Patek Philippe

[Baselworld 2016] More details and my first thoughts on the Patek Philippe World Time 5230

 

Hi everyone,

Two of the main novelties from this 2016 Basel fair have particularly attracted most of the attention as they are the new World Time references: the Patek Philippe 5230 as a World Time only and the Patek Philippe 5930G as a new model, inspired from the unique 1415-1 piece from 1940.

To begin with, you may want to refresh your memories by reading an article I wrote in late 2015 about the history of Patek's World Time pieces, here: www.watchprosite.com

I find interesting these are two very different offers and not just a simple version on one side and the same model with the addition of another complication on the other.The 5230 is in the line of its predecessors in a perfectly updated way whereas the 5930 is more impressive and more complicated. There is a touch of casual for dynamic people in the latter that I think is very attractive (and that I will detail in the dedicated article).

I have made 2 seperate threads in order to make it more readable with our forum display.

This one is about the new 5230 World Time. You'll find the 5930's post here: www.watchprosite.com =



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THE PATEK PHILIPPE 5230 WORLD TIME


After a 10 years existence, the World Time 5130, launched in 2006, arrived at a time when Patek Philippe could replace it for another interpretation of this famous reference in the brand's history and update also the time zone designations (because changed or were replaced for other reasons).

Behind the fact there are still 24 time zones (as in the 5110 and 5130), the choices was quite a nightmare to make. Patek explains that some time zones have been assigned different city names, for instance Dubai instead of Riyadh or Brisbane instead of Noumea, to mention only two. Formerly, Moscow was located in the UTC+4 zone, but the Russian capital has now shifted one hour closer to Western Europe, "relocating" to UTC+3.
From time to time, such changes make it necessary to modify the place names on the city scales of World Time watches. This is why Patek Philippe is discontinuing the production of its previous reference and launching the new 5230 with the updated, globally valid city names.

The design has been reworked in order to bring the model in a very contemporary way which is, imho, very refreshing and makes it very different from the rest of the collection in the mean time. Modernizing classic design is a very tricky exercize but when the target is reached it can lead to such a wonderful result. This is what I think of this 5230.

For instance the new lugs were inspired from Patek's history with these pure and wonderful winglet-style shape versions have been pared down from a more classical and romantic style. This inspiration also gave birth to the narrow and sloping polished bezel. I think this is also more appealing and much warmer than the 5496's case which has quite similar straight lines and bezel inspiration. The inclination of the bezel, the little 1mm side of the bezel announcing the case side and, then again, in a symetrical way, the 1mm case back edge. It is a work of art when added with these lugs.





I think that the next picture underlines what Patek is about: pure and beautiful lines, where and how the details have to be, nothing more is needed. And those lugs!





Of course, one of the main new elements of style (aside from the guilloche center) are the new hands master stroke. I find them absolutely stunning. It is difficult to find original shapes (in any field) without norrowing the number of people who will like them. This is what Patek has proven many times to master and something very specific in the World Time references from Patek (think about the 5110 and 5130 but also about the original older versions): character, charm, uniqueness (we can't say they look like leaf or dauphine hands)... As far as I'm concerned, it is difficult to make better than these ones.


As explained by Patek, from the 5130's venerable ringed hour hand and Dauphine minute hand, the Ref. 5230 now sports a pierced hour hand with a silhouette that evokes the famous "Southern Cross" constellation (like the 5575 reference if I'm not wrong), and the minute hand features a lozenge-shaped contour. Both hands have a sharp center ridge between the carefully lapped, beveled flanks.

As usual, Patek is showing its talent while looking at how details were taken care of. The markers, hands or windows' frame are usually worked in a very thorough way with many faceted surfaces and sometimes finished differently.

Like the applied baton hour markers, the hands are crafted from white or rose gold to match the case.

When dealing with dimensions, the 5110 (from 2000 to 2005) was 37x10mm and 5130 (from 2006 to 2015) was 39.5x10mm while the new 5230 si now 38.5x10.2 mm.

As always everyone will have a different feeling about size (wrist size, cultural aspects...). The 38.5mm is I think the perfect size for most of us. Of course, people with very large a wrist would prefer a 40-41mm range but I think that Patek Philippe makes the right choice in keeping dimensions traditional and contained. It is a question of elegance and this watch is not something that a 5905P and its 42mm provides today.

Generally speaking, I think that 37mm start nowadays to be a little small (though it is perfect on my small wrist). The clients profile we had in the 1940's to 1960's (occidental + North America) is not what we have today anymore and this trend will certainly keep on evolving during the next decades. Other cultures come into play, other wishes, other tastes and I think every brand will be impacted. Not because it "has to", is forced to but because it is simply a natural movement. it is true in every fields where aesthetics come into play (haute-couture, cars, architecture etc...).

Some may think the 1930's and 1950's are always better but this is only a subjective opinion led by what we are used to seeing in the past and from our own experience. Imagine what people from the 1910's have thought about the 1930's or 1940's trend. Their is no real absolute in terms of aesthetics but just the lead of the trend which "takes it all", fueld by the main world's designers, i.e. the ones who make the trends (Art-deco, Bauhaus and so on). I'm a little out of topic there...

