This pandemic has got many watch manufacturers wondering “when’s the right time to announce new releases?” According to Patek Philippe, that time is right now.
And here it is: the new Calatrava ref. 6007A
This watch forms part of a limited edition series of 1000 steel pieces, a really uncommon case material for this classic style of watch and level of sophistication. In “modern” Patek history, only the ref. 5565 (the Geneva Boutique exclusive – 300 pieces), the 5212A (Weekly Calendar from 2019) and this model have been made with a steel case.
I think the most appropriate word to describe the design of the 6007A is “modern”. The radially aligned numerals are quite pleasing to look at for some reason – one of the better aspects of this watch.
In our opinion, Patek’s choice of opting for a steel case as a “selling point” isn’t really all that interesting. When employed on the 5212, it added an extra sense of exclusivity as it was very rare to come across a steel Calatrava. Now, it seems a bit pointless, really: it’s already been done – in recent memory no less – and it detracts from all the hype and aura that was created last year. Even the 31-million Swiss Franc 6300A came with a steel case, but even then, that wasn’t the selling point: it was the design, mechanical marvel and the cause behind it that made it memorable.
The watch draws obvious similarities to other timepieces in the Patek Philippe portofolio. In fact, one could consider the 6007A to be an amalgamation of two existing Pateks into a Calatrava-esque format. The first source of inspiration is the blue tones of the dial and strap, coming from the Pilot Travel Time 7234A that was launched at the 2019 Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Singapore.
Instead, the central portion of the 6007A’s dial has a texture and pattern which is very similar (if not identical, just shifted by 45°) to the titanium-clad 5208, made in 2017 for the OnlyWatch auction. Other than the case material and the slightly darker shade of blue, there’s very little difference.
The new manufacturing facility
Following the grand opening of their new manufacturing facility in Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva), Patek took this opportunity to create a watch that celebrates this occasion. This builds upon their increasingly corporate approach to watchmaking, which appears to be at the expense of lessening their image as “artisans of horology”. Of course, rendering the manufacturing plant and line more efficient and reducing costs is a logical business plan, but it isn’t doing too much for Patek Philippe’s image as a brand, if we’re honest.
The Stern family decided to consolidate all the business streams of the company into one large plant, which (and this may come as a surprise to some) is very unorthodox when it comes to the horological industry: normally, each component would arrive from different parts of different Cantons – the Swiss equvalent of states/counties. Not every family members were on board, though.
Yet, the story that the brand pitches is very different. They always go on about manual craftsmanship, and paint the picture of the watches being entirely handmade from start to finish, but this factory is filled with machines and automated processes. The brand also maintains that this move was to “render the watches more exclusive”, but the business aspect of reducing costs surely must have played a large role in this decision.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re still talkinga bout Patek Philippe: not an ordinary brand by any stretch of the imagination. The standards are still going to be held sky-high and the quality of the product shouldn’t change, but it is important to analyse the business decisions that they make, and hold them accountable for when things don’t add up (like for example, this particular decision).
Our doubts:
Is is really necessary to present a new watch to mark the opening of the new facility?
We’re legitimately asking. It’s not an artisan-filled atelier, with a personal vibe and aura, but a huge, industrial large-scale plant. Understandably, it signifies a new chapter in Patek’s history – a new direction, and an important one at that, but we don’t really understand this release.
The aforementioned 5565A was made to commemorate the new Rue du Rhone Genèvese boutique, and this is a much more common and appropriate “grand-opening-piece” or collection. After all, how often do manufacturing facilities open in comparison to boutiques?
This is a very polarizing decision, one that has sparked a lot of discussion and reflection.
Again…why steel?
Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say that it’s common practice to release a new watch to celebrate the milestone of opening a new manufacturing facility. Why make it in steel, then? In our opinion, this watch would have had a totally different reception if it were made in something like platinum or white gold, a choice which appears even more logical considering the sophistication of the Calatrava line. Yet, Patek chose steel.
Was it a case of them trying to ride the wave of steel Pateks selling for double or even triple their retail prices on the aftermarket? Perhaps not, but they are definitely trying to increase the appeal of steel to its clientele.
The sapphire crystal caseback has “2019” written on it, but it’s 2020?
Last, and perhaps the biggest head-scratcher: the timing. I mean, they’re not wrong: the facility did open in 2019, but why then release it a year later? Surely if they were to launch this watch they would have done it at the same time of the event that it’s supposed to celebrate? Pandemic or no pandemic, even if it had been released at the (ultimately scrapped) Baselword fair, it would have raised the same questions. There wasn’t any apparent external reason for which the production of this piece could have been delayed… so perhaps it was too expensive and time-consuming to re-print all the sapphire casebacks? We can only guess.
The last time we saw an engraved caseback on a Patek Philippe was indeed 2019, at the Singapore Watch Art Grand Exhibition, so maybe the 6007A was linked to that production run? We don’t mean the actual fair, but rather the program/technique, because the typography is different.
The most sensible speculation that we can make is that maybe they were the first watches made in this new facility, and they didn’t roll off the line until just recently. But still, we can’t seem to look past this anachronism.
Final comments
Okay, so yeah, maybe the watch in itself is quite nice to look at: it’s by no means bad-looking. But, in all honesty, it is missing that Patek Philippe charm and aura, especially given the fact that it’s a limited edition. We reached out to some well-respected names in watch-collecting, and the general consensus was “rather unimpressed”. Believe us, if you think differently, let us know!
I think it’ll be quite interesting to see how the market reacts to this release: will we find it listed on grey market dealer pages with a 50% markup? Or will it go to someone who truly likes this piece? Only time will tell.
Here’s to hoping that we get more releases before the end of 2020!
-Translated by Patrick R.
