PUSHING BOUNDARIES

Patek Philippe brings their patented system to synchronise the date display on a world time watch to their regular collection.

- DANIEL GOH

Patek Philippe’s World Time watches are immediately recognisable. The city wheel is, of course, the most obvious giveaway, but beyond that, it is the colourful maps in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel or hand-guilloched decorations in the centre that complete its signature look. So earlier this year when the new World Time Reference 5330G-001 was launched with a new carbon fibre pattern on the dial, it was easy to dismiss it as just another interpretation of a brand favourite. But boy, were we wrong about that.

The genius of the Ref. 5330G is securely hidden within its movement, betrayed only by the date wheel on the outer circumference of the dial, along with the new transparent, hammer-style hand pointing to it. This is the first time Patek Philippe has decided to add a date display to their World Time watch, and in a patented world first, they have also managed to solve the problem of synchronising the date with the local time.