Patek Philippe 'Cushion Breguet' Dress Watch

Though the famous Calatrava is — for good reason — perhaps the best known of Patek Philippe’s incredible dress watches, there are myriad others that deserve equal recognition. From the rectangular Gondolo to the curvaceous Golden Ellipse, these timepieces, though simple in design, beg a closer look for their classic proportions and strict attention to detail. Patek has been producing such wristwatches for roughly a century and shows no signs of slowing down. This particular dress watch dates to the early decades of the wristwatch itself: Housed in a 30mm yellow gold cushion case, it features a rounded bezel, acrylic crystal, and a ridged 'onion' crown that clearly takes influence from pocket watches. Its simple 'brushed' silver dial, meanwhile, features a 'railroad' minute track, stylized 'Breguet' indices, a matching 'Breguet' handset in blued steel, and a subsidiary seconds display above 6 o'clock.  Singed with the long "Patek Philippe & Co, Geneve" in use before the late 1940s and powered by a hand-wound movement double signed by Spaulding & Co. of Chicago, IL (an associate of Tiffany & Co.), this lovely dress watch comes paired to a brown lizard leather strap with a yellow gold pin buckle. For someone who loves early 20th-century watchmaking and wants a subtle timekeeper for special occasions, there could scarcely be a better option.