As most of you know by now- I am primarily a Rolex sports watch collector.
The charm of an early submariner or Rolex GMT gilt dial is irresistible. There are occasions in life though when I chose to wear another watch besides Rolex. For a wedding, birthday dinner or important bank meeting- I prefer other watches that are more understated. More elegant. More refined and sophisticated.
Like a Patek Philippe. Enter the Reference 2526 from Patek.
If you ask any collector of Patek – what the most timeless line is- you will mostly get the same answer- the Calatrava. Introduced in the early 1930s the Calatrava is the essence of the DNA of Patek, like the monogram bag is to Louis Vuitton and the 911 model is to Porsche.
I recently discovered an early Calatrava – the reference 2526 by Patek and was seduced by its purity and simplicity.
The design is simple yet timeless.
No complication like an annual or perpetual calendar. No split seconds. Just a time only watch. This is the most basic function we need in a watch; the hours and seconds. What also attracts me to this legendary and now Iconic reference is the importance it plays in the history of Patek. Introduced in 1953 it was the first self-winding automatic watch that Patek would make in their history (with a beautiful gold rotor acting as the winding mechanism) and was available in all four metals gold, pink gold white gold and platinum.
I personally like the pink gold version the best (although Platinum and White gold are more rare). It contrasts well with the dial which is a piece of art in itself. Slightly ‘egg shell’ in color most Ref 2526 Gold and pink gold watches came with an Enamel or ‘porcelain’ dial (see main picture). Complex to make and extremely fragile, Enamel dials can crack easily which means that few have survived in untouched and immaculate condition.
The 2526 was made in four different series.
The first series with ‘raised’ indexes that seem to sit on the enamel dial like a skateboard being the most sought after. It is estimated that only 580 models of the reference 2526 were made. For a collector looking for a simple, timeless watch that has stood the test of time- the 2526 is a must have. It is among the all time great watches that Patek has made.
For 2015 I have already made a shopping list of watches I want to own. The 2526 is at the very top of my list.
