Patek Philippe launched three variations to its hot Nautilus (including a white gold successor to its retired Ref. 5711) and extended its collection of complicated chronographs as part of an eight-piece debut this week.
The new Ref. 5811/1G-001 Nautilus features a case and bracelet in white gold as well as a blue sunburst dial with a black gradation. Price is $69,785.
While the new Nautilus debuts garnered much of the initial attention, it’s the new set of chronographs that attract collectors of Patek Philippe’s legendary (and less commodified) complications. (Read all about the trio of new Nautilus models, including the 41mm successor to the Ref. 5711 , on the Patek Philippe site.)
The chronographs
And among those chronograph debuts, look no further than the new Ref. 5373P-001, a split-seconds mono-pusher chronograph with perpetual calendar, for some true novelty. The watch differs from its predecessor (Ref. 5372) with newly inverted displays, pushers and crown.
New Patek Philippe Ref. 5373P-001, a split-seconds mono-pusher chronograph with perpetual calendar, differs from its predecessor (Ref. 5372) with inverted displays, pushers and crown.
Made for specifically “for the right-hand wrists of left-handers,” according to the watchmaker, the new 38.3mm platinum-cased watch is a premiere design for the company.
Patek Philippe notes however that a 1927 one-of-a-kind watch inspired the design of the new model. Like the earlier watch, the new watch features its integrated chronograph monopusher at the 9 o’clock position with the split-seconds pusher set, unusually, at 8 o’clock.
The sporty red, blackand grey dial on the Ref. 5373P-001 is cleverly finished with a black gradation at its edge, framing snailed ebony-black subsidiary dials.
The watch’s beautifully finished caliber CHR 27-525 PS Q, still the thinnest split-seconds chronograph movement with perpetual calendar ever produced by the manufacture, can be admired through the sapphire-crystal display back, which is interchangeable with the solid-platinum back delivered with the watch. Among the many caseback highlights is a view of the movement’s two column wheels with their two polished caps.
Finally, like all of Patek Philippe’s platinum watches, the new Ref. 5373P-001 features a brilliant cut diamond on its case. But here Patek Philippe flips the diamond’s location, placing it at the 12 o’clock position rather than at the 6 o’clock position. Price Upon Request.
The new Patek Philippe Ref. 5204G-001 split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar.
Split Seconds, right side
Also with a split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar, the new Ref. 5204G-001, with its standard, right-side crown and two pushers,features a 40mm white gold case and an olive-green sunburst dial. The watch complements a version released last year with a slate-grey dial and a rose-gold case. Price Upon Request.
The new Patek Philippe Ref. 5935A-001 self-winding World Time flyback chronograph stands out with its sporty vintage looks.
World Timer
In a premiere steel case, the Patek Philippe’s new Ref. 5935A-001 World Time flyback chronograph (with automatic caliber CH 28-520 HU) is bound to please collectors in search of steel Patek Philippe watches as well as those who covet its world timers.
A stunning rose-gold dial appears vintage while the ‘carbon’ motif’ dial interior is decidedly contemporary. That dial center is a reference to the 2020 limited edition inaugural model Patek Philippe’s newest manufacturing facility in Geneva. Patek Philippe includes two calfskin straps (grained taupe and beige with a velvet-like nubuck finish), each secured with stainless steel fold-over clasps. Price: $63,871.
The Ref. 7968:300R-001 Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow” chronograph in rose gold.
Luce Chronograph
Patek Philippe adds an automatic chronograph to its contemporary Aquanaut Luce collection for the first time, and then decorates the watch (Ref. 7968-300R-001) with a rainbow of sapphires and diamonds. Cased in 39.9mm rose gold, the watch’s white mother-of-pearl dial is engraved with an Aquanaut pattern as baguette multi-colored sapphires mark the hours alongside gold applied numerals. Price: $212,900.
The new Ref. 5990-1A-011 Nautilus Travel Time chronograph is one of Patek Philippe’s rare steel watches.
