The Patek Philippe 5131: The Art of Enameling
When Patek Philippe unveiled the World Time watch Ref. 5131, many people hailed it as a work of art. It is a timepiece that will charm many people for many different reasons. Its mechanism for the permanent display of all 24 time zones and its amazingly fast adjustability to any local time, constitute a technical coup that will appeal to everyone who admires useful complications. Its cloisonné enamel dial will delight connoisseurs of the art of enamelling. Finally, watch collectors will be pleased to see this particular type of timepiece – at international auctions, its predecessors meantime fetch astronomical prices – back in the Geneva workshops’ standard collection.
A Patek Philippe World Time watch displays the hour in all major cities at a glance. The local time indicated by the hour and minute hands applies to the location on the city disk that is directly aligned with 12 o’clock. The crown is used to set the correct time in conjunction with the 24-hour ring, so a distinction can be made between 4 am and 4 pm. Now, switching from one time zone to another is realized simply by pressing the button at 10 o’clock. Every time it is pressed, the hour hand will advance by one hour while the city ring and the 24-hour ring will rotate counterclockwise by one hour (equivalent to one time zone). Pressing the button 24 times emulates a trip around the world and a return to the point of departure.
Cloisonné enamel is one of the three classic techniques traditionally used to decorate watches and dials. The motifs are always silhouettes whose contours define the shapes of the “cloisons” (French for partition, or cell) that ultimately contain the differently colored zones of the finished enamel opus. A characteristic shared by all enamelling techniques is the stunning brilliance of the colors: unlike paintings that use conventional pigments, they do not fade and retain their lustre for centuries. The art of cloisonné enameling not only requires virtuosity and a highly developed sense of aesthetics. The artisans who master it must also be fully aware of the technical, physical, and chemical processes involved in preparing, mixing, applying, and firing the enamel mass. Until the early 20th century, cloisonné enameling, champlevé enameling, and miniature painting according to the acclaimed Geneva enameling traditions were precious skills needed to embellish watches and other luxury objects. Elsewhere, the tradition sank into oblivion, but Patek Philippe never stopped crafting beautifully decorated enameled wristwatches, pocket watches, and table clocks featuring lavish decorations based on sublime enameling techniques. After all, an art must be preserved in order to ensure a successful future.
The Patek Philippe World Time watch is truly a work of art.
