Patek Philippe are one and synonymous with the classic dress watch, the most famous of which is the Calatrava. The prototypical Calatrava can be described as having a round, slim case made of precious metal, with a clean dial and excellent legibility. While the core of the collection remains true to these principles, that Patek Philippe have begun deviating from them in recent years hasn’t gone unnoticed. We have seen a slew of pilot’s, as well as neo-vintage AAA replica watches added to the collection in the past decade and, as a result, a community divided on whether or not this is a good thing. In 2019, the brand introduced the Ref. 6007A, a commemorative, limited edition Calatrava celebrating the completion of its new manufacture building in Plan-les-Ouates. The top US fake watches certainly stood out as it featured a gray-blue dial with stamped carbon fibre-weave pattern and a calfskin strap of the same hue with an embossed textile fabric texture.

Review: Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 6007G

Last year, cheap Patek Philippe replica watches have doubled down on their endeavour, by presenting the non-limited edition, white gold variants of the Ref. 6007 – yes, variants, with red, blue or yellow highlights. Here, we bring you the details and our honest opinion on the Calatrava Ref. 6007G, now more unapologetically “un-Patek” than ever.

The Case, Dial, and Hands

Patek Philippe’s latest Ref. 6007 is rendered in white gold and has the same dimensions as the seminal stainless steel version, at 40.00 mm x 9.17 mm. The entire case is mirror polished save for a small portion at the back of the case. Its rounded bezel and lugs are a defining feature that interacts playfully with incident light. So far, the description of the Ref. 6007 could easily pass as that of a contemporary dress copy watches for sale. The first subtle-but-sure sign that it isn’t is the gaping lug width, which in turn means wider straps. It’s not exactly a bad look but it sure does contribute to the overall casual vibe of the wristwatch.

The other signs that show that this isn’t your typical Calatrava can be found on the dial. The centre medallion of the dial features a stamped carbon fibre weave pattern that you won’t normally find on a Patek Philippe, let alone the brand’s most elegant collection. It would have been a huge boon if the pattern was engraved by hand with a rose engine lathe but that’d be reaching for too much for what can be considered an ‘entry-level’ Patek Philippe. Matching this design detail is the calfskin strap that comes with the high quality replica watches; it too is embossed with a carbon fibre weave motif. Outboard of the centre medallion is a ring decorated with a concentric guilloche pattern and printed with a railroad-style minute track in white. This track is further accented with triangular hour markers in either blue, yellow or red – depending on the reference. Just beyond the inky triangles are corresponding applied Arabic numeral hour markers. Where the 3 o’clock numeral is supposed to be, we find a simple date display instead. Even the mere presence of a date display on a Calatrava is enough to trigger debate. To 1:1 China Patek Philippe super clone watches’ credit, they’ve always been great at integrating date windows discreetly, and it’s no different with the Ref. 6007. At the true periphery of the dial, there’s the racing-style seconds track with coloured gradations (once again, either blue, yellow or red) and numerals at 5-second increments. Indicating the time are three central hands for the hours, minutes and seconds, respectively. The hour and minute hands are black with luminescent coating, much like the Arabic numeral hour markers. The length of these hands were deliberately designed to trace the borders between the main sectors of the dial – satisfying. The seconds hand is expectedly the longest of the lot and reaches all the way to the periphery. While it isn’t lume-coated, it is painted in the thematic colour of the reference.

The Movement

Driving the Ref. 6007G is the 30-jewel, 212-part Calibre 26-330 S C. This calibre is one of Patek Philippe’s newest, having started life as the base movement for the unique Calatrava Weekly Calendar Ref. 5212A in 2019. The Calibre 26-330 S C is also currently used in the perfect replica Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G watches as well as the Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A. What’s interesting is that the Ref. 6007A that precedes the Ref. 6007G uses an older movement: the Calibre 324 S C. The new Calibre 26-330 S C was a long time coming with older movements like the Calibre 324 S C becoming long in the tooth. One key improvement that can be found in the Calibre 26-330 S C is the introduction of – ironically – a LIGA-etched seconds wheel with long teeth, resulting in a smoother running seconds hand. Another upgrade that is perhaps a no-brainer is the implementation of hacking seconds, the lack of which in older Patek Philippe base movements was always a talking point. What remains a constant, however, are the power reserve and frequency, at 45 hours (maximum) and 4 Hz, respectively. One can’t help but feel that Patek Philippe fake watches online could’ve extended the power reserve to at least 48 hours minimum in the new calibre, but 45 hours max isn’t, by any means, a deal-breaker either.

In terms of finissage, the Calibre 26-330 S C is standard Patek fare. It meets all the exacting requirements of the Patek Philippe Seal, has a healthy balance between hand and machine-assisted decoration, and is simply attractive. While the bridges feature linear Côtes de Genève, the gold winding rotor is instead adorned with a circular iteration of the decoration. The edges of these bridges, as well as the winding rotor, are beveled and polished. Also polished, are the screws that secure the movement and the jewel countersinks.