Patek Philippe

Hello Gents,
Please post scans of your ref. 96 (on your wrist)
It seems that there are many beautiful pictures of this lovely little watch but not many wrist-shots.
I've been told this watch wears larger than it actually is.
Thanks in advance

Yes, it was mine, until I saw its flaw. Yes, that is the size of my wrist. Yes it looked and felt gorgeous.



Oliver

The magic with ref 96 is the huge number of dial, hands, and case combinations.

After being considered as the original Calatrava which has given birth to so many others and was thus appreciated by collectors, this reference has been neglected for a while until recently. Probably the fashion of always larger diameter is decreasing and more and more amateurs appreciated again more reasonable size watches.

I am delighted to see that ref 96 is now again sought after by PP lovers and that such beautiful examples as yours (the combo steel case with silver dial and leaf hands is gorgeous) are more and more difficult to find (at a reasonable price).

Yes ref 96 is definitely very understated and the sign of very good taste. I am not surprised that you own one Oliver. Wear it in good health.

Best,

Mike

you are too kind. I hunted mine for years and was very happy when I found it, until I saw that flaw on the dial.
Once you saw it you can´t forget it and I decided to sell it. One day I have to find another one ...

Oliver

Thank you for sharing!

.

I'd hate to spend 10k on something that is going to break or is going to have expensive service or be fake.   That steel model of course is unreal and looks great!

differences from the modern watches which need to be considered. Being spoiled with watches water resistant to 30m and synthetic sapphire crystals may have you conditioned to be able to wear vintage pieces like the 96 in the same manner.  That is not the case. You should be aware of your activity when wearing vintage pieces.

That aside, they are great pieces and I had a 96 from 1963. Loved to hear it beat, not at all like the modern pieces which are much quieter. More pronounced ticking than the 3796. Brings back memories to the way watches used to sound.

My favorite Patek reference.

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send it to Geneva. Generally, older pieces are sent to Geneva as required, but occasionally, the work can be done at HSWA.

Yes, it is. Not because of the service costs from PP. I was positively surprised..
Authenticity - you should ask for the archive documents, at least.
Flaws, this is the tricky part when it comes to vintage. I took care of so many details and failed at the end - in that case.

I loved every second while owning that specific watch, until I found the flaw :-(

Next time I have to do my homework even better!

Oliver

would you be willing to elaborate a bit on the details? (perhaps a PM?!?)

have been the indexes. Someone changed the ones from 12 with the ones from 5 and 7. Once you saw it, it is obviously because there is no other example from PP like this one.Of course I could have tried to redo it, but when was it done before? Will it be even more visible afterwards, because of the "patina"? ...?

The watch was made in the year when my parents have been born, the style and the condition (in general) was exactly what I was looking for ...
but at the end it was not "perfect" enough - for me. I offered it for sale, for a reasonable price and mentioned the "flaw". Another collector was quite happy with what he got, because of the price.

"well known dealer" - I bought from "well-known" AD´s, dealers, people ... and some failed. The majority of my experiences was good, but from the others I learned and will never ever buy from them again. I can´t afford to be fooled and today I allways try to buy more than just the watch - service, honesty, support, kindness ... .

Oliver

But you've intrigued me with noting "the flaw" more than once. Are the indices wrong? The 5 and 7 might be a little long, and the double at 12 seems slightly off, and generally they seem less faceted, but that could all be my ignorance of variations, as this watch came in many incarnations over multiple decades. Can this be noted in public, or is the "flaw" too personal? It is still a beautiful watch. Thank you for sharing.

perfect on your wrist. Just so lovely!

Oliver

I did a fair bit of homework before I purchased my ref 96 on the online auction site. patek.watchprosite.com

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