FabR[Senior Patek Moderator]
26166
You're still very young (I'm 4 years older than you and still very young, so you must be young too..:-)), but I think it's great that you are considering your first Patek at this stage...
Nov 17, 2019,10:28 AM
You simply cannot go wrong with a Calatrava. It's the way I (and I'm sure many others) first approached this unique brand (my first Patek was a 5119R in 2008), and I would have never imagined where this new journey would have taken me over time.
While a 5196 is probably hard to define as "versatile" (both the R and the P versions), be reassured that you'll be able to wear it reasonably often --- from (I assume) your daily job to any nice/elegant event to, occasionally, even a cocktail or a party with friends. You might need a little bit of adjusting if you plan on wearing it in more "casual" situations on a regular basis, but that's also possible to do.
Importantly, note that the most prominent feature of a Calatrava is its "timeless" design: this is an iconic watch that will *always* look good on your wrist, today like in 50 years down the road... That's the biggest plus to consider in my opinion, and the main reason that makes a Calatrava attractive ;-) Cheers.