Initially released in white gold with a blue dial, what makes this new version of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time really attractive is the way it was mysterious, and the sister piece that accompanies it. It’s hard to believe, but the replica Patek Philippe eventually joined the modern world of social media in the week, and their first big announcement through the channel was this new release, alongside a “ladies version” measuring 37.5mm in diameter, which has been dubbed the fake model. Both sizes are powered by the same caliber, and, quite frankly, both are within a conservative size range that could be worn by either gender without the faintest question.
Firstly, when images were released of the new Calatrava Pilot I wasn’t quite sold. There was quite a bit of debate out there when the initial Calatrava Pilot surfaced, and what business Patek Philippe really had in getting into this segment at all. The brand did produce some pilot’s watches back in the day, but nothing on the scale seen by the likes of replica Zenith, IWC, and even Breguet. Setting the lineage debate aside for a moment and looking only at product execution, the brand has done an excellent job with the new release. The combination of its bright and reflective sunbrushed brown dial and warm pink gold case works very nicely in person, standing out as a much better brown/gold combo than we saw from the replica Rolex with the Everose GMT that was just released.
I’ll be confused, I really wasn’t expecting to like the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time on the wrist, but having strapped it on for a while during my press appointment, the new piece turned into a pleasant surprise. At 42mm across and a reasonable 10.78mm thick, it’s surely a bit chunky compared to much in the fake Patek catalogue, but for a pilot-style piece it’s still on the more modestly sized end of the spectrum. People love drawing parallels between this and the Zenith Type 20 models; however, other than its numerals and hands, these amazing watches are miles apart. My biggest stumbling block with every Type 20 In my experience is how flatly and awkwardly they wear on a smaller wrist — a total non-issue with the Calatrava Pilot. That said, the pieces are also miles apart in terms of finishing, therefore only a fool would ever consider cross-shopping the two.