Travel Time
Patek Philippe has debuted a steel-cased Travel Time model with an eye-catching blue dial with a radiant sunburst finish and a subtle black gradation. The new Ref. 5990/1A-011 Travel Time is powered by automatic caliber CH 28-520 C FUS, which combines a flyback chronograph, a Travel Time function (two time zones with two separate hour hands; the skeletonized hand shows home time) and an analog date synchronized with local time. Price: $68,603.
Last month Patrick Getreide, a passionate collector who has spent the past four decades quietly building what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest privately-owned collections of wrist and pocket watches, made his collection freely available for all to see in a remarkable international touring exhibition.
The OAK Collection exhibition (OAK stands for ‘One of A Kind’) comprises 160 vintage and contemporary museum quality watches, among which are unrepeatable special orders, ultra-rare limited editions, the most valuable examples of their type and the largest number of Patek Philippe pieces once owned by the celebrated collector Henry Graves Jr. to now be held in private hands.
Patrick Getreide and a selection of the OAK Collection.
Every watch is in truly perfect condition, with the majority of examples being new or virtually unworn. All are serviced on a regular basis by a highly experienced watch maker whose working life is dedicated to maintaining the collection which, having been patiently gathered and never previously revealed, could fairly be described as one of the watch world’s ‘best kept secrets’.
Tour coming to U.S.
The OAK Collection exhibition was first unveiled in London on May 19 before embarking on a global tour. (We’ll alert our readers about the location and date for the collection’s stop in the United States.)
Patrick Getreide (center) with Patrick Cremers from Patek Philippe (left) and Kari Voutilainen.
Getreide is a remarkable individual filled with exquisite passion to watchmaking and fine horology. He has amassed the OAK Collection (which comprises more than 600 pieces in total) and is happy to share the story of why and how he came to covet, and eventually own, many of the finest watches in the world.
“As a young boy at boarding school in Switzerland, I lived among the children of some of the world’s wealthiest people – but all I had was a small, weekly pocket money allowance. I didn’t feel envy, but I did want to be like these people and their parents. It gave me what I call ‘the Count of Monte Cristo syndrome’, a determination to achieve a level of success that would give me freedom to do the things I loved,” Getreide says.
A Patek Philippe Réf. 5070J
“As soon as I achieved a moderate level of success, I began to buy watches at prices I could afford,” he explains. “Gradually, that amount increased and, little by little, the watches became better and the passion for collecting them became stronger. Perhaps strangely, I never thought of the financial aspect or that values might rise – but, thankfully, I seem to have bought the right ones at the right time,” he explains.
Over the decades Getreide has built up a small, tight-knit network of experts whom he has come to know and trust and who are now the only people through whom he acquires additions to the OAK Collection.
An FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain
In the early stages of creating it, however, he would seek-out rarities everywhere he went.
“As I traveled the world on business, I would always look for watches – but it was at a flea market in France 35 years ago that I think I acquired my greatest bargain. It was a steel Patek Philippe Reference 130 Sector, and when I saw it, I began to shake.
“I see being able to send the OAK Collection exhibition around the world both as a reward to myself for building it and as a unique opportunity to share it with the many people who are just as passionate about watches as I am, but have not been as fortunate as me in having the time and the means to acquire so many special pieces” he continues, “I really do see owning them as an honor and, with that, comes an obligation to let others enjoy them.”
A Patek Philippe Réf. 1579A
Showing the collection
Although Getreide has long wanted to show his watches to other enthusiasts, it was his son who originally suggested doing so by means of a global exhibition having spent a lifetime observing his father’s undying passion for horology.
“I have not been involved in acquiring watches for the collection, but I have been on the margins of it for as long as I can remember,” he explains.
“It has taught me that true collectors are a rare breed who simply never lose interest in the subject they love, but only want to learn more about it. There have been many occasions when I have found my father, very late at night or in the early hours of the morning, poring over watch books either alone at his desk or lying in bed, with dozens of reference works spread out around him.
