At Watches & Wonders 2024, Patek Philippe introduced the first World Time watch in its regular collection with a date display synchronized with local time. For further details, live photos, and pricing information, continue reading below.
Originally launched as a limited edition during the Patek Philippe grand exhibition “Watch Art” in Tokyo in June 2023, Reference 5330 now joins the brand’s regular collection. It stands out with a patented world-first feature: a date display synchronized with local time. This means the date corresponds to the time zone selected at the 12 o’clock position on the city disk, as indicated by the central hands.
To enhance practicality and user comfort, Patek Philippe’s engineers were tasked with mechanically synchronizing the date display with local time without the need for manual correction. This involved ensuring that the date adjusts automatically in two scenarios: crossing midnight, when it advances to the following day, and crossing the International Date Line from west to east in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where the date shifts back by a day.
To accomplish this, the manufacturer developed a new movement, caliber 240 HU C, based on the caliber 240 HU ultra-thin self-winding movement that has equipped the Patek Philippe World Time watches without additional functions since the year 2000. The first distinguishing feature of this movement is its date-display module, which alone comprises 70 parts. A patented central differential system comprising two concentric star-type gear wheels manages the local-time date. When the outer star (of larger diameter and with 62 teeth) turns clockwise, the date hand advances clockwise by one notch. When the inner star (with 31 teeth) turns clockwise the date hand moves back counterclockwise by a notch. When the two stars turn clockwise together (which should imply simultaneously a forward and a backward movement of the date hand) the differential allows this hand to remain stationary. Each pressure on the pusher positioned at 10 o’clock therefore serves to adjust, in one-hour steps, not only the city disk, the 24-hour disk and the center hour hand, but henceforth –where applicable –the date, in either direction.
For the first time at Patek Philippe, the date display mode comprises a transparent hand made of glass with a hammer-shaped tip in red lacquer that moves along a transfer-printed scale from 1 to 31, to avoid this relatively static hand’s disturbing the legibility of the other information.
The elegant 40 mm white-gold case frames a dial in blue-gray opaline, its center adorned with a “carbon” motif, adding a dynamic modern touch to the watch. The 24-hour disk is subdivided into day and night zones, identified respectively by a small gilt sun on a silvery background symbolizing noon and a gilt crescent moon on a blue-gray ground symbolizing midnight. On the city disk, a red dot between Auckland and Midway marks the International Date Line. Faceted dauphine-style hands and faceted applied baton-style hour markers, all in white gold with a white luminescent coating, indicate local time in the time zone selected at the 12 o’clock position.
The watch is paired with a calfskin strap embossed with a denim motif, in blue gray with white hand-stitching, echoes the color of the dial. It is secured by a fold-over clasp in white gold. This year, Patek introduces denim straps across several models, aiming to infuse a more casual style into their watches. Though it’s somewhat unusual to see denim on Patek watches. Personally, it’s not quite my style, but thankfully, it’s just a strap and can easily be swapped out.
The price for the new Patek Philippe World Time with date 5330G is €75,320 (including tax).
For more details about Patek Philippe watches, visit www.patek.com.
