Comments:
Please help me understand Patek World timer
Hi all,
I am a new Patek owner and am getting fascinated by the many beautiful Patek pieces past and present.
One piece I do not really understand is the Patek World timer. There is much hype about it but if my understanding is correct, the watch is simply having many countries around the dial of a regular watch face right ?
No complications I presume ? Just a very decorated dial ?
What's the price range of world timers ?
Am I missing anything about the watch that makes it so special ?
Please comment. Thanks.
Very quickly...
I can say, if we are speaking about the contemporary worldtimers:
- the 240 movement
- the ability to read the time of the 24 timezones at the same time
- easy to operate, easy to understand
- a clever complication by Louis Cottier
- an iconic design coming from the original watch
- the feeling to travel in your head
...
- the charm of the watch:
To understand how it works:
the city of reference is located at 12 o'clock (here Paris). It is 4:05 pm in Paris Thanks to the cities and hours independant rings, I can read the time everywhere in the world (7:05 am in LA). The pusher is used to change the city of reference.
Hope it helps.
Fx
- the 240 movement
- the ability to read the time of the 24 timezones at the same time
- easy to operate, easy to understand
- a clever complication by Louis Cottier
- an iconic design coming from the original watch
- the feeling to travel in your head
...
- the charm of the watch:
To understand how it works:
the city of reference is located at 12 o'clock (here Paris). It is 4:05 pm in Paris Thanks to the cities and hours independant rings, I can read the time everywhere in the world (7:05 am in LA). The pusher is used to change the city of reference.
Hope it helps.
Fx
The feeling to travel....
Couldn't have put it better FX. I can think of no other watch that even comes close!
Best, Christian
Thanks for the explanation. So..
I am indeed missing something. Didnt know the watch allow the wearer to set a reference time.
Just wondering which ring rotates ? I am guessing the one with the countries printed ?
Would disagree
It's a Worldtimer and good for calling around the globe when you want to make sure you're not waking people up at 3am. But I would argue that the 5164 is an infinitely better watch for travel.
For travel
If you really want easy of time reading, I think the Ulysse Nardin GMT +/- is untouchable. Far easier than the 5110 or 5164. So I don't think the point is sheer readability but rather the world timer's feel for travel and being able to know what time it is everywhere else for example. For me, knowing the time in 3 places at once is important even when I travel due to working in an international business. The 5164 does not help with that. Both great watches, but the 5110 is far dressier, classier, and more charming than the 5164.
Many times zones @ once...
Agree the Patek World Time makes it easy to see a variety of time zones at once. As I have to make phone calls, video conferencing, etc all over the world, the ability to know many time zones with ease has been incredibly helpful over the years. This is why the 5110 wall clock is also here, as it is a far better solution than a wall with 5 or more clocks, each with their own time zone name plate. The Patek solution is far easier and more efficient imho.
I agree with the OP
the enamel is disappointing and rather primative.
The watch has no way to handle daylight savings time so it's often inaccurate.
It is a shame..
Because the points raised are so true:
- You can't see the time in the dark (kind of useful with a world timer!)
- As daylight savings, time is often wrong, which is kind of unprofessional in my world (but perhaps not yours)
But it IS a beautiful watch for dreamers!
- You can't see the time in the dark (kind of useful with a world timer!)
- As daylight savings, time is often wrong, which is kind of unprofessional in my world (but perhaps not yours)
But it IS a beautiful watch for dreamers!
yes Paulus, the PP world timer's inability...
... to account for daylight savings is a problem
what world timers from other brands are able to adjust for daylight savings ??
Thanks
and therefore I love it.The mechanism of 5110.
For your better understanding.
Attached picture explains that both the city ring and the 24 hour ring can rotate. The 24 hour ring rotates by it self all the time in accordance with the minute and hour hands while the city ring only jumps when you push the bottom on the left. Another wonderful thing is that no single second will be gained or lost during the timezone setting, since the minute hand will keep running when the hour hand jumps.
I don't care about the day light saving function, as I can easily calculate by myself. I am not a big fan of putting a red "s" next to the city to indicate the sommer time. This makes the dial unnecessarily complicated and busy. If I do need such an practical watch, any Casio will do the job better.
For me, the 5110 is THE reference for the multitime zone watches.
Does ladies travel time Ref 4934 G
Work on the same principle too ?
Nope
Nope, this ladies watch does not have a 24 time zone complication. but instead tracks 2 timezones at the same time (just like the men's 5134).