Stainless steel Patek Philippe ref. 3466 Calatrava automatic wristwatch.

Today, vintage Patek Philippe is a titan in the vintage luxury watch community. Their obsessive attention to detail combined with ground-breaking feats such as the first serially produced, perpetual calendar wristwatches as well as the first split-second chronograph wristwatch, have made Patek Philippe wristwatches and pocket watches some of the most sought after in the world.

The Patek Philippe Calatrava was first introduced in the 1930s, gained popularity in the following decades, and eventually became a legendary timepiece in the 1960s.

The calibre 27-460M (“M” for Monodate) was an evolution of Patek Philippe’s first automatic calibre, the 12-600AT, which was fitted to the legendary reference 2526.

The calibre 27-460M had received several upgrades, including a Gyromax balance wheel, a ball bearing, and some additional jewels. Over the ensuing years, three series were made with the first fitted with an acrylic crystal, similar to the present watch, the 2nd series made during the late 1970s featuring a higher bezel to accommodate a sapphire crystal, and the 3rd series featuring a sapphire display back. The model was also made with integrated bracelets, and offered with dials in silver, champagne, blue, and later with grey dial with white Roman numerals.