The Ref. 7234R-001 is a feminine interpretation of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, which in 2015 was launched as a men’s wristwatch in a white-gold case with a blue dial. With a second time zone and a local-time date, this watch is also the first self-winding Travel Time model in Patek Philippe’s collection for women.
Housed in a 37,5 mm rose-gold case, the brown dial offers a subtle black gradation toward the periphery. Reflecting Patek Philippe’s tradition in aviator’s watches, it is superbly legible. It features applied, sculpted rose-gold numerals with a white luminous coating as well as broad luminous baton-style hands. The orange “1” of the analog date on the subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock is decidedly prominent.
The self-winding caliber 324 S C FUS, with 45 hours of power reserve, provides a very easily adjustable display of the second time zone. All it takes is the actuation of one of the two pushers in the left-hand case flank to move the luminous local-time hour hand clockwise (with the pusher at 8 o’clock) or counterclockwise (with the pusher at 10 o’clock) in one-hour increments without affecting the precise rate of the watch. The pierced hour hand keeps track of home time. The two time zones are complemented with day/night indicators in apertures at 9 and 3 o’clock. As long as the owner is not on the go, the two hour hands are superposed. The two time-zone pushers are equipped with a patented safety lock that prevents unintended adjustments of the local time setting.
The timepiece comes with a vintage brown calfskin strap secured with a rose-gold clevis prong buckle. It is reminiscent of the harnesses that allowed pilots to keep their survival kits readily deployable.
The Ref. 7234R-001 Calatrava Pilot Travel Time is also available in a men’s version with the new Ref. 5524R-001. The 42mm rose gold watch features the same brown dial and is also animated by the same Calibre 324 S C FUS.
