Patek Philippe stays ahead in every time zone
Even as rivals unveil new watches to match the surging demand for travel, the brand continues to roll out even better timepieces
COMPETITION DOESN’T FAZE A BRAND like Patek Philippe. Undaunted by the flood of watches in the market designed to whet the growing appetite for travel, the marque has instead rolled out even-better-made and more beautiful timepieces with brand new features.
Patek Philippe has long been a pioneer in watchmaking, unmatched when it comes to showing multiple time zones at a glance. For seasoned travellers and others who appreciate the finer art of timekeeping, these three travel watches are hard to resist.
Ref 5224R-001 Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time
Launched in 2023, this two-time-zone complication has an original display of local and home time, with two centre hands turning on a 24-hour circle. Noon on the display is at 12 o’clock – not where it is usually located, which is 6 o’clock. This ensures a clear reading of the time throughout the daytime hours.
The dual time zone is displayed by three syringe-shaped hands in rose gold, all coated with luminescence to glow in the dark. Instead of the traditional correction pushers for local time, the watch has a patented correction system using the crown. Patek Philippe says this preserves the case’s sleek lines.
The 24-hour display is set on an elegant and highly legible navy-blue dial, along with a double-railway-track scale for the hours and minutes. Including the Arabic numerals and hour markers, there are 44 rose-gold appliques on the dial. The appliques are polished together to get the same brilliance, but applied individually by hand. Framing the dial is a fully polished 42 mm rose gold case, distinguished by curved two-tier lugs.
At the heart of the timepiece is a new self-winding movement with patent-pending features.
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The 24-Hour Display Travel Time is paired with a navy-blue calfskin strap.
Price: S$88,200
Ref 7130R-014 Ladies’ World Time
This classic World Time model, which shows all 24 time zones, was first unveiled in the 1930s. Nearly 80 years later, in 2011, a petite 36 mm version for women appeared.
This latest model, Ref 7130R-014, was introduced in 2022, with an elegant olive green dial that gives the watch a modern and timeless face. Encased in exceptionally refined rose gold, the dial has a centre decorated by a finely hand-guilloched old basket-weave motif – a showcase of rare craftsmanship.
The olive green shade is picked up on a city disc, on which the white printed names of the 24 cities stand out clearly. The 24 time zones are read on the city disc and the 24-hour disc, which has a day and night zone. All the displays can be simultaneously corrected with the pusher at 10 o’clock on the case. The 36 mm timepiece is powered by an ultra-thin self-winding movement.
Price: S$91,100
Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref 5524G-010
A reinterpretation of the historic Patek Philippe pilot model, this latest dual-time-zone travel watch returns to the original 42 mm white gold case, but with an ivory lacquer dial that gives it a vintage charm.
Inspired by traditional aviator models, the first Pilot Travel Time was unveiled in 2015 with a white gold case and blue dial. Three years later, the brand introduced a rose gold version with a brown dial.
The original Pilot Travel Time was paired with a brown calf leather strap. The new one comes with a composite material strap in khaki green, embossed with a textile motif. As with previous models, the latest version is powered by an automatic movement with an easy-to-operate system displaying a second time zone.
The date display by hand at 6 o’clock on the dial adjusts automatically to the local time. The Arabic numerals and hands are coated with luminescence. The two-time-zone pushers have a patented screw-down safety system that prevents any risk of accidentally putting the local time function out of order.
Price: S$88,200
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