The prestigious Geneva watch manufacture on its 175th anniversary (1839 – 2014) celebrates the art of horology with special edition commemorative timepieces including the limited edition World Time Moon featuring an innovative moon-phase display.
Ordinarily, Patek Philippe World Time watches feature a guilloché center or, particularly prized at auctions, a polychrome cloisonné enamel motif. With the World Time Moon, this is different for the first time, because the entire center is now occupied by a large-format moon-phase display.
Never before have the changing faces of the moon been reproduced by a Patek Philippe watch so realistically and with such prominence. Hence, this commemorative timepiece combines two complications that stand for tradition and innovation. The World Time Moon will be produced in a limited edition of 1750 pieces, of which 450 as the diamond-adorned Ref. 7175 ladies’ version and 1300 in the somewhat larger Ref. 5575 men’s version.
The Patek Philippe World Time watch was first launched in the 1930s and patented in 1959. With two rotatable scale disks at the periphery of the dial, it indicates the time in all of the world’s 24 time zones at a glance.
The organization of the world in 24 time zones, each spanning 15 degrees of geographical longitude, dates back to the International Meridian Conference in 1884 and since then has seen only minor changes. Thus, the outer scale lists 24 place names that each represent an entire time zone, while the inner scale displays the hours that correspond to the time of day in each zone.
The minute indication is identical for all zones. The hands of Patek Philippe World Time watches display the local time in the time zone represented by the city which stands at 12 o’clock. The cities on the right are located farther east, those on the left farther west.
This principle also applies to the current models with optimized time-zone mechanism that was patented in 1999. It allows all adjustments to be performed with a single pusher at 10 o’clock in the case flank. The mechanism is separated from the movement when corrections are made, so the steady oscillation of the balance and the accuracy of the minute hand’s position remain unaffected.
Each time the pusher is pressed, three things happen simultaneously: the uniquely designed hour hand, which evokes the Southern Cross constellation, advances by one hour, while the city and 24-hour disks move counter clockwise by one time zone. If the hands previously indicated 10:15 as the local time for London, they now display 11:15 for Geneva.
Conventional moon-phase displays are based on a characteristically shaped dial aperture. It exposes part of a disk with two round stylized moons that rotates about its own axis once in the course of two lunar months. Accordingly, the changing face of the earth’s satellite is comparatively small.
To achieve a significantly larger and more attractive depiction, Patek Philippe developed a mechanism for the World Time Moon that showcases the moonphase display in the center of the dial. It is composed of two extremely thin, superposed glass disks.
The bottom one is decorated with the nocturnal sky using an innovative metallization process. It shows a richly detailed and very large rendering of the moon. Several craters, so called lunar maria, are faithfully reproduced with fine gray-white gradations.
This disk performs one complete revolution every 29.53 days. The upper half of the second stationary disk just above it is metallized with a precisely calculated, heart-shaped contour. This mask exposes only the visible portion of the moon on the rotating disk and covers the area that in reality is darkened by the earth’s shadow.
The new caliber 240 HU LU was developed explicitly to achieve a harmonious fusion of the world’s 24 time zones with the lunar cycle. It is based on an ultra-thin self-winding movement powered by a 22K gold minirotor totally recessed in the plate.
Composed of 270 individual, immaculately finished parts, it fulfils all of the directives of the Patek Philippe Seal. This also applies to its high rate accuracy. Its maximum daily deviation amounts to between -3 and +2 seconds, perceptibly better than watches with official chronometer certificates.
From the outside, the World Time Moon is timelessly elegant. Its round case, inspired by the Calatrava style, is made of 18K white gold for men and 18K rose gold for women. Both models have a solid-gold case back with the engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE GENEVE 175e Anniversaire 1839 – 2014”.
On the dial side, Patek Philippe yet again succeeded in creating an eminently legible display of all 24 time zones with emphasis on local time, combined with an unusually large, richly detailed moon-phase display on dials with a diameter of about 35 mm.
The local time scale, the 24-hour dial, and the moon phases are prominently distinguished by their colors. In contrast to the World Time watches in the current collection, the World Time Moon anniversary model features an innovative local time hour hand. It recalls the Southern Cross constellation referred to in many seafarer novels and rounds out the astronomical trio – earth, moon, and stars – in an imaginative way.
