BASELWORLD 2019: Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520P-001

For 180 years Patek Philippe meanwhile is an essential part of high class watch making. Now the Geneva manufacture presented a new self-winding model with a Travel Time display with two time zones and an 24-hour alarm. The watch’s alarm signal, which bases on a mechanism newly developed by the brand for this model, is struck by a hammer on a classic gong. In total the Swiss brand needed five years of development for this watch and applied for four patents. The case of the Alarm Travel Time (Ref. 5520P-001) is made of platinum and reflects the Pilot Travel Time design.

To make the watch as thin, functional and reliable as possible the engineers of Patek Philippe opted for an integrated movement, because it requires less height than a caliber with an additional module, but though is able to offer the possibility of intelligent functions.

Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520P-001 (left)

Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520P-001 (right)

This way only for this watch the new caliber AL 30-660 S C FUS, made of 574 individual pieces, was developed. It has a self-winding movement with a central rotor. Its diameter is 31 mm and its height is 6.6 mm. Its Gyromax balance features a Spiromax balance spring made of Silinvar, a derivative of silicon. The properties of this material and the patented geometry of the hairspring assure reliability and a rate accuracy of -3/+2 seconds per day, the maximum tolerance for the brand. Also the movement has a stop-seconds mechanism that allows the time to be set with one-second accuracy. The sapphire crystal caseback makes the detailed mechanism and the rotor made of 21K gold, with new rounded recesses, and the decorative Genevan circular graining pattern, visible.

Two Time Zones

In 1997 already Patek Philippe presented a watch with two time zones, called Travel Time Function, for the first time. This model has two hour-markers: The first one is skeletonized and displays home time, while the other one is filled and indicates the local time at the owner’s current location. These hour hands are paired with two day/night indicators (blue-white) in small round apertures – at 3:30 for home time (HOME) and at 8:30 for local time (LOCAL). On travels all it takes is the actuation of the pushers in the left-hand case flank to adjust the local time clockwise in one-hour increments (pusher at 8 o’clock) or counterclockwise (pusher at 10 o’clock). The pushers can easily be unlocked and locked again. The date in the lower part of the dial is synchronized with the local time. When both hour hands indicate the same time zone, the local-time hour hand is superposed on the home-time hour hand.

The 24-hour alarm

As well the 24-hour alarm is a particularly functional complication for travel fans. For Patek Philippe the alarm is nothing new: In the famous Calibre 89 and in the Grandmaster Chime from 2014 the brand already used the alarm. But it is new, that the model is equipped with this function and water resistant at the same time.

For the new Alarm Travel Time the manufacture chose an alarm concept that features a classic gong. When the alarm is triggered, a hammer, which is visible through the display back, strikes a gong that circles the movement for up to 40 seconds with a frequency of 2.5 Hz (2.5 strikes per second). This is equivalent to about 90 strikes in total. A centrifugal governor beneath a bridge with the Calatrava cross assures a regular and sustained striking cadence. The alarm mechanism has its own, separate spring barrel that is tensioned with a crown at 4 o’clock. A built-in clutch prevents inadvertent overtightening. To assure maximum sound quality, the gong is attached directly to the caseband.

Patek Philippe’s Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520P-001 – the movement

The alarm is indicated digitally for a better readability. The programmed alarm time is displayed in a double aperture beneath the 12 o’clock position. Underneath the round aperture with the day/night indicator in white for the time from 6 am to 6 pm and blue for 6 pm to 6 am is located. The alarm can easily be turned ON or OFF with a pusher at 2 o’clock. As well at the 12 o’clock position the watch indicates whether the alarm is set or not.

The watch’s complications and functions are equipped with an accurate safety and isolation mechanism to minimize mistakes and avoid damage of the watch’s mechanism through wrong manipulations. Especially the alarm function has some mechanisms to ensure the complications safety. These have as well applied for a patent.

The design

The watch’s design reminds of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time with two time zones from 2015 and is as well created in a style of aviation. The look of the case is almost exactly the same pilote style as the 2015 model, even though its mechanism is much more complex.

The case with a diameter of 42.2 mm and a height of 11.57 mm, with an integrated bezel and integrated lugs, is cold-formed with a high-tonnage press from a blank in platinum. In the next step precision machining as well as painstaking and elaborate polishing are applied to the watch. The barrel is slightly beveled while the caseband elegantly merges with the slightly curved lugs. In the case flank at 6 o’clock the typical Patek Phillipe diamond decorates the model.

Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520P-001 – side view

The dial offers easy readability und emphasizes the pilot style of the model. The large applied Arabic numerals and the broad baton hands in white gold, with a white Superluminova coating, contrast against the sunburst ebony black background. The skeletonized home-time hour hand rotates discretely on a second plane, like in all ‘Travel Time’ models. The slender white seconds hand moves its tip along a railway track minute scale with five-minute dots coated with Superluminova. The small white hand in the subdial at 6 o’clock indicates the date along a scale from 1 to 31. Other than that the model has a thin sapphire crystal und equally designed pusher and crowns for a visual balance. The strap is made of matt black calfskin with contrast stitching. It is secured with a platinum clevis prong buckle, which is typical feature of aviators’ timepieces.

patek.com

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