When Patek Philippe unveiled its new generation 5330 World Time watch last year in Tokyo as a limited edition, it must have left the public wanting more, because it has now been introduced into the core collection as an unlimited reference.
The new reference 5330G features Patek’s calibre 240 HU C, a movement with an innovative feature: a date that synchronises to local time.
The latest developments follow a history of innovation associated with the watch. The World Time was introduced in the 1930s and has been the focus of many technical upgrades since.
Since the 1950s it has been possible to read the time simultaneously in 24 different time zones, and in 1999 Patek unveiled the patented mechanism for changing all displays at the push of a button without affecting the minutes and seconds.
Key specs
Patek Philippe 5330G-001
Movement: Patek self-winding calibre 240 HU C
Case: 40mm white gold
Calfskin strap with white-gold clasp
Water-resistant to 30m.
Price: £65,600
The watch renaissance has been led by a love of mechanical movements, but Patek likes to remind us that there is nothing wrong with powering a beautifully designed luxury watch with a quartz calibre.
This new version of the Travel Time is powered by a new quartz movement that affords the watch a restrained case height of just 8.77mm roughly 1.5mm thinner than a regular Aquanaut.
A second time zone is displayed via an additional hour hand and there is a home-time day/night indicator at 6 o’clock. The dial has an embossed Aquanaut pattern and rose-gold applied numerals.
As well as being a more slender watch, the quartz movement offers a significant cost saving over a gold mechanical Aquanaut, but this being a Patek, it will still cost north of £30k.
Key specs
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time 5269R
Quartz movement. Caliber E 23‑250
Case: 38.8mm rose gold
Composite strap with rose-gold clasp
Water-resistant to 30m
Price: £30,280
Mechanical of course does not mean bulky, and nowhere is this better displayed than in the dashing profile of the new Golden Ellipse.
The rose-gold case is just 5.9mm thick, thanks to the ultra-slim Calibre 240 self-winding movement within.
This new model is an evolution of the original Golden Ellipse, which was designed in the late 1960s using the classic golden ratio design philosophy as its inspiration.
The elegantly simple case frames an ebony black sunburst dial and rose gold baton-style hour markers.
The new chain bracelet consists of 363 pieces that are produced in a CNC machine but then painstakingly hand-assembled in the traditional style.
Key specs
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse Reference 5738
Calibre 240 ultra-thin automatic movement
Rose-gold case 34.5 x 39.5 mm
Rose-gold bracelet
Water-resistant to 30m
Price: £51,470
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