Patek Philippe

World time watches, like many innovations, were born out of necessity. With the rise of the industrial age came global trade and travel, leading to a demand for timepieces capable of tracking time across multiple time zones. For the reference 5230, Patek Philippe took inspiration from its earlier models and reintroduced the famous world time watch with an elegant white gold case and a beautifully crafted guilloché dial.

The local time is displayed at the center of the dial by the hour and minute hands. Surrounding it are two captivating rings: an outer ring featuring the names of 24 cities representing 24 time zones, and an inner ring with a 24-hour scale, displaying a sun symbol for daytime hours and a moon symbol for nighttime hours. With the push piece at 10 o’clock, the wearer can easily adjust the time zone without needing to calculate differences or stop the watch. The setting is complete when the city representing the destination time zone is aligned at the top of the dial.

This particular 5230G replaces New York City, USA with Bogota, Colombia as the representative city of the Eastern time zone, highlighted in red text for emphasis. Created for the 125th anniversary of Joyeria Bauer in 2018, a retailer of Patek Philippe in the Colombian capital, it also features the Joyeria Bauer crest on the sapphire caseback, along with a striking grey guilloche dial. Produced in a limited edition of just 10 examples, the present lot offers a rare opportunity to own this modern interpretation of Patek Philippe’s historical legacy and technical expertise.