Patek Philippe presented the new Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G-001. Price €69,930. Patek Philippe at Watches&Wonders 2022 novelties.
In the opening day of the Watches and Wonders 2022 event (Geneva, March 30 - April 5), Patek Philippe presented the new Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G-001, a vintage-looking timepiece that, for the first time, combines the patented Annual Calendar (requiring a manual correction only once a year) and the Travel Time system for the display of a second time zone.
The technical originality of this Annual Calendar lies in the fact that it always indicates the exact date for local time. In order to provide this functionality, the engineers have developed a new self-winding movement where it is the local-time hour wheel that drives the calendar. Moreover, date correction is enabled in both forwards and backwards directions.
The watch comes in a 41 mm x 11.07 mm Calatrava-type white gold case rimmed with a Clous de Paris hobnail guilloched pattern and offering water resistance up to a pressure of 3 bar (30 metres / 100 feet).
Protected by a box-design sapphire crystal, the anthracite dial is characterised by a slightly grainy texture reminiscent of oldtimer cameras with gold applied Arabic numerals enhanced by beige luminescent coating.
The hours of local time and the minutes are displayed with luminous white-gold “Seringue” hands that with their long tips resemble syringes. A pierced “Seringue” hand indicates the hours of home time. The three apertures of the Annual Calendar – day of the week and month on one line at 12 o'clock, date at 6 o'clock – show easily legible black inscriptions on white backgrounds.
Two small round windows marked “LOCAL” at 8 o'clock and “HOME” at 4 o'clock are day/night indicators for local time and home time, respectively. The subsidiary seconds that sweeps the moon-phase aperture at 6 o'clock complete the ensemble.
The calendar indications can be adjusted with the aid of small correctors in the caseband located near the respective functions: day at 10, month at 2, date at 4 and moon phases at 8 o'clock.
For the new Ref. 5326G-001, Patek Philippe redesigned its Travel Time function. While the basic principle with two hour hands from the center is retained, the two typical time zone pushers in the left-hand case flank were replaced with a winding-stem setting mechanism that has three positions.
The user merely needs to pull the crown to the middle position and then turn it clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust the local-time hour hand in one-hour increments in either direction without affecting the rate of the movement. This approach offers the advantage of a more discreet design and look.
Setting the time in the home-time zone is done in the classic manner with the crown in the outermost position.
Beating at the frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour, the self-winding Caliber 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H has a stop-seconds mechanism that allows the time to be set with one-second accuracy. This function is only active while the crown is pulled to the outermost position. This prevents the movement from stopping when selecting a new time zone and preserves the rate accuracy of the movement.
When the wearer is not traveling, the two hour hands can be superposed with the crown and will then look like one hand.
Visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback, this 409-part movement is endowed with eight patents relating to elements improving precision, efficiency, reliability, security and user friendliness. The off-center minirotor in 950 platinum winds and store enough energy to guarantee a power reserve of 38 (min) to 48 (max) hours.
Fitted with a beige calfskin leather strap and delivered with an additional black calfskin strap embossed with fabric pattern, the new Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G-001 has a retail price of Euro 69,930. patek.com
Nice piece with useful complications. Not particularly in love with the grained effect of the dial.
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