In Geneva, at Watches & Wonders 2024, Patek Philippe unveiled eleven new combinations of technique and style that further enrich the Maison’s prestigious catalog. The range of novelties continues in the “tradition of innovation” that has distinguished Patek Philippe since its founding, with a major technical advancement in the area of multi-time zone watches, the entry of a new and exclusive “chain” style bracelet in the Golden Ellipse collection, and nine reinterpretations of prominent models that exhibit a wide variety of functions and designs.
Among the new products presented by Patek Philippe, the Ref. 5330G-001 definitely stands out…
On the occasion of Patek Philippe’s famous “Watch Art” watch exhibition in Tokyo in June 2023, a limited-edition gem, Ref. 5330, was unveiled and is now making its debut in the Manufacture’s permanent collection. This watch stands out for an innovative and patented function: it shows the date according to local time, that is, the time in your chosen time zone that appears on the cities disc at noon, marked by the hands in the center.
The World Timer Function
Let’s take a step back in time. Recall that the world-famous Universal Time function, the brainchild of Geneva master watchmaker Louis Cottier and launched in the 1930s during the first transatlantic flights, has never stopped evolving technically. Since the 1950s, Universal Time has made it possible to see the time in all 24 time zones thanks to two discs that move (one with the names of the cities and the other with the 24 hours), while at the same time marking local time with hands in the center indicating the hours and minutes (based on the time zone chosen at 12 noon). This clever system, together with dials often enhanced with Grand Feu cloisonné enamel or handmade guilloché finishes, has made watches with this complication among the most iconic and desired by Patek Philippe fans
Since 1999, Patek Philippe has revolutionized the functionality of Universal Time with a unique patented mechanism that allows all time indications (the city disc, 24-hour disc, and central hour hand) to be adjusted with a single push of a button. This change is made in one-hour increments and without affecting the accuracy of the minutes and seconds. An innovation introduced in 2000 with the launch of Ref. 5110.
Since then, Patek Philippe engineers have combined Universal Time with two other of the most iconic complications. In 2016, the Universal Hour Chronograph Ref. 5930 was launched, equipped with the automatic caliber CH 28-520 HU. The following year, a novelty was introduced during the prestigious New York Exposition: the first Universal Hour minute repeater that always chimes local time, model Ref. 5531 with automatic caliber R 27 HU.
Adding The Date
At Watches and Wonders 2024 Patek Philippe reached a new milestone in the history of Universal Time by equipping it for the first time with a date display. In normal Universal Time watches equipped with a date display, when the traveler changes time zones, he always has to adjust it independently of the calendar. For a better User Experience, Patek Philippe instructed its engineers to mechanically link the date display to the local time (the time zone set at 12 noon and shown by the central hands), eliminating the need for further adjustment. So, the owner will only need to set the local time to also change the date from home time if necessary.
To meet this challenge, it was necessary for the date to adjust automatically in the two cases that cause it to change: when midnight is passed, and the date changes to the next day, and when the date change line (in the middle of the Pacific) is crossed from west to east, and the date goes back one day. It was the latter case that escaped Phileas Fogg, in the famous novel “Around the World in 80 Days,” when he thought he had lost his bet by one day (a mistake he would not have made had he been wearing the new Ref. 5330G-001 on his wrist).
The Caliber 240 HU C
For the challenge, Patek Philippe has introduced a new movement, Caliber 240 HU C. This mechanism is an advanced version of Caliber 240 HU, an ultra-flat self-winding movement that has equipped Patek Philippe’s Universal Hour watches since 2000. The new caliber is distinguished by a date display module composed of seventy components, which allows flawless synchronization with local time.
Precise date control is provided by an innovative patented central differential system, which uses two concentric “star” engagement wheels. The outer star, with sixty-two teeth, advances the date hand one click when it rotates clockwise. Conversely, the inner star, with thirty-one teeth, moves the hand back one click when it also rotates clockwise. If both stars rotate clockwise at the same time, the differential prevents any movement of the date hand. Thus, by pressing the pusher at 10 o’clock, it is possible to adjust the time in the various time zones, as well as the date, in simple one-hour increments. To conclude, the caliber 240 HU C is only 0.7 millimeters thicker than its predecessor (4.58 mm versus 3.88 mm), thus allowing the case thickness to remain very small.
The Transparent End
A truly distinctive detail, present for the first time in a Patek Philippe watch, is the display of the date by means of a transparent glass hand with a red lacquered vane pointing on a scale of 1 to 31, on a silver-beveled réhaut that creates an eye-catching depth effect so that this relatively static hand does not interfere with the legibility of other information.
The Dial
Ref. 5330G-001 stands out for its elegant and distinctive design. It features a dial in a sophisticated opaline blue-gray color, decorated with a pattern reminiscent of carbon. The disc indicating 24 hours is divided into two parts to distinguish day from night: one part is silver-colored with a small golden sun representing noon, while the other is a blue-gray tone with a golden crescent moon for midnight. In addition, a red mark placed between Auckland and Midway on the cities disc indicates the date change point.
The fully polished 40mm white gold case culminates in curved double godron lugs. Through the sapphire crystal case back, one can admire the architecture and careful finishing of the new self-winding Caliber 240 HU C.
Local time in the selected time zone at 12 o’clock is indicated by faceted dauphine hands and faceted white gold applique baton hour markers with white luminescent coating.
The color of the dial is echoed in the strap. This part of the watch has been much talked about. In fact, despite looking like denim at first glance, it is made of calfskin leather. Finally, it is equipped with a white gold pin buckle.
Technical Details
Movement: Mechanical self-winding
Caliber: 240 HU C. Universal Time. 24-hour and day/night indication for the 24 time zones. Date hand. Diameter: 30.5 mm. Thickness: 4.58 mm. Number of components: 306. Power reserve: min 38 hours – max 48 hours. Oscillating weight: eccentric mini-rotor with 22k gold guilloché motif. Frequency: 21600 vibrations per hour (3 HZ).
Dial: Opaline blue-gray with “carbon” pattern, faceted applied white gold baton hour markers with white luminescent coating.
Case: White gold, diameter 40 mm, thickness: 11.57 mm. Water resistant to 30 m. Sapphire crystal case back.
Strap: Calfskin leather, hand-stitched, blue-gray, denim pattern. White gold folding clasp.
Prezzo: 76’590 USD*
Final Thoughts
This new technical evolution of Patek Philippe’s Ora Universale watches enriches the Manufacture’s offer of travel watches with a model of great character.
Patek Philippe does not deny its desire to innovate and maintain primacy in the field of Complications, offering a model with an elegant style but at the same time technically unmatched.
Its round white gold case, curved lugs, understated elegance of the blue-gray hue, and perfect thickness make this model beautiful on the wrist; but it cannot be forgotten that inside the timepiece holds a prodigious mechanism capable – albeit with great simplicity for the user – of traversing the world without ever losing sight of the hours of the places of the heart. With Universal Time on your wrist, traveling will be even more exciting…
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