Everything a woman needsBASELWORLD 2013: The Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 7200
The new Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 7200 in delicate rose gold is a ladies' wristwatch fully focused on hours and minutes. It indicates neither seconds nor the date nor other extras – only the time in its most unhurried manifestation.
Designed for women who methodically devote their attention to the essence of things, it epitomizes timelessness in classic, feminine perfection.
Less is more
Multitasking is a phenomenon that characterizes modern society. This makes it all the more soothing to have a Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 7200 at hand, a watch that opposes the trend and does nothing more than indicate our most precious asset: time. What counts here is the accuracy, composure, and beauty with which it fulfills its purpose. The new Calatrava for ladies reflects the tradition of Patek Philippe's two-hand watches that concentrate on the essence. Anything more would be distracting.
The key prerequisite for the design of the Ref. 7200 is "form follows function", the Bauhaus philosophy that inspired the gestalt of the first Calatrava timepiece in 1932. Because its hands and the wheels of the going train move in circles, the watch is round. Its sole and self-evident objective is to measure time. Two hands, twelve applied rose-gold numerals, and sixty delicate minute markers indicate the time, while the PATEK PHILIPPE GENEVE signature promises precision and dependability. The fascination of the new Calatrava for ladies originates in the art of omission. The flanks of the slender, elegant case are perfectly rounded, and the straight lugs with screwed strap bars exemplify the iconic "Officer's" style. The dial features a fine-grained texture with a silky effect, a perfect background for the two Poire Stuart hands in rose gold. The face is protected by a scratch-resistant, gracefully cambered sapphire-crystal glass.
Inner beauty
The case back has a sapphire-crystal glass that reveals the ultra-thin, self-winding mechanical movement. It is the legendary caliber 240 with a 22K gold minirotor fully recessed in the plate. Every movement of the wrist delivers energy to the mainspring barrel. With a height of merely 2.53 mm, it is extremely thin; this is why the case of the Ref. 7200 is so svelte and elegant. The bridges, the balance cock, and the gold rotor are decorated with classic Geneva striping, complemented with the sparkle of polished slightly rounded chamfers, a hallmark of Patek Philippe calibers. The main plate is handstippled with perlage. Paired with an innovative Spiromax® hairspring made of Silinvar®, the Gyromax® balance beats at a frequency of 21,600 vph to assure high rate accuracy within a tolerance of -3 to +2 seconds per day. Its frequency adjustment principle, based on asymmetric poising weights, was a Patek Philippe invention for which a patent was granted 60 years ago, and the Spiromax® balance spring is a patented Patek Philippe development as well.
Patek Philippe's new Ref. 7200 Calatrava ladies' wristwatch is a masterpiece of minimal art. The discreet gem in 18K rose gold with its fantastic mechanical inner life is worn on a matt pearly beige alligator strap with a rose-gold prong buckle.