Three-Way Travel Chronograph: Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph 5930P

When you travel, you usually only care about one time – the time you are in. Still, for those who need to keep in touch with people in other parts of the globe, the GMT or Universal Time complication comes in handy, and combining the two isn’t too difficult. A chronograph would be handy if you also wanted to count the time you parked your taxi on the meter, but that sounds like a separate watch. Unless, of course, you are wearing the Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph 5930P.

history
The Patek Philippe World Time 5930P is a fairly new creation, just released towards the end of 2021. Going back a few years, to 2016, we see that it was before the Patek Philippe World Time 5930G, when Patek Philippe combined the world timer and chrono functions in the layout we have here. True historical detectives go back further in time. The layout we see on the Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph 5930P, with world cities surrounding the outside of the dial? It was originally invented in 1931 by a watchmaker named Louis Cottier. More precisely, Cottier turned the design into something that caught the eye of a watch brand. His father, Emmanuel Cottier, came up with the idea in 1885, but no one noticed. When Louis built on his father’s idea, the concept of timing the entire world on one dial took off.

In 1937, Patek Philippe released their first world timepiece, reference 605 (pocket watch). Several other models were made after that, but we’re going to focus on the 1940 model. It was a one-off “one-of-a-kind”, officially known as the Patek Philippe 1415-1. Of course, this is a world timer that also incorporates a pulse chronograph, making it a clear predecessor to the 5930 World Time chronograph series.

plan the details
The most striking feature of the Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph 5930P is the emerald green dial. This gives the watch a brighter appearance than the dark blue of the 5930G. The light flickers in the center of the dial’s hand-guilloché, which can almost be imagined as the battle paths of aircraft around the world. Emerging from the verdant center, you’ll see a 24-hour day/night indicator surrounded by world time in white text on a green background, further enhancing the look.

For all the functions of the watch, in terms of complexity, it is very clear and easy to use. Legibility is handled by applying luminous padding on the index and dagger-like hands. The subdial at 6 o’clock is the chronograph’s 30-minute totalizer, and the chronograph second hand sits right on the central pinion. The chronograph itself is triggered by pushers on either side of the crown, with the added benefit that you can reset the time on the fly. In other words, you don’t have to stop it, reset it, and restart it – just reset it and things will keep running.

This leaves the third pusher on the platinum case of the patek philippe fakes World Time Chronograph 5930P. This is how you adjust the world time display. So while this watch may look intimidating at first glance, it’s very intuitive and owners will no doubt get used to how the watch works very quickly.

While the design goes a long way in making this watch so easy to use, you can’t underestimate the importance of cramming the movement into the 5930P case. In this case, it’s the Patek Philippe 28-520 HU movement. This is a self-winding movement that offers a 48-hour power reserve while running at 4 Hz. Of course, it also offers world timer and chronograph functions, all of which can be seen through the exhibition caseback.

The chronograph hides another interesting tidbit. We talked about it above when we mentioned that you can reset the timer on the fly. This is due to the fact that the movement relies on the vertical clutch. Besides being a fun party trick, this also means you can keep the chronograph running and use the chronograph second hand as a running second hand if you want. In a normal chronograph, this creates a lot of problems, not just excessive wear on components and depleted power reserves. With the vertical clutch, those concerns are really swept aside. So it’s not just a pretty face, it’s backed by some very mature watchmaking technology.

competing with
Since Patek Philippe has partnered with World City to make world chronograph watches for 85 years, the most obvious competition will come from within their own catalogs, with watches like the Patek Philippe 5131P. One can certainly cast a larger net.

Although it ditched the timekeeping function, the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone stayed at the forefront of world timekeeping, doing things differently. You have two time indicators (local and home), each with its own day/night indicator. Also, when you set the city you want to track (via the arrows between 4 and 6 on the sub-dial), you can see if that city observes daylight saving time. It’s a neat touch, just one of many features that this watch packs into.

On the other hand, if you want your world timer to be less subtle, then we’ll direct your attention to the Richard Mille RM63-02. With its bright colors and bold design elements, the World Time feature looks elegant. To make adjustments, you just use the bezel to align your local city at 12 o’clock and everything else will fall into place, including the hour hand. For ease of use, it’s hard to beat!

character
When you think about Patek Philippe and the watches it offers, you no doubt think about the personality you think the watch (and its owner) has. I think their world timer line tends to break that mold and start taking a more artistic approach to things, especially their enamel world map dials. Although there is no enamel here, the guilloche dial is still artistic, making it different from the soft and flat dial.

The Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph 5930P is all about taking the time in your life for all your dream flight routes. Can’t control it, no, but be able to track it precisely. Between local time, world time and chronograph timing, this watch lets you watch the time however you want, whether it’s flying out the window or not. This is a watch that likes to know where it is during the day and gives you that information cleanly and clearly.

While many luxury watch models have gone down the path from precious metals to steel, Patek Philippe is bucking the trend. The original Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph 5930 was crafted in lovely white gold, and in this version, up the ante by using platinum – also indicated by the small diamonds set between the lower lugs.

All in all, this is a fashion watch that defines elegant simplicity. Yes, what the sport does is anything but simple, especially with all the complexities that come together here. Not to mention how compact it is made, allowing for a relatively thin watch. Still, the dial remains legible, and interaction with these complications is actually handled clearly through the buttons on the case. For all the complexity, the actual use itself is simplicity. Then wrap that simplicity in an elegant luxury watch that no doubt will be more than happy to travel the world with you.