Tropical 1950s Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Calatrava 'Anti-Magnetic' (Ref. 3418) "First Series"

'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. 

During the 1950s there was a massive shift in Swiss watchmaking to create professional-grade wristwatches. Whether they be waterproof, anti-magnetic, or rated for aviation, these timepieces were built with function in mind. During this rise, Patek Philipe introduced their first anti-magnetic wristwatches, all of which consisted of stainless steel — an uncommon venture for the brand to start, but what’s more interesting is the engineering that went into the creation of these watches and movements altogether. 

As these wristwatches were aimed at professionals who encountered daily or constant exposure to magnetic fields, conditions that would normally render non-treated movements entirely useless, such as doctors, engineers, and scientists, the internal engineering of these anti-magnetic watches need to match the prowess of the professionals employing them. Patek Philippe's anti-magnetic movements use non-magnetic precious metals like gold for the most delicate parts, such as the anchor and escape wheel, though they also employed special alloys that resist magnetism, most importantly being Nivarox (iron, nickel, chromium, titanium, and beryllium). Since the late 1950s, Patek Philippe has used Nivarox hairsprings in most watches to counter magnetic fields. Their first “true” anti-magnetic movement, the caliber 12-400 AM (AM meaning anti-magnetic), debuted in 1958. This movement, built with a gold or beryllium lever escapement, could resist magnetic fields up to 450 oersteds, and was later replaced with the 27 AM movement. While the ref. 3418 utilized both of these anti-magnetic movements, models labeled as the "first series" will employ the 12-400 AM movement, whereas the "second series" will employ the 27 AM movement.

The most famous among the Anti-Magnetic wristwatches created by Patek Philippe is unquestionably the ref. 3417, a highly celebrated and well-documented reference. However, there were several other models Patek Phillipe introduced in the Anti-Magnetic series alongside the ref. 3417 that are equally as interesting though incredibly undervalued. Our favorite in this series of elegant tool watches is the ref. 3418.

The ref. 3418 Anti-Magnetic was only in production for 4 years, from 1958 to 1962, with an estimated 100 models produced, though only about 40 examples have ever surfaced, the example presented here being one of them. Featuring a unique four-piece waterproof case construction made by Jean Vallon. The patented case design allowed for a watch case without lugs to employ either a leather strap or an integrated bracelet. The beautifully crafted stainless steel mesh ‘Milanese-style’ bracelets were made by Cornu & Cie, especially for this model Patek Philippe. These innovations not only make the ref. 3418 revolutionary in the perspective of movement making, but in case making as well. Though impressively, the elegance and high design of watchmaking we’ve come to expect from Patek Philippe in this era remain ever present in the ref. 3418, a truly historical, rare, and beautiful Patek Philippe reference in stainless steel.