1970s Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Calatrava (Ref. 3579-1) W/ Box, Accessories, & Original Sales Receipt

'You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.’ — Patek Philippe started this now ubiquitous marketing campaign in 1966 and never looked back, though they already had an outstanding legacy since the watchmaker was founded in the year 1839. Patek built its reputation on several foundational pillars: tradition, innovation, and excellence, all of which are paramount in every timepiece they make, both old and new. 

Introduced in 1969 and produced for a brief five-year period until it was discontinued in 1974, the Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 3579-1 isn't just a beautiful timepiece, but represents Patek’s exploration beyond their traditional design language at the time, experimenting with a new style of watchmaking, sports watches. Made from stainless steel—a rare choice for Patek, particularly in the pre-Nautilus era—the ref. 3579-1 stands as a foundational model that helped pave the way for other steel watches in Patek’s lineup and in many ways the precursor to the iconic Nautilus, which was released just two years after its discontinuance. Allegedly, the ref. 3579-1 was actually produced for the Japanese market, which saw an uptick in interest for Patek Philippe at the time, however only about 200 pieces were made, likely due to its obscure design for the brand at the time. 

This specific example is especially special as it features the even more elusive blue dial and comes as a collector set with the original boxes, accessories, and the original sales receipt - a quality seldom seen for this model.