Certain occasions call for a watch that is elegant, clean and of the highest possible quality. One watch takes the proverbial crown in that category: the Patek Philipe Calatrava.

In 1932, Patek introduced the ref. 96 Calatrava dress watch. Named after the Calatrava cross, the symbol of the medieval Spanish Military Order of Calatrava and Patek Philippe's corporate emblem, this watch is the blueprint for every dress watch that came after it.

Traditionally, the Calatrava was a time-only watch with a classic manual-wind movement. The ref. 3514 however provided a clean break with this tradition upon its introduction in the 1960s with its automatic movement and date function.

Following the classic Calatrava’s aesthetic, the ref. 3514 features an elegant round case with a thin polished bezel and beautiful lugs, all executed in 18k yellow gold. The 33.7 mm diameter is the perfect size for a dress watch: neither too small nor too large.

This Calatrava features a classic champagne dial with elegant applied gold indices and a matching thin handset. Meanwhile, the date window at the 3 o’clock position sports a lovely 18k yellow gold frame.

This ref. 3514 dates back to 1966 and is powered by Patek’s beautifully finished ultra-thin caliber 27-460 M automatic movement with an 18k yellow gold winding rotor. The watch comes on an astonishing yellow-gold 'structured' bracelet with Calatrava-cross folding clasp and is accompanied by an extract from the Patek Philippe archives.