Patek Philippe Calatrava 3520

The Calatrava, Ref. 3520 is a classic dress watch from Patek Philippe. This was the first Clous de Paris (or “hobnail”) bezel incarnation of the classic Ref. 96 Calatrava.

• See also Patek Philippe Calatrava Clous de Paris

Patek Philippe had created dozens of variations on the classic Calatrava design by the 1970's, but the 1973 introduction of Ref. 3520 had a novel design: Some models featured Clous de Paris guilloche decorating the bezel. This would become a signature feature of the Calatrava, overshadowing the classic Ref. 96 look in the minds of many enthusiasts. This was paired with a simple round case and straight lugs, a design which some earlier Calatrava models had used.

Ref. 3520 is a simple watch with just hour and minute hands. It uses the hand-wound Cal. 177. The dial originally featured simple markers but Roman numerals and Arabic numerals were used as well.

A larger, automatic version, Ref. 3590 was introduced shortly after, along with a quartz model, Ref. 3722. Today, Ref. 5119 (small seconds), Ref. 5120 (no seconds), and Ref. 7119 (ladies) inherit the Clous de Paris look.