So, perfect size to me.

 
THE GUILLOCHE DIAL

I know this is what most of us are wanting to check in the metal. Will it look as good or better as the 5110? And the 5130? Well, only handling it will answer the question in an undisputable way for each of us. Especially as, like a movement, it should be seen at the real size, without a magnifying glass. The natural way. This is craftmanship, not microscoped biological studies.

However, while waiting for this future experience, it is nice to admire the close-up here below. I find it breathtaking. You know, Patek calls it "rare handcrafts" but I must say this is not overvalued. This is called "filigreed woven" pattern.





From Patek, we understand that the inspiration for this guilloched basket weave motif was taken from a precious pocket watch on display at the Patek Philippe Museum, except that its guilloché was originally coated with blue flinqué enamel. Patek Philippe still masters these nearly extinct handcrafts because the manufacture carefully preserves the required skills and know-how and assures that they are handed down from one generation to the next.

As for the equipment needed to perform this guilloche work, Patek uses a very old manually controlled rose engine (it is the kind of tool Kari Voutilainen uses as well to make his own decoration).

 

The watch receives a Calatrava fold-over clasp.

 
A little word about the movement

It is housing the 240 HU caliber with a Spiromax spiral (made from the silicon-based Silinvar material) and which 3.88mm thickness allows the brand the obtain a slender cases. As usual, it has a very good winding power, reliability and accuracy. The movement is decorated and finished as it should. you already know this one.

CONCLUSION

I must say that, in many ways, I lack of qualifying adjectives. I have something in mind already but otherwise, from these first elements, I would certainly have gotten this one.

It gathers all what makes Patek Philippe WT references so special in the watchmaking world: beauty, elegance and refinement merged into a contemporary shape and this is going to be an important piece for the collection imho.

This being said, I think that the 5110 and 5130 are also two very important references in that World Time universe and that they have brought something different which will remain not "behind" but "next" to the new 5230. The new doesn't replace the old and this is what Patek is also about. There will be fans of the older generations as fans of the newer one. All references are important and none, I think, are left behind. They just deserve the right to get some rest by entering the brand's history and legacy.

There is, to me, no doubt that the brand has taken a very good direction with this novelty and shows that the future is in good hands. In many details and elements combination, this 5230 shows what Patek does best and that it won't follow the trends (size, shapes, decoration...). It would have been very easy (and a bad thing) to remain conservative and keep stuck to the past. It has never been done in the past and Patek shows it doesn't intend to play that card today either.

No tributes, no reeditions in the regular catalogue, no reference overshadowing all the others... but improvement and/or style evolution. This 5230 is new and well born, bravo Patek Philippe.
 

I'll post the press release pictures in our News Central when I find a little time. Furthermore, I'll make "live" pictures in April but our fellow purists will bring some material in the mean time. A month for maturing the novelties is good with a little pause. Pricing of the reference 5230 will be €.43 210 in France.

Take your time to "digest it" and please share your maturing thoughts when you feel like!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers, Mark



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Technical data

Ref. 5230 World Time watch

Movement: Caliber 240 HU Self-winding mechanical movement, display of 24 time zones, day/night indication

Diameter: 27.50 mm

Height: 3.88 mm

Number of parts: 239

Number of jewels: 33

Power reserve: Min. 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: Two-position crown:

– Pulled out: To set the time

– Pushed in: To wind the watch

Local time selector: Pusher at 10 o'clock

Synchronized adjustment of displays in one-hour steps for the hour hand and 1/24th counterclockwise increments for the city disk and the 24-hour ring

Displays: Local time in hours and minutes

City disk with 24 place names

24-hour ring with day/night indication in colors and sun/moon symbols

Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal

Features

Case: 18K white or rose gold 5N

Sapphire-crystal case back

Water resistant to 30 meters (3 bar)

Case dimensions: Diameter: 38.50 mm

Length (across lugs): 46.91 mm

Width (9 to 3 o'clock incl. crown): 41.45 mm

Thickness (crystal to display back): 10.23 mm

Width between lugs: 20 mm Continued 5

 

Dial: 3-zone dial:

• City disk printed black

• 24-hour ring with day/night indication in color and sun/moon symbols (day: black numerals on silvery background; night: white numerals on black background)

• Center hand-guilloched with basket weave pattern

Hour hand with "Southern Cross" constellation motif, pierced, lapped flanks, in 18K white or rose gold 5N

Lozenge-shaped minute hand with lapped flanks, in 18K white or rose gold 5N

Applied baton hour markers in 18K white or rose gold 5N

Strap: Hand-stitched alligator with large square scales. Shiny black with Calatrava fold-over clasp in 18K white gold for the white-gold model Shiny chocolate brown with Calatrava fold-over clasp in 18K rose gold 5N for the rose-gold model

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This message has been edited by Mark in Paris on 2016-03-18 08:05:07 This message has been edited by Mark in Paris on 2016-03-25 11:39:31