When you picture a dress watch, what comes to mind? Something simple and thin, with a clean, unadorned dial? Something in a precious metal perhaps, but not overly flashy, paired with a leather strap. Yup — sounds about right. And it sounds like you’re thinking of a Patek Philippe Calatrava.
In continuous production since 1932, the Calatrava has more claim to the “platonic ideal of a dress watch” moniker than perhaps any other timepiece. Simple, elegant, and powered by beautifully finished movements, Calatravas are a calling card for taste, distinction and…wealth.
Not everyone can afford to drop $22,000+ on a dress watch — most, of course, cannot. But that doesn’t meant you can’t get the “Calatrava look” for much less moolah. Much, much less moolah, in fact. Here are three alternatives that might not get you the same street cred, but that look great, keep accurate time, and can tide you over until you’ve saved up for that first Patek.
The Alternatives
Orient Symphony III
OrientOrient’s a part of the Seiko universe of brands, meaning you can expect extraordinary value for not a lot of money: at $195, the Symphony III features an in-house, automatic movement with hacking and manual winding. With its sunburst silver dial, slim dauphine hands and 40 hours of power reserve, you’d be mistaken for thinking this was a much more expensive watch. (A bit on the large size at 41.6mm, the Symphony III may be a bit wide for the small-wristed out there.) A brown leather strap completes the elegant look.