“As a boy, for example, I quickly grew to understand that when he suggested we looked at a few watches on a Saturday afternoon, it would be a case of spending five hours at his side hearing about every detail and every nuance. And as for shopping for watches with him – that was always a painfully embarrassing experience for me, because he would ask endless questions to ensure that whatever he was considering buying met with his exceptional standards. Nothing must have been tampered with, cases must not be polished, dials must not have been retouched. Originality is key and the overall condition must only be pristine. These have always been the golden rules.”
The collection
The OAK Collection was displayed at The Design Museum London within a series of bespoke-designed, interconnected rooms that were recreated at each location and have taken the viewer on a tranquil horological journey comprising eleven sections, each of which could be described as a ‘chapter’ of time that encapsulates the Getreide’s appreciation of specific genres of watch, from simple, three-hand models to high complication pieces.
A rare Patek Philippe Ref. 25231J, Second Generation.
The maker most strongly represented in the exhibition is Patek Philippe. Vintage Patek Philippe models include references once owned by noted individuals including the musician Eric Clapton and the actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, as well as pieces that were developed for particular uses or which display the maker’s mastery of rare hand crafts such as enameling and engraving.
A Rolex Ref. 116506, the first one ever produced.
Also remarkable is the OAK Collection’s extraordinary holding of Patek Philippe watches that once belonged to the legendary patron Henry Graves Jr, the late banker and railroad tycoon who, between 1922 and 1951, commissioned no fewer than thirty-nine watches from the revered maker.
A Patek Philippe Ref. 51311P World Timer
Of those, only around thirty are believed to have survived, five of which form part of the OAK Collection. The only larger selection of Graves watches belonging to a single entity is that on show at the Patek Philippe museum, which holds thirteen.
The Patek Philippe models in the OAK Collection account for six of the exhibition’s 11 sections, covering Calatrava, Nautilus, World Time and perpetual calendar/ complication models in addition to the aforementioned Graves and rare handcraft pieces.
From the Graves section, a Patek Philippe Minute Repeater.
Rolex too
But while the collector focuses strongly on the work of Patek Philippe, he does not do so exclusively. As a Rolex connoisseur, he has allocated three significant sections of the exhibition to its pieces, and has also dedicated an area to watches made by the ‘new age’ independents, notably Francois-Paul Journe and Kari Voutilainen. Getreide’s commitment to modern makers is further demonstrated in the fact that, during the eight editions of the biennial Only Watch charity auction, he has been the most prolific buyer, accruing no fewer than ten unique pieces with dial names as diverse as Kari Voutilainen, H.Moser, and Chanel.
Source: The OAK Collection
Patrick Getreide with Vasken Chokarian, Editor-in-Chief iW Magazine Middle East.
iW Chats with Patrick Getreide
Vasken Chokarian, Publisher iW Middle East: Since you started buying watches to collect, did you ever imagine or think that you will get to where you are right now?
Patrick Getreide: Never. Absolutely not.
Your Patek Philippe collection at the OAK project presentation in The Design Museum in London is scary. I was stunned to see those amazing one of a kind watches, vintage or modern, collected by one person. Why Patek Philippe?
They are simply the best. They are the “Ferrari” of watches. They are the only ones to produce excellence in every category of watchmaking: complication, sport, classical etc…
Is your passion for collecting fine timepieces driven commercially?
Not driven at all by commercial objectives. I have never sold any of my timepiece except one piece only since I started collecting.
What advice do you give to today’s collectors who find it difficult to acquire watches they wish to collect?
Save money – learn a lot about watchmaking – patience.
Why present the OAK Collection, especially at such a global size and exposure?
To bring forth and present the fine watch making as a piece of art. My second objective was to be able to share it with the public.
Are you still collecting or there comes a time when you say it’s enough?
The more the time passes the more I love collecting watches. The passion remains intact.
What would be the first thing that appeals to you when you decide to go for a watch?
The dial attracts me first, then I feel some chills that make think this watch is for me.
How important are auctions to collectors? What other ways have you followed to collect watches?
Auctions are indeed very important but I also buy from some professionals.
What would you say if someone approached you today to buy it all? Would you sell? Why?
I would say “NO !” – I am not a sales man but a “buyer”…
From the collection, Patek Philippe Ref. 3970R, a special order.
iW Middle East has been supporting independent watchmakers for more than two decades. However there are so many who popped out during the last decade as independent watchmakers, some making “limited” watch collections and in doing so hiking up prices to unusual and sometimes illogical levels. What is your input on that practice?
That means that the watch market is in big expansion, we never have to complain about that. Moreover certain new indies could be the “big” watchmakers of tomorrow.
Where would you classify your drive and passion when it comes to buying a watch even though you are advised not to?
My experts explain to me about some watches particularities but at the end, it’s only me who makes my decision. Always.
A Rare Handcrafts Patek Philippe Ref. 2482-2.
The first that struck me about you is your humble and intellectual personality. How difficult is it for collectors to communicate and deal with watchmaking brands who are famed for their arrogance?
If arrogance is felt, it is very simple, I am not interested. Those who are arrogant – and there are many – I don’t buy their brands. Because I was raised learning that you should always respect the customer.
Which timepiece or an horology piece that you always wanted to have but you couldn’t?
For its first chronograph, independent watchmaker MB&F teams with Irish watchmaker Stephen McDonnell to launch the Legacy Machine Sequential EVO, a two-column-wheel chronograph with split-second, independent and lap timer modes – a watchmaking premiere.
The new watch, powered by MB&F’s twentieth caliber, boasts a ‘Twinverter’ switch that controls both chronograph systems.
The new MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential EVO,
The binary switch inverts the start/stop status of each chronograph. As MB&F explains: “this means that if both chronograph displays happen to be stopped (at zero position or otherwise), pressing the Twinverter (at 9 o’clock) will cause both of them to start simultaneously. If they are both running, the Twinverter makes them stop. If one is running and the other is stopped, the Twinverter stops the one that is running and starts the one that is stopped.”
Belfast-based McDonnell previously worked with MB&F to finalize the MB&F HM1 and most famously developed the GPHG-award-winning MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual.
His design for the new watch allows the user to perform the same functions as a split-seconds chronograph. But overall, McDonnell focused the design for everyday use rather than specifically for sporting functions, according to MB&F’s Charris Yadigaroglou. Most of the new timing modes are novel to this design and not available when using a traditional chronograph.
For example, in ‘independent mode’ the wearer can assist with varied cooking times. In this so-called ‘pasta mode” the wearer could operate the two chronographs via their respective pushers. One might start when placing pasta into boiling water and the other can separately time when vegetables go in the oven. Additional modes include Simultaneous mode, Cumulative mode and Sequential mode.
MB&F places McDonnell’s caliber into its sporty EVO case much like the case that houses the latest example of the LM Perpetual. This is a 44mm by 18.2mm zirconium structure with no bezel, a domed sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown (offering 80 meters of water resistance) and MB&F’s own anti-shock FlexRing system.
MB&F will launch the new watch in two versions. One features an ‘atomic’ orange CVD dial plate and the second features a ‘coal’ black PVD dial plate. Both come with an integrated rubber strap with a folding titanium buckle. Price: $180,000.
Specifications: MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential EVO
Movement: Fully integrated dual chronograph system developed for MB&F by Stephen McDonnell, featuring Twinverter switch allowing multiple timing modes. Manual winding with double mainspring; Balance frequency: 3Hz (21,600 vph). Three-days of power reserve. Flying balance wheel with regulating screws at 12 o’clock, Breguet overcoil. Superlative hand finishing; internal bevel angles highlighting handcraft; polished bevels; Geneva waves; hand-made engravings, darkened bridges (NAC finish). Power reserve indication at the back of the movement.
Dial: Galvanic black dials with Super-LumiNova on numerals and hands.
Functions: Time display (hours/minutes) at 6 o’clock.
Left chronograph: Seconds displayed at 9 o’clock and minutes at 11 o’clock; start/stop pusher at 10 o’clock and reset at 8 o’clock.
