Friday, June 19, 2020

Quick Look: Patek Philippe Ref 6007A-001 Calatrava "Manufacture Limited Edition"

2020 so far has been a funny year. Not so much ha-ha funny mind you. I won't bore you with the details though, assuming if you're reading this, you already know full well what's happened...

And here we have Patek, launching a watch from the previous year (yes that's right. They even tell us so on the case back) meaning it has already gone up in value, given it's a steel, limited edition, casual dress/sports watch with a blue dial. 

Ref 6007A-001

The year has been so strange that even us, The Sydney Tarts, having lain dormant for the best part of errr... 5 years?? Felt it necessary to revitalise and re-energise, and resurrect ourselves and start posting again, as we are in a completely "unprecedented" times.

Enough of a tangent though. Let's get back to the watch. Patek is well known for saying that their clients do not actually own one and are merely temporary guardians until their offsprings can lay claim to the sound investment that is luxury watches and ideally sell it to fund further education or perhaps, more investments. And no doubt this watch will be an investment, as steel Calatravas aren't all that common, and this model is only limited to 1000 pieces.

New Manufacture 2019

A quick run down. The watch is 40mm. powered by calibre 324 (the PP equivalent to the JLC 899 or the ETA 2892-A2). It is automatic, so the shortish power reserve won't matter. But even then I do have doubts just how many of the 1000 pieces will actually be worn and how many will be safe queens, and become a part of an investment portfolio. It'll retail for the AUD equivalent of around about $42,000. that's considered a bargain by Patek standards. Trust me.

There are 3 hands, and a date at 3:00, complete with black numerals on white background. Hour markers and hands are lumed. Matte blue dial with the door to the Ninja Turtle's NYC abode as the central decoration. Thick bezel aids in the overall "balance" of the design, finished off with a blue strap and a pin buckle.

So, 1000 pieces worldwide. That can't be too difficult to come by, provided you have a spare $40k to spend post COVID-19, what with the pent-up urge to spend and such and such? Well, don't forget, this is Patek steel watch territory. Meaning it's not as easy as it sounds. Just because you have the dough doesn't mean you get to go...

Oh and yes. The watch celebrates a new Manufacture that they built in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, costing 600 million CHF. 10 floors all up; 4 underground. Brings all the crafts under the one roof. (a la Jaeger-LeCoultre and Zenith...) A restaurant for 880 guests, parking for 700 cars, 4 VIP lounges.


The New Patek Manufacture



No comments: