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Lot Essay
Patek Philippe’s world time wristwatches are some of the most popular in today's market, this rare and hard to obtain reference, only produced in 18K pink gold, is highly sought-after by collectors worldwide.
First launched in 1930s and patented in 1959, Patek Philippe’s World Time watches enjoy cult status among travellers and collectors. The two rotating disks show the time simultaneously in all 24 time zones. With the 1999 patented single pusher adjustment mechanism is possible to correct all the displays with the single push of one button, without affecting the rate of the watch movement.
To commemorate Patek Philippe's 175th anniversary in 2014, the firm reinterpreted the legendary World Time model, for the first time giving it a hauntingly poetic moon phase display. To help it venture into these new technical and aesthetic dimensions, the manufacture developed a new version of ultra-thin self-winding movement: the caliber 240 HU LU. The watchmakers dispensed with the usual aperture and its disk adorned with two moons; instead, a single, large, richly atmospheric moon turns clockwise at the centre of the dial against a star-studded nocturnal sky. The effect is achieved with two very thin disks of mineral glass. The lower disk, depicting the moon, completes a rotation in a lunar month. The fixed upper disk is a heart-shaped mask; its outline reveals the changing visible portion of the moon night after night with astonishing accuracy. A complex new metallization technique has produced a moon whose face stands out against its starry background with almost photographic realism. The dial is complemented by the specially designed hour hand in the shape of the Southern Cross, a constellation often used for navigation. The elegant pink gold and diamond-set case of the reference 7175 differs in shape from the famous references 5110 and 5130 with its voluptuous lyre-shaped lugs and lack of crown guard, giving the model a clean sharp line contrasting perfectly with the complexity of the dial.
First launched in 1930s and patented in 1959, Patek Philippe’s World Time watches enjoy cult status among travellers and collectors. The two rotating disks show the time simultaneously in all 24 time zones. With the 1999 patented single pusher adjustment mechanism is possible to correct all the displays with the single push of one button, without affecting the rate of the watch movement.
To commemorate Patek Philippe's 175th anniversary in 2014, the firm reinterpreted the legendary World Time model, for the first time giving it a hauntingly poetic moon phase display. To help it venture into these new technical and aesthetic dimensions, the manufacture developed a new version of ultra-thin self-winding movement: the caliber 240 HU LU. The watchmakers dispensed with the usual aperture and its disk adorned with two moons; instead, a single, large, richly atmospheric moon turns clockwise at the centre of the dial against a star-studded nocturnal sky. The effect is achieved with two very thin disks of mineral glass. The lower disk, depicting the moon, completes a rotation in a lunar month. The fixed upper disk is a heart-shaped mask; its outline reveals the changing visible portion of the moon night after night with astonishing accuracy. A complex new metallization technique has produced a moon whose face stands out against its starry background with almost photographic realism. The dial is complemented by the specially designed hour hand in the shape of the Southern Cross, a constellation often used for navigation. The elegant pink gold and diamond-set case of the reference 7175 differs in shape from the famous references 5110 and 5130 with its voluptuous lyre-shaped lugs and lack of crown guard, giving the model a clean sharp line contrasting perfectly with the complexity of the dial.