The reference 96 was launched by Patek Philippe in 1932, the year the Stern family acquired the company, and it is retroactively considered the first Calatrava. Sotheby’s describes a simple three-hand dress watch with a 31 mm round case, long wide-set lugs and a dial with subsidiary seconds; the most common version has a silver dial with applied stick markers. Sizes vary slightly, and a 1942 example sold by Phillips measures 30.5 mm. The earliest watches used LeCoultre movements, and from 1934 the reference was fitted with the in-house manually wound calibre 12-120, here in its 18-jewel PS form with small seconds. It was produced mainly in yellow gold, with rare steel examples and later white gold. Its importance lies in setting the template for the round dress watch.

The design follows the Bauhaus principle that form follows function: a plain round case, clean lugs and a legible dial with nothing superfluous. It was the first serially produced wristwatch of Patek Philippe and one of the first to carry a reference number. Over a run of roughly four decades, from 1932 to 1973, the reference appeared with sector dials, black dials, Breguet numerals, observatory dials and a rare center-seconds version, while the 96D of 1934 added a Clous de Paris bezel. The name Calatrava itself was only adopted in 1985 for the brand’s classic dress line, which has since included references such as the 5196, 6119 and 5227.

Collectors and auction specialists regard the reference 96 as the benchmark dress watch, and Sotheby’s calls it the brand’s most classic creation. Standard gold examples remain relatively accessible for a vintage Patek: the 1942 Phillips piece with Breguet numerals sold for $17,500 on an estimate of $4,000 to 7,000, and Sotheby’s New York sold one for $45,600 in 2024, while a special example reached HK$11.5 million in Hong Kong in 2025. Specialists warn that condition is critical, since most examples have been restored and refinished dials are common. The reference 96 is no longer produced; it ended in 1973, and the current Calatrava collection of Patek Philippe continues its design.