Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 96, Silver 'Sigma' Dial
- Maker / attribution
- Patek Philippe (maker)
- Date
- c. 1940
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- silver
- Dimensions
- Case 30.5 mm
- Stock no.
- OC3373
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Oliver & Clarke (OC3373)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 96 - Silver 'Sigma' Dial (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Oliver & Clarke (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number OC3373), this is a wristwatch by Patek Philippe, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1940. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. Recorded dimensions: Case 30.5 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke
The Patek Philippe Calatrava. Arguably the brands most iconic model line, and purest expression of the brand. Their raison d'etre if you will. The line has been a hit since its debut in 1932. So much so, that the name "Calatrava" itself has become something of a byword within the watch industry for traditionally styled, no-frills dress watches that simply tell the time. Over the course of its nearly 100-years of production, there have been seemingly countless iterations within the line, with variations in the metal they are made in, with their size, dial configurations, and eventually, complications. The Calatrava that we have here is perhaps the quintessential vintage Calatrava reference: the Reference 96. Coming in at approximately 30.5mm in diameter, this example dates to circa 1940 and is executed in yellow gold. The case itself is healthy and retains symmetrical lugs at all four corners, with a hallmark present on the lower right case profile and a gently 'rosy' oxidation developing throughout. It presents nicely shows normal signs of wear from age. Inside, the brushed silver dial is a later service unit, featuring 'Sigmas' at the 6 o'clock position, applied 'flat'-style indices, a 'concentric' subsidiary seconds register at the 6 o'clock position, and a matching yellow gold 'feuille' handset. The word icon gets thrown around a lot in the world of watches and horology... this one is absolutely worthy of it. There are watches, and then there are watches! This is one of the latter.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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