Feature: Why Did Patek Philippe Go 35 Years Without A World Timer?

In the 1930s, as international travel grew and global communications were developing at a rapid pace, Patek Philippe saw a golden opportunity to add a new luxury watch to its line-up: a world timer.

Innovative and completely of its time, this was the ultimate wealthy globe-trotters’ accessory, a James Bond-esque gadget that gave horology one of its most useful and best-loved complications.

Back then, the idea of separate time zones for different parts of the world was still a relatively new concept, having been first proposed in the 1850s by the Italian mathematician Quirico Filopanti.

A World Time reference 5131G from 2012 featuring a cloisonne enamel dial

Filopanti died penniless, his efforts seemingly in vain until Scottish railway engineer Sandford Fleming provided fresh momentum in 1879 after missing a train in Ireland due to local time differences.

Disgruntled at having to wait around on an empty station platform on a cold Irish night—and who can blame him without so much as a Starbucks to shelter in?—it gave Fleming ample time to ponder over Filopanti’s idea.

He could see its potential for assisting in worldwide navigation and unifying troublesome local train timetables, and so he enthusiastically took up the cause.

Fleming’s efforts eventually led to the 1884 International Meridian Conference—a meeting in Washington DC attended by the world’s global powers—which established a system of 24 time zones of 15 degrees each, with the prime meridian at Greenwich in London.

The scene seemed all set, then, for the world’s finest watchmakers to work on a movement that catered for this new system.

Or at least you’d think so…

Slowed By Swiss Caution

Swiss watchmakers, for all their innovation, are a cautious bunch and they wanted to see whether the new system would take root before delving into any new movement technology that would take years to develop and perfect.

Also, passenger planes, transcontinental telephone calls and all the things that paved the way for globalisation were yet to be invented. Necessity, as the saying goes, is the mother of invention, but in this case she was still waiting to get knocked up.

So it was several decades before an enterprising Geneva watchmaker named Louis Cottier began to develop a movement with the technical capability to cater for multiple time zones.

Continuing the work of his watchmaker father, who had unsuccessfully attempted something similar, Cottier’s watch featured a standard central dial showing the local time with hour and minute hands.

The hour hand and a rotating inner ring were then linked together so that as the hour hand rotated over 12 hours, the inner ring would turn counter-clockwise over 24 hours.

This World Time 5531R-013 Singapore edition also features a minute repeater

The adjustable outer chapter ring—featuring prominent global cities that corresponded with the world’s 24 timezones—was set by turning the local city to 12 o’clock and setting the local time on central hands. Once you had aligned local time with the 12 o’clock position on the dial, the watch and its corresponding outer ring would simultaneously display the right time.

The Big Guns Take note

Cottier’s first successful world timer, a stopwatch, was sold to the renowned jeweller Baszanger—the Jacob & Co of its time—in 1931. But his ingenuity hadn’t gone unnoticed and the leading brands, including Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Rolex, were soon courting his services.

Six years later, he had compressed his world timer movement into a wristwatch for Patek Philippe—a world first.

The watch, reference 515 HU, came in a rectangular case, with only four prototype models made. This was followed by the reference 542 HU and reference 96 HU, housed in a Calatrava case and more closely resembling the Patek Philippe world timers we know today.

These models are rare beasts, seldom seen outside the most prestigious auction houses or Patek’s own museum in Geneva.

The Most Beautiful Pateks Ever?

It was the introduction of the reference 1415 in 1939 that really established Patek as the world timer king. Regarded as one of the most beautiful Pateks ever made, this reference was produced in yellow gold, with a few in pink gold, and at least one platinum model. Teardrop-shaped lugs and ornate hands with a fleur-de-lys design or a circle added to the distinctive look.

A reference 5130 with distinctive circular hour hand. Image: Bonhams

The most celebrated and sought-after variations are the models with Cloisonné (gold wire-rimmed enamel) dials featuring maps of the world or Eurasia, and there was also the highly impressive reference 1415/1 HU, a one-off model combining a world timing function with a chronograph.

The 1415 remained in production until early 50s when another innovative addition to the world timer canon arrived—the reference 2523 featuring a two-crown setting and winding system. The repositioning of the world time city indications onto an outer ring of its dial meant that the local time city could be changed via the second crown at 9 o’clock.

Produced until 1965, it is believed that no more than 25 were ever made. Make no mistake, Pateks like these were infinitely more unattainable than in today’s market, with customers generally restricted to oil tycoons, newspaper magnates and royalty.

35-years In Hibernation

Despite also freelancing for rival brands, Cottier seems to have worked closely with Patek Philippe for the rest of his career and was hugely prolific, working not only on calibres but areas of watch design.

Reportedly, unassembled watches were sent to him by Patek, to which he added the world timer module to the base caliber. He is also said to have cut some of the idiosyncratic hands for the World Time series models himself.

Cottier died in 1966 and his death seems to have temporarily shut the door on Patek Philippe world timers. Shockingly, not a single one was made by the brand between 1965 until 2000!

The World Time series returned in 2000 with this model - reference 5110. Image: Bonhams

With no Cottier, it may have felt there was no one else qualified to make world timers to his exacting standard, although it’s also likely that Patek’s attentions were focused on navigating the turbulent waters of the quartz crisis.

By 2000, however, mechanical watches were back in vogue and the future looked far more promising.

The World Timer Returns

The Patek Philippe World Time series made a triumphant return at Baselworld in 2000 with the reference 5110, powered by the automatic caliber 240 with micro-rotor. This new movement featured a pusher at 10 o’clock that moved an inner disk marked with the major cities of the world to the right time-zone. The time then adjusted itself instantly. It was the first serially produced World Time reference and possibly the simplest watch of its kind to use.

Since then, Patek has released a host of world timers and even brought back the exquisite Cloisonné ‘map’ dial for a couple of references. Other firsts include a World Time with moonphase—references 5575 and 7175—and the first serially produced World Time with chronograph, the reference 5930.

Those lucky enough to own one of these beauties might have consigned it to the watch-winder or safety deposit box these past couple of years, what with the pesky pandemic-induced travel restrictions. No doubt they’ll be desperate to flaunt them to an admiring world as the travel industry inches back towards some semblance of normality.

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