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Lot Essay
The present watch is amongst the most beautiful and best preserved examples of the successful and sought after reference 96 to appear in public in recent years.
It is fitted with a highly charismatic two-tone sector or aviator dial, the colour changing under a certain angle and light from silvered to a champagne tone.
The case has never been subject to careless polishing, it is impressive how the sharp edges have survived in such crisp condition in over 70 years of existence.
The combination of the superb sector dial and the very technical yet smooth case proportions add up to a perfect look.
Consigned by a private collector it has furthermore never been offered in public before.
A 1940s Patek Philippe advertisement of a similar reference 96 with sector dial is illustrated in Patek Philippe, Steel Watches, John Goldberger, p. 80.
Reference 96
Reference 96 is undeniably Patek Philippe's most legendary design. Introduced in 1932, the same year as the Stern family became the manufacture’s owner, its timeless case proportions are as modern today, over 70 years later, as they were at the time of its creation. Incorporating elements of Bauhaus, late Art Deco and modernism, it is the perfect 1930s effigies. Amongst connoisseurs, reference 96 is better known as Calatrava, a name which stands for avant-garde philosophy thanks to its subtle, elegant lines - clearly a Patek Philippe's signature piece.
It is fitted with a highly charismatic two-tone sector or aviator dial, the colour changing under a certain angle and light from silvered to a champagne tone.
The case has never been subject to careless polishing, it is impressive how the sharp edges have survived in such crisp condition in over 70 years of existence.
The combination of the superb sector dial and the very technical yet smooth case proportions add up to a perfect look.
Consigned by a private collector it has furthermore never been offered in public before.
A 1940s Patek Philippe advertisement of a similar reference 96 with sector dial is illustrated in Patek Philippe, Steel Watches, John Goldberger, p. 80.
Reference 96
Reference 96 is undeniably Patek Philippe's most legendary design. Introduced in 1932, the same year as the Stern family became the manufacture’s owner, its timeless case proportions are as modern today, over 70 years later, as they were at the time of its creation. Incorporating elements of Bauhaus, late Art Deco and modernism, it is the perfect 1930s effigies. Amongst connoisseurs, reference 96 is better known as Calatrava, a name which stands for avant-garde philosophy thanks to its subtle, elegant lines - clearly a Patek Philippe's signature piece.