In July 2017, on the occasion of its hugely successful brand exhibition in New York, Patek Philippe launched the Ref. 5531 New York Special Edition as an exclusive debut for the US market. Now, the micromechanical masterpiece has been added to the manufacture’s regular collection.
It is a new grand complication with features in a domain that Patek Philippe has dominated for decades: a minute repeater, a World Time mechanism, an enamel arts dial, and a rose-gold case crafted in-house.
As a trailblazing innovation, the Ref. 5531 is endowed with a World Time minute repeater that in contrast to all other watches of this type strikes local time rather than home time and can be conveniently set to the respective time zone with a separate pusher.
Controlling the hour strike to one-second accuracy via the 24-hour display of the World Time mechanism is a horological feat that has never been accomplished so consummately and for which a patent application has been filed.
This achievement is credited to the new self-winding caliber R 27 HU movement that consists of 462 parts and is crafted in the manufacture’s haute horlogerie workshops. It is wound by a minirotor in 22K gold which is fully recessed in the movement and exhibits a hand-guilloched hobnail pattern.
From the front, the new Ref. 5531 shows a fascinating dial that reflects a grand Patek Philippe tradition: a magnificent cloisonné enamel depiction of the Lavaux vineyard terrace region on the shores of Lake Geneva, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lapped rose-gold hands hover above this stage.
The silhouette of the artistically pierced hour hand is inspired by the “Southern Cross” constellation. It always indicates the local time in the city aligned with the 12 o’clock position. The times of the other 23 world time zones are displayed opposite the respective place names by the concentric 24-hour scale that doubles as a day/night indicator thanks to its two differently colored ring halves.
The movement and the World Time dial are accommodated in an elegant rose-gold case. It owes its very slender looks to skeletonized lugs and the special shape of the crystal. The rectangular time-zone pusher is polished, and the crown is adorned with a Calatrava cross.
