| Case Shapes. |
The Calatrava. Patek Philippe.
Simplicity is the key to the Calatrava.
The Calatrava is named after the ornate cross, which is the symbol of the company.
Established in 1932 to house Patek's fine gentlemans wrist watch, this case shape is still very much at the forefront of their range.
24 models are produced in the Calatrava family, each one simple but timelessly elegant.
This case can be, and is adapted to carry either strap or bracalet. The case horns are removed on the bracalet model, and the bracalet soldered directly to the case.
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The strap model retains the horns and a few subtle differences are made to them. Use of the Bombay lug is made, {not truly a Bombay lug, but an easy point of referance}as is blending the horn into the case to give a more modern feel.
Each Patek Philippe movement is stamped with the Geneva Seal, they are the only watch manufacturer to carry this recognition across their entire range.
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The Portuguese. I.W.C.
The Portuguese has a history as incredible as it's size.
A wrist watch was commissioned by two Portuguese business men from I.W.C in the late 30's, that would have the accuracy of a marine chronometer. The only watch capable of this at the time was a pocket watch, containing the 'calibre 74' movement.
This was used to create the Portuguese.
The movement was housed in a stainless steel case, with a plain black dial, steel swallow style hands and ordinary seconds. The case size….42mm!
The current trend was for smaller Art Deco timepieces, however the Portuguese not only ran counter to these, it created a trend of its own.
Such is the myth surrounding this watch that I.W.C created a jubilee model in 1993, which quickly sold out. This was followed by a split seconds chronograph and a minute repeater.
The Portuguese is still a strong model in the range, and is now available in a 35mm case.
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Cartier Tank
This is Cartier's defining case shape. The Tank was first introduced in 1909. It's elegance and simplicity hasn't changed. The distinctive rectangular shape has been hijacked to describe any watch looking remotely similar.
Within their range Cartier still carry the , 'Tank Louis Cartier', 'Tank Allongee' and the 'Tank Must de Cartier'. A sign of their enduring love of this unmistakable watch.
Three modern versions of the Tank have recently been introduced, the 'Tank Basculante', 'Tank Americaine' and the 'Tank Francaise'.
The Basculante features the reversing case within a chariot, similier to Jaegers Reverso. The Basculante reverses along the vertical plane of the watch, where as the Jaeger does so along the horizontal.
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