Patek philippe ladies’ calatrava model 4997/200g

Patek Philippe unveiled the first Calatrava in 1932, and it has been a lasting stalwart in the brand’s oeuvre ever since. Named the Calatrava Reference 96 and designed by David Penney, it introduced what to many would become the standard for dress watches. In addition, the Calatrava initiated Patek’s system of numbered references.

The Calatrava blueprint has provided a dynamic canvas for both men’s and women’s watches throughout the years. In 2009, Patek unveiled a new artistic face with the Ladies’ Calatrava model 4897. Featuring a hypnotic, guilloched lacquered dial in colour choices of brown, midnight blue, cream and silvery grey, the 4897 sparkled with flashes of light from the bezel which was crowned with round or baguette-cut diamonds.

For 2021, Patek revisits the ladies’ model 4897 to give it a more modern presentation. In the last decade or so, timepiece diameters have put on some inches due to changing tastes. When the 4897 took its bow in 2009, the case was sized at a rather petite 33mm. Now its waistline has expanded to 35mm. The extra real estate offers an even better canvas to show off the beauty of the artisanal dial. (In my opinion, the dials should be even larger.)

The depth and shimmer of the dial is achieved using a lacquered guilloché. Also known as engine-turning, guilloché entails engraving grids of straight, curved or broken lines into metal, creating patterns and shapes. The artisan executes the decoration using a rose lathe. It’s a time-consuming process, one that takes great skill, training and a deft touch. When the majority of dials are stamped by machine, one with guilloché is an immediate signal of quality and craftsmanship. It’s also an indication that a human being was involved in making your timepiece.

Guilloché dials on their own are stunning. But the one on the Patek Philippe Ladies’ Calatrava model 4997/200G dresses up even further. Its undulating concentric waves take a dip in moody translucent-blue lacquer. The effect is rather dreamy, as the light and shadows dance over the dial at different angles.

Shimmering above this expanse are arrow-shaped, white gold "poudré" hour markers and faceted Dauphine hands. The hands and hour markers echo each other’s shape, looking like a glorious sundial floating in the sky. Set with 76 flawless Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds (~0.52 ct.), the 18K white gold provides a balanced frame, while the navy-blue calfskin-finished strap with white-gold prong buckle completes the picture.

Not only did the Ladies’ Calatrava model 4897 get a facelift, as it were, but it also got a new movement. The original version has the manually wound calibre 215. For the modern woman, a self-winding watch is more practical, not to mention convenient. Patek obliged by sending its workhorse calibre 240 to do the job. Calibre 240 is Patek’s premier ultra-thin self-winding calibre with a 22K gold recessed rotor.

To achieve beauty in simplicity is much harder than trying to find the same in chaos. That’s because there’s nowhere to hide. With the updated Ladies’ Calatrava model 4997, Patek manages to breathe new life into an old classic.

Escapement is an online magazine owned and operated by Angus Davies and his wife, Heidi Davies.