Right chronograph: Seconds displayed at 3 o’clock and minutes at 1 o’clock; start/stop pusher at 2 o’clock and reset at 4 o’clock.
Twinverter pusher at 9 o’clock: binary switch that inverts the current start/stop status of both chronographs.
Case: 44mm by 18.2mm zirconium. Water resistance to 80 meters. Screw down crown. FlexRing annular dampener fitted between case and movement, providing shock protection along the vertical and lateral axes. Sapphire crystals on top and display back treated with anti-reflective coating on both faces.
Strap: Integrated rubber with titanium folding buckle.
Zurich-based Ineichen Auctioneers will help Audemars Piguet celebrate five decades of Royal Oak designs with Royal 50, a dedicated auction to mark the anniversary.
The auction, which is scheduled to place in Zurich and online on May 28, will also mark the first time a major watch auction house will drop the buyer’s premium and register its shares on the Blockchain.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was among the first high-end sports watches made with a steel case. And, presaging the upcoming auction, a Royal Oak was also the first collectible watch that Ineichen CEO Artemy Lechbinskiy added to his own collection.
The Ineichen auction joins other 50th anniversary celebrations underway in auction houses and exhibitions across the globe. For example, the Royal Oak design is the subject of an exhibition at Harrods in London while Audemars Piguet itself is debuting a 39mm steel Extra-Thin 50th anniversary Royal Oak with a flying tourbillon, with a 37mm version set for release in late 2022.
Here are the top lots listed for the Royal 50 auction, slated for May 28.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26530ST
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26530ST (Estimate: CHF 400,000 – 450,000)
This model boasts Audemars Piguet’s signature Tapisserie design transformed into a sunburst pattern (called Evolutive). More of the sunburst pattern can be revealed behind the sapphire caseback. From the back you’ll see a beautifully finished in-house Caliber 2950 with 65 hours of power reserve and Geneva stripes, emulating the pattern on the dial. This stainless steel version comes with a smoked blue gradient dial design.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26591TI
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26591TI (Estimate: CHF 350,000 – 400,000)
This model, called Supersonnerie, produces loud and clear sound and is a result of eight years of research. Unlike most others repeaters, the Supersonnerie’s gongs are attached to a titanium membrane on the back of the movement. This membrane acts the same way as guitar’s soundboard, dramatically amplifying the sound and providing it with the most clear, pleasing tone. Apertures in the caseback allow the sound to escape freely.
The 42mm case crafted from grade 5 titanium is complemented with a titanium bracelet. Inside lies in-house Caliber 2953, a hand-wound movement made of 362 parts and beating at 3Hz. Made as a five-piece limited edition with a smoked blue Grande Tapisserie dial, the watch is among the most collectible minute repeaters.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Automatic Ref. 25902PT.OO.1110PT.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Automatic Ref. 25902PT.OO.1110PT.01 (above) Estimate: (CHF 350,000 – 400,000)
Launched in 1999, only ten pieces were produced. Inside is the automatic tourbillon caliber 2875SQ, which was seldom used in the Audemars Piguet collection. Now discontinued, this artistic skeleton execution appears only in this reference. The 41mm case is made of platinum 950.
A transparent dial showcases the chiseled and engraved skeletonized caliber 2875SQ. The power reserve is up to 54 hours and visible via the sub-dial at 9 o’clock. Hours and minutes are indicated with an off-center main dial. The flying tourbillon is at 6 o’clock, and the date sub-dial at 3 o’clock.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Open-worked ‘Rose Gold Jumbo’ Ref. 15204OR.OO.1240OR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Open-worked ‘Rose Gold Jumbo’ Ref. 15204OR.OO.1240OR.01, above. (Estimate: CHF 150,000 – 200,000)
This open-worked mechanical watch features outstanding technical and decorative characteristics of the skeletonized caliber 5122, one of the best traditionally skeletonized self-winding movements with art-deco aesthetics.
