A Pilot Watch for Patek Philippe – Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524G
It is such a thing with time. If you would travel through the universe with the speed of light and return to earth after a few years, you would have aged less then the people living on the planet earth. Surely such a flying object is not realistic, but since the rapid development of Aviation in the 1930th, the speed we travel has an impact on time – however you are more likely to have a jetlag then becoming younger, unfortunately.
There was also an era of pilot watches at Patek Philippe
At the beginning, board instruments and wristwatches with dedicated mechanism served Pilots for their orientation. There were a few so called hour-angle watches around of which some have been co-developed by pioneer Charles Lindbergh. At some point when GPS navigation took over it became redundant. But Pilot watches never died. Today Pilots and frequent travellers use timezone-watches for their orientation. One of the first watchmakers that developed a mechanism for all 24 worldtime-zones was Louis Cottier in 1931. From this time on Patek Philippe used this function for their Heure Universelle watches and has advanced this complex technique steadily.
The Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time
In 1959 Patek Philippe patented their first Travel Time mechanism. Another milestone was set in 1996 with a two-timezone-mechanism in which the progress of switching to the second timezone has no impact on the accuracy of the first timezone. As soon as one pusher for the adjustment of the timezone (forward or backward in one-hour increments) is being pressed, an isolator uncouples the time-zone mechanism from the going train. This prevents the degradation of the amplitude of the balance and allows it to continue oscillating at a regular rate.
The dark navy blue lacquer on the dial resembles the body paint of American fighter planes from the 1930s
When Patek Philippe introduced the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524G in 2015, it was highly controversial, as a Pilot watch seemed unusual in the manufactures portfolio. But also Patek Philippe developed hour angle watches for the military in the 1930s. However they soon disappeared with the upcoming technological progress (they can still be seen today in the Patek museum). The future worldtime watches remained in peoples memory and are nevertheless modern Pilot watches.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time
The Calibre 324 S C FUS from the Reference 5524G is equipped with the 1996 patented two-timezone-mechanism. In the meantime, more details have been added which proof the horological progress: Gyromax-balance with Spiromax-spring made of Silinvar, a light but strong, nearly frictionless, antimagnetic and corrosion-proof material, which improves the effectiveness by around 30 per cent.
The calibre 324 S C FUS with a two-timezone-mechanism
At Patek Philippe the timezones are divided into local-time and home-time. The local-time hands hides underneath the home-time hands, as longs as not in use. The baton-style steel hands and the numerals have a Superluminova coating, which is very typical for Pilot watches and offers readability in the dark. The dark navy blue lacquer on the dial resembles the body paint of American fighter planes in the 1930s.
The case is made of whitegold, not stainless steel
The case in white gold is supposed to be in the typical Calatrava style, but it is rather based on classical Pilot watches – little more rustic and square. It has therefore found its place in the collection of the ‘complicated watches’ rather then in the Calatrava collection. Anyway, it remains an exceptional timepiece at Patek Philippe.
The Calatrava case in the style of classical pilot-watches
By the way, we actually do become little younger when flying, but only one millisecond after 40 years of flying time.
The decade of the 1950s was a crucial period for music – and it was also a golden age for watchmaking. Cliff Richards produced his first songs in the notorious Abbey Road Studios as did the Beatles little later. Vacheron Constantin introduced their first automatic watch (Ref. 6073) in 1956 which today lives on in…
In a return to what the sumptuous luxury Swiss watch and jewellery maison does best, Piaget has once again merged art and horology with the release of the Andy Warhol Clou de Paris watch. While the manufacture is also respected for its remarkable ultra-thin watches and in-house production, Piaget is known above all for its artistic heritage.…
Salmon are impressive fish, facing a substantial amount of danger throughout their lives. This "danger" applies primarily to the fact that they are on the menu for a broad variety of animals along the food chain. After all, salmon aren't just nutritional (not to mention delicious) for humans alone. Whether salmon qualifies as a delicacy…
Swisswatches Magazine is always on the go. But in August we started an adventurous journey which took us 17 days, over 7.000 Kilometres through 17 places across Europe. Our luggage: some shorts and some watches! Departure: Munich. Destination: surfers paradise spot Ericeira – just by car and through the beautiful landscapes of Lugano, Portofino and…
Whether it's Sofia Richie, Natasha from Sex and the City, or influencer The Gstaad Guy's 'Constance' serving as your inspiration, 'quiet luxury' remains the hottest trend this summer – and I would make the case that this dashingly handsome collector's piece doubles up as the ultimate embodiment of the 'quiet luxury' movement. With its combination…
Whatever their shape or form, all watches tell us the time. But aside from this highly handy function, which two complications prove the most useful in everyday life? According to Parmigiani Fleurier, the answer is: an annual calendar and a chronograph. These are the two functions that define the Swiss horology house's new limited edition…
Can a watch manufacture become any more sovereign than this? The soon-to-be-instated King Charles III of England is the owner of a Parmigiani Fleurier. King Charles has long worn the watch, but now, as a prince becomes a king, his choice carries even more weight: the British crown puts his trust in Parmigiani Fleurier. Meanwhile,…
Following the launch of its new Calibre 400 in-house movement in mid-October, Oris is now launching its first watch to feature the calibre. The Hölstein-based watchmakers have chosen its Aquis Date model as the first lucky recipient. In this article, we explain exactly not only why they chose a diver's watch, but also how the…
In an interview with Swisswatches, Ulysse Nardin's Managing Director, Matthieu Haverlan, talks about the origins of the collaboration with Wempe for the Wempe Signature x Ulysse Nardin Diver NET and the criteria he personally bases his passion for collecting mechanical watches on. It is immediately clear that Haverlan is not one of the grandiloquent characters…
Funnily enough, horses used to terrify me. They seemed erratic and volatile. Walking through my local park, the lush green Englischer Garten in Munich, I would veer away mistrustfully to avoid the police horses trotting through. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I was swayed. I spent some of the pandemic on…
A good reputation is easily lost, but takes far longer to build. So when Jaeger-LeCoultre is often – and fondly – referred to today as the ‘watchmaker of watchmakers’, it may sound like a well-worn phrase, yet there are countless reasons and decades of history behind it. The current Polaris collection, including recent additions such…
It is pitch dark, suddenly two burning tyres start spinning whilst spraying sparks as if the rubber would have burned down to the rim. A signal-red needle accelerates over and over and provokes the howling of an engine. When it turns light, it’s not the animation of a sportscar as you would have expected, but…
The OMEGA Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M is a sporty all-rounder that works just as well at a yacht club as in the city. A combination of cutting-edge technology and practical features qualify this watch for everyday wear. With a price of 5,600 euros, the timepiece is also a perfect choice for first-timers entering the luxury segment. The Aqua…