Horological Meandering

VC's execution of 'sibling' watches almost always looks more appealing to me. Perhaps an odd observation, but it rings true to me....

I agree with you. But I could be very happy with a 2568. 

...I decided to ask an AI the following question: "What is the thinnest Calatrava in the current Patek Philippe catalogue? How thin is it?" It came back with the ref. 5196 at 7.68mm. I thought that was discontinued, so I asked it to look again. It came back with:

To identify the thinnest Calatrava in the current 2025 Patek Philippe catalog, I’ve cross-referenced the latest models from the official Patek Philippe website and recent Watches & Wonders 2025 announcements. Here’s the updated answer:

The thinnest Calatrava in Patek Philippe’s current catalog is the Reference 6119 (available in rose gold as 6119R-001 and white gold as 6119G-001). It has a case thickness of 8.08 mm. This model features a 39 mm case, a manually wound Caliber 30-255 PS (2.55 mm thick), and a guilloched hobnail-patterned bezel, embodying the classic Calatrava elegance.

For comparison, other current Calatrava models like the Reference 6196P-001 (38 mm, 9.33 mm thick) and Reference 5226G-001 (40 mm, 8.53 mm thick) are slightly thicker. The Reference 5328G-001 (Calatrava 8 Days) is 10.5 mm thick, making it less slim.

If you’d like me to verify any specific model or provide further details, please let me know!"

Just to demonstrate the frustrations of being a WIS, that we are smarter than AI : )

I've been so disappointed every time I've tried to use AI to get watch-related information!
Best, Emmanuel

...all it had to do was get it right the first time : )

Too bad that these really thin watches have largely disappeared from catalogs 🤷🏻‍♂️

I also like A, B and D. And I’ve been very tempted at some point by the Historiques Ultra Fine 1955 (ref. 33155). Best, Emmanuel

I just feel that the Vacherons have a better look and more character and soul.

And the revived version of the 6099, with the gorgeous caliber 1003 visible through the sapphire caseback has been a true temptation for me.
But I could also be very happy with a PP 2568.
Best, Emmanuel

Nice photos of very thin timepieces!  I really like that swan neck spring on that last Patek Philippe caliber.  Supposedly, the reliability of the Vacheron Constantin 1003 is quite good - for an ultra thin caliber.  As the owner of two Jaeger-leCoultre 849 calibers, very similar to the Vacheron Constantin 1003 (just not as well finished and some cheaper wire springs in the 849), I can say that my experience with the JLC caliber has been mostly quite favorable!

In fact, I dedicated a thread to those two wonderful ultra thin calibers (849 & 1003):  www.watchprosite.com

What a great thread!

Best, Emmanuel

And, like you, I find VC's execution more refined.