With its classic round case, clean lines, tidy dial and distinctive clous de Paris bezel, the Calatrava is a flagship of the Geneva-based Swiss made replica Patek Philippe manufacture. There hasn’t been a Calatrava with the famous guilloché finish in the collection since 2018, so the latest model returns this decorative pattern to the limelight. And this style icon has also been given a contemporary hand-wound caliber with a long-lasting power reserve.
When the Stern family took over management of high quality fake Patek Philippe in 1932, the company was not yet strongly involved in producing wristwatches. But the Sterns recognized where the future lay and understood that they needed to bring the company’s pocket watch expertise to timepieces for the wrist. In the same year, the now-legendary Reference 96 was introduced, the first model from the manufactory that was given a reference number.
Based on the minimalist Bauhaus principle, which insists that form follows function, Reference 96 has been interpreted in countless versions, but always unmistakably. It has had flat or slightly rounded bezels, which were sometimes smoothly polished, set with jewels or guillochéd. There have been extra-slim versions and officers’ cases with hinged backs. The dials, always simple and tidy, sometimes showed only hours and minutes, while other times a hand for the seconds was added, and occasionally there was also a date display.
According to best copy Patek Philippe, new Reference 6119 pays homage to two models: the legendary Reference 3919 from 1985, which was in production for more than two decades, and its 2006 reinterpretation as Reference 5119. The latter had a larger case, which increased in diameter from the 33.5 mm of Reference 3919 to 36 mm for Reference 5119 and now to a contemporary 39 mm for Reference 6119. “We wanted to make the Calatrava more masculine,” explained President Thierry Stern. He said they started with 40 mm, but that was too big. One millimeter can make an astonishing difference.
Further design nuances are inspired by several other models. The applied, multifaceted, obelisklike hour indexes, including the double marker at the 12, lead back to the roots of luxury replica Patek Philippe Calatrava design and refer both to Reference 96 from 1932 and to Reference 96D from 1934. The triplefaceted dauphine-shaped hour and minute hands are also reminiscent of Reference 96. And last but not least, the curved lugs, which have been abandoned and reinstated several times, also lead back to the very beginning. Following the example of the first online replica Patek Philippe Calatrava, the lugs create an ergonomically perfect transition from the case to the bracelet and ensure a high level of wearing comfort. The white-gold Calatrava 6119G-001 is attached to a shiny black alligator leather strap with a white-gold pin buckle. The clasp’s characteristic shape was designed for the American market by former president Henri Stern, grandfather of current president Thierry Stern.
Now back to the dial. The face of the whitegold top replica Patek Philippe Calatrava comes in a trendy anthracite color with a vertical satin finish. The applied indexes and dauphine hands are made of white gold, the same material as the case. With their numerous facets, they play with the light, but also ensure sufficient contrast and excellent legibility. If you take a closer look, you’ll notice the fine coordination of the lines, angles and edges between the indexes and hands.
The railway minute scale is a new detail at the very edge of the shop fake watches‘ dial. Twelve small hemispherical hour appliqués are appropriately positioned along the scale. A small second hand shaped like a slender needle is at the 6. This slim pointer moves over a circular subdial, which is subdivided into four sections by a crosshair and marks the passing seconds with finely drawn index lines in 5-second increments. All this is covered by a sapphire crystal in a so-called “box shape,” encircled by the famous clous de Paris bezel.
Clous de Paris is a special type of guilloché or embossing in which tiny pyramid shapes with square bases are created by intersecting cuts. Literally translated, clous de Paris means “nails of Paris.” And indeed, the pyramid-shaped points trace their ancestry to nails that were formerly made in Paris, which is why clous de Paris is also known as the “horseshoe-nail” pattern. The tiny pyramids are meticulously crafted from the solid metal by the manufactory’s craftspeople, according to the rules of their art, as they guide a motorized milling tool and then polish them. The guillocheur guides the graver horizontally with one hand while the other hand moves the tool vertically. The result is two concentric circles with a slightly beveled profile on which tiny pyramids line up to create a sophisticated play of light that gives greater depth to the dial. The AAA copy Patek Philippe Calatrava watches’ bezel is one of the most famous examples of clous de Paris craftsmanship. This décor is also crafted by Audemars Piguet and Breguet, but to beautify the dials rather than the bezels.
The cheap super clone Patek Philippe Calatrava watches were launched in 1932 and given its clous de Paris bezel in 1934. As the latest since the launch of the famous Reference 3919 in 1985, this model has been a prime example of Patek Philippe’s styledefining elegance.