples were fitted with cal. 12”’400 and the third and last series were powered by cal. 27 AM 400, which was antimagnetic.

The present example in 18K pink gold from 1954 confirmed by a Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives belongs to the second series powered by cal. 12”’400 featuring small seconds at 6 O’clock.