The reading of a second time zone is a complication born of the modern age and its ease of travel and communication: the advantage of a simple at-a-glance reading of home and local time and easy adjustment is no small thing for travellers. The Travel Time mechanism, launched by Patek Philippe in 1997 based on a 1959 patent, indicates a second time zone thanks to a second central hour hand that can move back and forth in one-hour increments.
Used by Patek in watches of different styles, the Travel Time now equips a new Calatrava with an original display of local time and home time by means of two central hands rotating over 24 hours. A time format that the company had already employed in the past, notably in the Gondolo Chronometers made in the early 20th century for the Brazilian dealer Gondolo & Labouriau.
In the Calatrava Ref. 5224R-001, the 24 hours are displayed on a navy blue dial by means of alternating Arabic numerals and bar indices (with luminescent coating). Noon is inserted at 12 o'clock, unlike the traditional position at 6 o'clock for this type of display, with the advantage of better legibility for all hours of the day.
The luminescent hour and minute hands are used for local time, while the third central, skeleton hand indicates home time. The novel 24-hour format has consequently replaced the classic AM/PM display for local time and home time in two windows.
With the addition of a 24-hour module and the Travel Time mechanism, the basis of the new calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H is the calibre 31-260 launched on the Annual Calendar Regulator, which was then completely reworked for the Perpetual Calendar in line in 2021 with new solutions. For the Travel Time mechanism, Patek engineers have also integrated the three patents introduced last year in the Annual Calendar Travel Time (which uses the same base calibre), aimed at optimising performance, precision, durability, safety and comfort of use.
In order to preserve as much as possible the elegant concept of the Calatrava case (in pink gold and with a diameter of 42 mm), the thickness remains limited to 9.85 mm thanks to the adoption of a platinum micro-rotor for the movement (which reaches a thickness of only 3.7 mm) and, for a cleaner design, the patented system of local time correction via the crown replaces the two lateral push-buttons: in the intermediate position, turned clockwise moves the time forward, counterclockwise sends it backwards, always in one-hour increments. It comes with a navy blue calfskin strap with a nubuck finish and contrasting cream-coloured stitching.
Price57,832 euro.
