Patek Philippe’s ingenuity in watchmaking is instrumental in the advent of erstwhile aviation, pioneering navigation tools like the hour-angle (siderometer) wristwatches at the dawn of flying. The Calatrava Pilot Time Ref. 5524 is a modern tribute to that with travel-friendly features, a culmination of the Genevan manufacturer’s contribution to the conquest of the skies.
Decidedly masculine and highly relevant, the watch avoids being just a nostalgic reminiscence of the hour-angle watch that became obsolete with the superior capabilities of GPS. A precise and dependable timekeeping instrument, it features the proprietary dual time-zone function which is especially useful in air travel. This latest mechanism builds upon the innovative two-time-zone mechanism patented in 1996 and boasts a wealth of superior updates with improved materials, like the Silinvar Spiromax spring in the Gyromax balance that assures higher dependability and accuracy due to its special properties.
Not compromising its technological gravitas for looks, the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time is ever gorgeous with a sapphire-crystal display back that reveals beautiful details in the chamfered bridges and Geneva stripes, circular-grained gold rotor with perlage in the center, snailed flanks, and Calatrava cross. It even features magnificent contrasts with bright shimmering metal, gold-filled engravings and sparkling red bearing jewels.
This latest iteration bearing the Calatrava name enriches Patek Phillippe’s already-venerable collection, evocative of the classic aviator’s timepiece. In salient details, however, such as the blue dial, the white-gold case, and the time-zone function, it stands in a category of its own. It doesn’t compromise between straightforward technology and contemporary elegance but instead melds both facets in perfect harmony
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