Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 3484 - 'Brushed' Champagne 'Tiffany & Co.' Dial w/ Extract

The Patek Philippe Calatrava. Arguably the brands most iconic model line, and purest expression of the brand. Their raison d'etre if you will. The line has been a hit since its debut in 1932. So much so, that the name "Calatrava" itself has become something of a byword within the watch industry for traditionally styled, no-frills dress watches that simply tell the time. Over the course of its nearly 100-years of production, there have been seemingly countless iterations within the line, with variations in the metal they are made in, with their size, dial configurations, and eventually, complications. The Calatrava that we have here is a Reference 3484 dating to circa 1966. The 34mm case is crafted out of solid yellow gold and has a snapback caseback, a signed crown, and thats it — a simply, no-frills dress watch. Inside, the champagne dial features a lovely 'brushed' finishing with applied indices, a 'pencil' handset, and in addition to the Patek Philippe text on the top half of the dial, is an additional retailer stamp on the lower half of the dial from New York's Tiffany & Co. Last but not least, this piece is accompanied buy an extract from Patek's archives confirming production in 1966 and original sale in 1968. The word icon gets thrown around a lot in the world of watches and horology... this one is absolutely worthy of it. There are watches, and then there are watches! This is one of the latter.