Launched in 2014, this rose gold 39mm watch features a skeleton dial with a peripheral chapter ring, rose gold hour and minute hands, and a luminous, sapphire caseback. The ultra-thin, self-winding, open-worked 22k gold oscillating weight displays the logo and Tapisserie motif on the rim.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘All-Rose Gold’ Ref. 25829OR.OO.0944OR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘All-Rose Gold’ Ref. 25829OR.OO.0944OR.01 (above) (Estimate: CHF 200,000 – 250,000)
A refined open-worked perpetual calendar wristwatch in rose gold; this Royal Oak perpetual calendar watch communicates a certain era in the development of the Royal Oak collection – from 1997 to 2014. At this point, the dial incorporated the classic leap year indicator, but was still without the central hand to indicate the week of the year.
The latter is a customary feature of modern models cloned from caliber 2120/2800. The transparent dial with blackened-gold, leaf-shaped hour and minute hands on Royal Oak models is also rare, as is the all-rose-gold execution of the watch. The piece is no longer in production. It was succeeded in 2015 by the latest generation of 41mm perpetual calendars, featuring the number of the week indication via a special pointed hand.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘The First Generation’ Ref. 25636BA.OO.0344BA.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘The First Generation’ Ref. 25636BA.OO.0344BA.01 (Estimate: CHF 200,000 – 250,000)
The first open-worked perpetual calendar in the Royal Oak collection, produced from 1983 to 1993. At this stage in the development of the Royal Oak perpetual calendar the classic leap year indicator was absent from the dial. Ref. 25636BA is seldom seen on auction. The number of pieces produced was limited, with production discontinued in 1993. The case of this wristwatch is 18k yellow gold. It has a diameter of 39mm, and thickness of 8.3mm. The early Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “stick” hands are noteworthy on the transparent sapphire (or skeleton) dial.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘Platinum Edition’ Ref. 25829PT.OO.0944PT.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘Platinum Edition’ Ref. 25829PT.OO.0944PT.01, above. (Estimate: CHF 200,000 – 250,000)
This platinum Ref. 25829PT is another rarity. It features a rare full-platinum case, bezel and bracelet. A collector’s item from the 1997 to 2014 era, its dial features the classic leap year indicator sans central hand for the week of the year. The transparent dial with leaf- shaped hands, which is unique to the Royal Oak collection, as well as the ultra-rare platinum execution makes it a priority for collectors.
The case in platinum 950, with a 39mm diameter, 9.3mm thickness, and transparent sapphire (skeleton) dial encloses the caliber 2120/2800SQ, and a self-winding, open-worked rotor with ultra-thin inertial segment in 21k yellow gold. The power reserve is up to 40 hours. This piece is mounted on a platinum Royal Oak bracelet with Audemars Piguet platinum double folding clasp.
Leading with a newly designed Travel Time watch that now includes an annual calendar, Patek Philippe at Watches and Wonders 2022 debuted twelve new watches, including three models designed with a feminine focus.
The new Patek Philippe new Ref. 5326G-001 Annual Calendar Travel Time.
But first, another debut
Perhaps to give the new Annual Calendar Travel Time its own spotlight, Patek Philippe waited until just after the Geneva show to launch a splashier technical innovation: the new 41mm platinum-cased Patek Philippe Ref. 5470P-001, a 1/10-of-a-second monopusher chronograph.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5470P-001, a 1/10-of-a-second monopusher chronograph.
To engineer its first high-frequency chronograph Patek Philippe started with its existing CH 29- 535 PS caliber from 2009. Watchmakers amped the frequency from 4 Hz to 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations per hour, or ten steps per second) and then equipped the movement with an additional 1/10th of a second chronograph mechanism.
As Patek Philippe explains, the designers provided the caliber CH 29-535 PS 1/10 with two independent and synchronized chronograph mechanisms, each of them driving a different central hand. The hand that performs a complete revolution per minute shows the stopped seconds in the traditional manner. The other hand (in red lacquered Silinvar) performs one revolution per twelve seconds.
We’ll have more details about the new Cal. 5470P in a future post. For details and a video, see the Patek Philippe website.
