Patek Philippe

Hi all! I was curious if you had any patek calatrava recommendations in platinum from 34-36mm? I find that the modern 5196p and 6196p references are a tad too large for dress watches. I have a royal oak in 37mm and I think for a dress watch the 34-36mm size is probably ideal for my 6.6 inch wrists. Let me know any good recommendations. Thanks?

the elegant 5022P in 33-34mm with Breguet hands and Bregurt numerals,

Very helpful! I didn’t even know they made a 5022 in platinum, I’m a big fan of the breguet numerals as well

is rarer than the yellow, rose and white gold versions and is the one to go for!

Yeah this could be a good choice I recently tried on a 5134 in 37mm which I think actually looked great on my wrist so something to consider for myself in platinum as well perhaps. It is a busier dial so wears better in my opinion

It’s one of the coolest Calatrava cases to me given the design/placement of the pushers. I actually had it a long time ago, but felt it was a little small for me given I was still in “big watch” phase of thinking. The 5134p has become a bit more expensive since then, but it’s a great one, especially since it doesn’t have a date function which can sometimes be annoying to me to set each time (I’m still OCD in this regard). Good luck with your choice.

I went through my own large watch phase - had a 44mm IWC which I actually really liked but man it overhung on my wrist a bit. I also like the 5140p a lot which is the perpetual calendar but that’s hopefully in the future

from the 80s/90s, produced in quite limited numbers. Not easy to find. If you are interested go for the earlier versions with sigma dial and times roman date disc.

Yeah I’ve been trying to search for the 3998 but I see most of them in the diamond dial. Do you know have any photos or links of what the other configurations look like?

I am travelling right now but will post a picture later this week.

Your observation is correct, the baton dial 3998P with sigma dial (ie the first version which one would typically want to own as a collector) is not easy to find. But a true classic. And a symbol for the Philippe Stern era of Patek Philippe (like 3940, 3970, 5004 - and 5035).

Looking forward to seeing a photo! I this would be my first patek - do you think this is a good first in collecting them?

the 3998 would be a great „first“ Patek Philippe. I have always admired the 3998 since when I was still very young in the mid 90s. Later, I bought many Patek Philippe (and Rolex). And even though I oen many complicated Patek today I still consider the 3998 as top-relevant in my collection. I have three versions of the 3998 even (J, R and P). Thus, I strongly recommend it!

Thank you! I will check it out

I would suggest the 3960 which was produced for  Patek’s 150th anniversary.  It looks similar to Sham’s recommendation of 5022P and comes with an officer case (33mm) with engraving in the back.  50 pieces in platinum, 150 pieces in WG and 2000 pieces in YG.  Keep us informed of your decision and please post wrist shots and an owner’s review.  Best of luck hunting !



Photos from Phillips 

Thank you for the warm welcome. Such a beautiful piece! And I will stay on the hunt for this, seems like it will be tough to find

fairly often and can be had at a reasonable range IMO.

I’ll take a good look for these in the auctions. Do you generally go auction houses or do you look for good secondary sellers via chrono or specific vintage dealers

from reputable auction houses after due diligence (attend personal viewings or asks friends to perform inspections if overseas). The saying in our forum is that "you buy the seller", hence purchasing from reputable shops/individual sellers is critical !  Wish you a happy hunting trip ! 

... has a big disadvantage if you want to wear it: the enamel dial is likely to be damaged under impact. And this would reduce the value by appox. 50%-75%...