Introducing: The Patek Philippe Ref. 5531R WorldTime Minute Repeater

March 21, 2018

The original version of the Patek Philippe 5513R World Time Minute Repeater was the first watch of its kind: a minute repeater capable of chiming the local time, in any of the 24 reference time zones. The watch was originally introduced at Patek Philippe's Art Of Watches Grand Exhibition in New York, in 2017, as a special edition. There were exactly ten of those watches made C five of each of the two grand feu enamel dial treatments, which showed the Manhattan skyline by day and by night. The 5513R is now part of the regular collection at Patek, with a grand feu enamel dial showing the Lavaux vineyard terraces on the shores of Lake Geneva (fans of the pioneering American food writer M.F.K. Fischer will recall that she and her second husband had a home in the region, in the village of Chexbres, near Montreux). The vineyards are a UNESCO world heritage site. Initial Thoughts The 5513R is a watch that seems designed to silence doubters who say that Patek Philippe's best years are behind it. Just to refresh our memories, there have been watches that combine the world time complication with a minute repeater in the past, but such watches have not had the striking works coordinated with the world time complication C which means that the repeater would only strike home time, and not local time. In a conventional repeater, the hour snail (a cam with 12 steps that controls the number of hours struck) is not driven directly by the motion works that drive the hands, but rather, by a 12 pointed star wheel that's advanced one tooth per hour by the minute snail (which is driven directly by the motion works). This means, however, that in a world time watch with a repeater, you can't alter the position of the hour snail to reflect a change in time zone. The 5513R gets around this by having the hour snail driven by the time zone wheel of the world time complication.? Through the caseback, the gold Calatrava cross that acts as an upper bridge for the fly governor that controls the speed of the strike; hammer to the right. There are other innovations in the movement as well C for example, the striking works are set up so that you hear the time that the watch shows at the end of the strike, not when it starts. For example, if you start the repeater at 5:59:50, you'll hear the watch strike 6:00, which is the time it will be when striking is finished. There are also safety mechanisms to prevent accidental damage to the mechanism; for instance, while the striking train is activated, it's impossible to adjust local time. The rose gold case has openworked lugs, and it's also the first Patek repeater which has the foot of the gongs attached to the caseband, rather than the movement, which should give a better tone. We're looking very much forward to seeing this one, and hearing it as well.? The Basics Brand: Patek PhilippeModel: World Time Minute RepeaterReference Number: 5513RDiameter: 42mm (47.35mm lug to lug)Thickness: 11.49mmCase Material: Rose goldDial Color: City disk in German silver (maillechort); 24 hour disk in rose gold; center section in cloisonn enamel decoration showing vineyards above Lake GenevaWater Resistance: Case protected against dust and moisture, not water resistantStrap/Bracelet: Chocolate brown alligator leather, folding rose gold clasp The Movement Caliber: C 27 HUFunctions: Hours, minutes, world time, minute repeater (hour strike coordinated with local time zone)Diameter: 32mmThickness: 8.5mmPower Reserve: 48 hoursWinding: Automatic with 22k gold micro-rotorFrequency: 3 Hz (21,600 vph)Jewels: 45 Pricing & Availability Price: CHF 495,000Availability: Application pieceLimited Edition: Regular collection but (very) limited production.Click here for all the details.