Travel time
The totally new Ref. 5326G-001 Annual Calendar Travel Time arrives in a new 41mm white gold Calatrava case with a terrific hobnailed case-side treatment meant to recall the hobnail bezels that have long characterized Patek Philippe’s traditional Calatrava collection.
The watch will also draw stares to its light-refracting textured charcoal gray dial that darkens to black toward its minute track. Vintage-styled applied numerals and white gold hour and minute hands are coated with an equally retro beige luminescence.
(This same dial, case, hand and marker layout is also found on another 2022 debut, the less complex Cal. 5226G, a three-hand 40mm white gold Calatrava with date–see below.)
The new Cal. 5226G, a three-hand 40mm white gold Calatrava with date, sports the same dial treatment as the new Annual Calendar Travel Time.
Patek Philippe’s watchmakers designed a new self-winding caliber (new 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H) for the new Annual Calendar Travel Time in which the Travel Time mechanism controls the Annual Calendar.
A view of Caliber 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H from the case back of the new Annual Calendar Travel Time.
The unusual setup, in which the watch’s date display is synchronized with local time, allows forwards and backwards date correction.
And to better retain the dressy Calatrava style, Patek Philippe resisted the need to install two pushers to control the two hour hands (a solid hand for local time and a skeletonized hand for home time). Instead, the wearer can correct the local time via the crown. Calendar indications can be adjusted via small case-side correctors located near their respective functions: day at 10, month at 2, date at 4 and moon phases at 8 o’clock.
For this debut, Patek Philippe also updated its legendary Annual Calendar, which the brand essentially invented for the wristwatch in 1996.And, Patek Philippe’s engineers shortened the Annual Calendar’s changeover time. Thanks to a new cam system, the changing dates and move to local time is five times faster (eighteen minutes) than the same actions in earlier annual calendars.
This change is among many that Patek Philippe has cited in eight patent applications for the new caliber.
Patek Philippe delivers its Ref. 5326G-001 Annual Calendar Travel Time with two interchangeable straps, one beige calfskin with nubuck texture. The second black calfskin strap has embossed textile finish and beige decorative stitching. Price: $76,882.
Additional highlights among the twelve 2022 Watches and Wonders debuts for Patek Philippe include:
Patek Philippe Ref. 5320G-011.
Cal. 5320G-011 Perpetual Calendar, an eye-catching new version of the contemporary vintage Patek Philippe perpetual calendar in 40mm white gold with a stunning rose-gilt opaline dial. With its three-tiered lugs, this debut recalls a Patek Philippe model from 1945. Price: $94,624.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5172G-010.
Cal. 5172G-010 Chronograph, a new version of the manually wound Manufacture chronograph in 40mm white gold, also features a rose-gilt opaline dial (above). You might recall this model from 2019 with a blue dial. $80,431.
Patek Philippe also added a trio of olive green-dialed models and one green lacquered watch during Watches and Wonders 2022.
We’ll have more reporting about the remaining Patek Philippe 2022 debuts in future posts. These debuts include several artisanal updates to the firm’s Worldtimer plus new gem set options for the platinum-cased Ref. 5374/300P Grand Complication with a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar and the Ref. 7121 Ladies’ Moon Phases watch.
Among the many caseback highlights is a view of the movement’s two column wheels with their two polished caps.
The watch complements a version released last year with a slate-grey dial and a rose-gold case. Price Upon Request. 
Patek Philippe includes two calfskin straps (grained taupe and beige with a velvet-like nubuck finish), each secured with stainless steel fold-over clasps. Price: $63,871.
Cased in 39.9mm rose gold, the watch’s white mother-of-pearl dial is engraved with an Aquanaut pattern as baguette multi-colored sapphires mark the hours alongside gold applied numerals. Price: $212,900. 
The new Ref. 5990/1A-011 Travel Time is powered by automatic caliber CH 28-520 C FUS, which combines a flyback chronograph, a Travel Time function (two time zones with two separate hour hands; the skeletonized hand shows home time) and an analog date synchronized with local time. Price: $68,603.
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