Patek PhilippeRef. 96

KEY FACTS

● Offered by an Italian trade seller

● 31mm stainless steel case with flat bezel and tapered lugs.

● Original, unrestored dial, discoloured by the well-preserved radium hour makers and filled syringe hands.

● Comes with a Patek Philippe extract from the archives

● Reported to be in good working order and graded ‘B’ by the vendor due to the dial discolouration

FUNCTIONS

● Hours and minutes with a seconds subdial at 6 o’clock

● Solid snap case back 

● Manual wind calibre 12-120

SUMMARY

Although never officially called the Calatrava, the reference 96 was the first watch of the ‘Stern era’ and set the tone for Calatravas that followed it. Introduced in 1932, and the first watch to bear a reference number, the reference 96 was created by David Penney and adheres to the Bauhaus concept of ‘form follows function’ with high-end craftsmanship hidden behind a seemingly simple exterior. Even the company signature was applied by engraving into the dial plate and filling with black lacquer rather than a simple pad print. 

In another first, the ref. 96 housed Patek Philippe’s first in-house wristwatch movement, the calibre 12-120. Previously, ebauches from LeCoultre had been used, but the new owners of Patek Philippe were convinced the brand needed to become more self-sufficient.

Watches were produced in yellow gold, white gold, and stainless steel in a variety of dial configurations. Less than 40 are known to have been produced with in steel with Breguet numerals and only 6 are believed to have been made with radium hour markers and radium-filled syringe hands, both of which the current watch has.  

All watches offered for sale are searched and cleared against The Watch Register database and a certificate is available to the winning bidder upon request.

The description of this auction lot is, to the best of the seller's knowledge, accurate and not misleading. Watch Collecting requests a range of detail about the lot from the seller and performs a level of due diligence. However, bidders must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the description and conduct any research they feel is necessary before committing to a bid. Please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.