Patek Philipp 6119 v. Rolex 50509
Has anybody else noticed that the Patek Philippe 6119 Calatrava from Watches&Wonders last year looks a lot like the Rolex Cellini 50509? The Calatravas hobnail bezel looks eerily similar to the vintage styled fluted bezel on the Cellini. The Dauphine hands are also alike and the entire styling looks a bit similar. The watches clearly both follow their respective brands design language, the hobnail/guilloched on the Patek is a motif often in use in the Calatrava lineup, whereas the fluted bezel is quintessentially Rolex, paying homage back to the brands early Osytercase days. Still I can't help but wonder... was Patek Philippe inspired by the new Cellini? 🤔
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Hmmmm, not sure I can follow your view 🧐. I really don't mean to be cranky, but it seems what you are comparing here is very typical of classical Swiss watchmaking design language in general....
Dauphine hands have been used throughout the Swiss watch industry for several decades, by nearly every Swiss brand imaginable. They started being used around 1940, and thereafter constantly seen throughout the world of watchmaking across the globe.
The hobnail bezel was in use by Patek before Rolex started using a different, (and actually unrelated) technique on the Cellini bezel. The hobnail bezel of Patek is technically very tricky to produce, whereas the serrated edge of the Cellini is more straightforward in production. This is why PP see it as a special visual marker. I believe it was first used in a PP perpetual calendar model?
The indexes and crowns of each watch show tremendous differences as well. Maybe I am crazy, but as a watch collector of more than 45 years, to me these watches look as different as black and white 😉
Hmmmm, not sure I can follow your view 🧐. I really don't mean to be cranky, but it seems what you are comparing here is very typical of classical Swiss watchmaking design language in general....
Dauphine hands have been used throughout the Swiss watch industry for several decades, by nearly every Swiss brand imaginable. They started being used around 1940, and thereafter constantly seen throughout the world of watchmaking across the globe.
The hobnail bezel was in use by Patek before Rolex started using a different, (and actually unrelated) technique on the Cellini bezel. The hobnail bezel of Patek is technically very tricky to produce, whereas the serrated edge of the Cellini is more straightforward in production. This is why PP see it as a special visual marker. I believe it was first used in a PP perpetual calendar model?
The indexes and crowns of each watch show tremendous differences as well. Maybe I am crazy, but as a watch collector of more than 45 years, to me these watches look as different as black and white 😉
I understand, what you're getting at, one bezel is stamped, the other is machined with a rose engine. Think about the Nautilus and Royal Oak. Everyone compares these two, and the Nautilus is believed by many to be the more refined version of the Royal Oak, nevertheless they are distinct. Whereas the Royal Oak´s bezel is more octagonal, the Nautilus´ is slightly more square. The crown on the Royal Oak is hexagonal, relatively speaking, the Nautilus keeps with tradition. They do, however, bear some resemblance.
I always though the first guilloched/hobnail bezel Patek Philippe was the ref. 96D? Do you know the model designation for the perpetual calendar?