Another special facet of this limited anniversary edition: as a tribute to Patek Philippe’s notable heritage, Central European Time is represented by the city of Geneva instead of Paris.
The men’s model, with a diameter of 39.8 mm, is slightly larger than the 38-mm ladies’ version. The latter features a bezel that sparkles with the fire of 70 flawless Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.6 ct).
The hand-stitched alligator strap with large square scales is secured with a fold-over clasp in gold to match the case, with the engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE 1839 – 2014”. The strap is shiny black for the men’s model and shiny beige for ladies.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe World Time Moon Men’s Watch Ref. 5575
Movement
Caliber 240 HU LU
Ultra-thin self-winding mechanical movement, world time zone mechanism, and extra-large moon-phase display
Dimensions: 27.5 mm
Height: 5.2 mm
Number of parts: 270
Number of jewels: 35
Power reserve: Min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
Centrifugal mass: 22K gold minirotor, unidirectionally winding
Balance: Gyromax®
Frequency: 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Spiromax®
Balance spring stud: Adjustable
Functions
2-position crown
– Pushed in: To wind the watch
– Pulled out: To set the local time
Displays
With hands:
• Hours for local time (city at 12 o’clock)
• Minutes
With disks:
• Moon phases
• World time in 24 hours
• Place names for the 24 world time zones
Pusher: At 10 o’clock, to change local time in 1-hour steps
Correction push piece: At 2 o’clock: Correction of moon phase
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Case
Round, 18K white gold, cambered sapphire crystal, solid-gold back with engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE GENEVE 175e Anniversaire 1839 – 2014“
Water-resistant to 30 m
Continued 5
Case dimensions: Diameter: 39.8 mm
Length (across lugs): 45.25 mm
Overall height: 9.81 mm
Height (crystal to back): 9.5 mm
Width between lugs: 21 mm
Dial
Multi-part, with two peripheral rotating scales and large moonphase display in the center
World time zone scale, black metal, with white place names
24-hour dial, metal, with day/night coloration
Moon-phase display with two superposed, metallized glass disks
Local time hour hand as a stylized “Southern Cross” in 18K white gold
Leaf-shaped minute hand in 18K white gold
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator leather with large square scales, shiny black, Calatrava fold-over clasp in 18K white gold, with engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE 1839 – 2014“
Edition
Limited to 1300 watches
Model: Patek Philippe World Time Moon Ladies’ Watch, Ref. 7175
Movement
Caliber 240 HU LU
Ultra-thin self-winding mechanical movement, world time zone mechanism, and extra-large moon-phase display
Dimensions: 27.5 mm
Height: 5.2 mm
Number of parts: 270
Number of jewels: 35
Power reserve: Min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
Centrifugal mass: 22K gold minirotor, unidirectionally winding
Balance: Gyromax®
Frequency: 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Spiromax®
Balance spring stud: Adjustable
Functions
2-position crown:
– Pushed in: To wind the watch
– Pulled out: To set the local time
Displays
With hands:
• Hours for local time (city at 12 o’clock)
• Minutes
With disks:
• Moon phases
• World time in 24 hours
• Place names for the 24 world time zones
Pushers: At 10 o’clock, to change local time in 1-hour steps
Correction push piece: At 2 o’clock: Correction of moon phase
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Case
Round, 18K rose gold, cambered sapphire crystal, bezel with 70flawless Top Wesselton brilliant-cut diamonds (~ 0.6 ct), solid gold back with engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE GENEVE 175eAnniversaire 1839 – 2014“
Water-resistant to 30 m
Continued 7
Case dimensions: Diameter: 38 mm
Length (across lugs): 44 mm
Overall height: 10.1 mm
Height (crystal to back): 9.36 mm
Width between lugs: 19 mm
Dial
Multi-part, with two peripheral rotating scales and large moonphase display in the center
World time zone scale, silvery white metal with beige place names
24-hour dial, metal, with day/night coloration
Moon-phase display with two superposed, metallized glass disks
Local time hour hand as a stylized “Southern Cross” in 18K rose gold
Leaf-shaped minute hand in 18K rose gold
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator leather with large square scales, shiny beige, Calatrava fold-over clasp in 18K rose gold, with engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE 1839 – 2014“
Edition
Limited to 450 watches
