The new Reference 5930 from Patek Philippe combines two grand complications: a chronograph and a world timer. This combination of complications, although rather rare, is already familiar to the brand’s collectors. The No. 862 442, a one-of-a-kind piece from 1940, was Patek Philippe’s first world time chronograph. This early 20th-century chronograph also featured a pulsometer and asthmometer. The new Reference 5930 brings this duet of chronograph and world time complications up to modern technical standards and puts it into Patek Philippe’s main collection for the first time.
Chronograph
Patek Philippe, not one to eschew a technical challenge, has produced a chronograph on which the sun never sets. This is because it constantly displays all 24 time zones: the cities disc bears 24 place names representing each of the 24 time zones, along with a 24-hour disc that shows local time in the chosen zone. The chronograph comprises a direct-drive seconds hand and 30-minute counter, while the world timer shows hours and minutes only. All the functions come together on the hands and discs visible on the dial of the World Time Chronograph, while the underlying automatic chronograph movement and world timer mechanism ensure that everything works together in perfect harmony.
World time
The world time function is remarkably easy to use. The central hour and minute hands show the time in the time zone that sits at the 12 o’clock position. The time in the 23 remaining time zones can be read off the city ring and 24 hour disc that lies inside it. There’s no magic involved: when the traveller finds himself in a different time zone, he merely presses the pusher at 10 o’clock, which rotates the cities and 24-hour disc anti-clockwise, while the central hour hand advances clockwise until the correct position is reached, i.e. when the name of the chosen city is at 12 o’clock.
During the readjustment process the hour hands and universal time mechanism are disengaged from the base movement, so as to avoid disrupting the amplitude of the balance wheel.
Beating heart
This new timepiece is driven by a self-winding mechanical movement giving a power reserve of at least 50 hours, with the balance beating at 28,800 vph.
The hands show the local hour and minute, the chronograph seconds and the chronograph 30-minute register. The discs display the 24 cities and 24 hours, along with graduated colours and a sun and moon symbols to indicate day and night.
Complete with a hand-stitched large-scale alligator strap, the timepiece is sure to appeal to all Patek Philippe connoisseurs.
