Patek Philippe Calatrava

A Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 96 from the late 1930s, the reference that launched the line in 1932. Patek says the first Calatrava took its cue from the pared-back thinking of the Bauhaus, and it shows: a plain round case, straight lugs, applied baton markers and a small seconds dial at six, with nothing left over. This is the template for the round dress watch. When a brand wants a simple, thin, time-only watch that will still look right in thirty years, the result usually lands somewhere close to this.