The retail price for the new Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G is SGD 51,500 inclusive of GST.
A new Calatrava is often a celebrated welcome to the collection. Last year, Patek introduced the Ref. 6119, which was a phenomenal success as it brought back the Clou de Paris bezel to the collection. This year, the new Calatrava is in white gold, but with the self-winding Caliber 26-330 SC which has sweep seconds, date, and hacking seconds.
The main difference between the Caliber 30-255PS used in the Ref. 6119 is that this movement has a date mechanism, and the second hand is a centrally mounted sweep hand instead of a subsidiary seconds in a sub-dial at 6 o’clock. The price has increased somewhat with this change, and it is now priced at SGD 51.5k compared to SGD 40.6k (up since our review from SGD 39k).
But the movement is not all that’s new. The dial is now a textured dial, made at the press with a dégradé gradient from charcoal grey to black at the rim. The hands are a less classical, but perhaps more contemporary, syringe shaped with a lume coating, while the reference number 6119’s hands were very classical Dauphine shaped with no lume.
And, of course, the Clous de Paris pattern, which is engraved on the case side. This new design sees the lugs as extensions and integral to the case back bezel. The case is a “just right” 40mm, a smidge above the 39mm on the Ref.6119.
Both these features are also applied to the new Ref. 5326G Annual Calendar Time, and we see these two watches as the elder and younger siblings. The 5326, of course, has the extremely useful combination of the annual calendar in concert with Patek’s brilliant two timezone execution, and the 5226 is time only, with a date. And as we remarked in our commentary on the 5320, the look is decidedly more contemporary (even though the inspiration is from vintage cameras), and perhaps targeted at a younger demographic than the traditional Patek clientele. Though, in truth, the design is probably ageless and appreciated by children of all ages.
A contemporary vintage style Calatrava new model with guilloched Clous de Paris decoration
Patek Philippe distinguishes itself not only by its inventiveness and technical mastery of movements but also by its creativity in terms of cases and dials. The latest addition to the Calatrava collection, the new white gold Reference 5226G-001, is a perfect illustration of this quest for excellence in all areas of watchmaking.
Based on the round, streamlined case shape that has made Calatrava models famous since 1932, Patek Philippe has reworked it by adorning its flanks with a guilloched Clous de Paris (hobnail pattern) decoration—a motif emblematic of the Manufacture that was revived in 2021 on the Calatrava Clous de Paris Reference 6119. In order to allow this guilloche motif to run all the way around the case, the designers have also devised a special case construction in which the lugs form an integral part of the case back.
The charcoal gray, vintage-inspired dial features a black-gradient rim. Its slightly grainy texture is reminiscent of antique camera cases. It is adorned with white gold applied numerals with a beige luminescent coating, as well as a discreet “railway track” graduated scale for the seconds. The hours and minutes are displayed by syringe-shaped white gold hands with a beige luminescent coating. The date indication appears through an aperture at 3 o’clock, printed in beige on a black background.
This new model is powered by the self-winding 26-330 S C caliber equipped with a stop-seconds function.
The new Reference 5226G-001 is accompanied by two interchangeable straps – one in beige calfskin with a nubuck finish, the other in black calfskin with embossed fabric pattern and beige stitching – both secured by a white gold prong buckle.
The same case, dial, and strap design are also featured on the new Reference 5326G-001 with Annual Calendar and Travel Time function.
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