Two of Patek Philippe’s headlining creations at Watches & Wonders Geneva delights on different levels.
Perhaps one of Patek Philippe’s more overlooked models, the Golden Ellipse, finds itself in the limelight as the Genevan grand dame unveils an aesthetic upgrade 15 years in the making. Since its introduction in 1968, the Golden Ellipse has been a symbol of style and elegance thanks to its rectangular frame with rounded corners. Beyond its unorthodox case shape, the essence of its design lies in its supreme proportions governed by the Golden Ratio. Over the decades to come, several iterations were unveiled in different case materials, dial colours and even sizes.
This year’s Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse ref. 5738/1R-001 is presented in an 18k rose gold case with a sunburst ebony black dial. Its 34.5 by 39.5mm dimensions take a leaf from the large model introduced in 2008 to celebrate 40 years of the Golden Ellipse. The star, however, is the unassuming chain-style bracelet that took Patek Philippe 15 years to develop. More than 300 individually hand-polished links are hand-assembled to give the bracelet a supple and free-flowing shape. Beyond its aesthetic value, the patented construction allows the bracelet to be resized easily, unlike examples seen on early Golden Ellipses. Within the Golden Ellipse ref. 5738/1R-001 lies the 5.9 mm ultra-thin automatic calibre 240, making it the slimmest watch in the Patek Philippe regular collection.
Patek Philippe’s next-generation World Time Watch sees a world first introduced at Watches & Wonders 2024: a date display synchronised with local time. The Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5330G-001 joins the ranks as a regular production piece after being launched as a limited edition in Tokyo during the Patek Philippe “Watch Art” Grand Exhibition. This year’s edition is powered by the groundbreaking automatic calibre 240 HU C with the world time and date complications synchronised to local time.
A series of engineering ingenuity in the patented differential mechanism controls the date function, allowing it to recognise if the date is required to move forward or backwards by a day when the wearer crosses and selects a new timezone. Advancing the local city is a breeze thanks to the pusher at 10 o’clock. The various elements are positioned harmoniously on the blue-grey opaline dial with the silvered periphery date display indicated by a red-tip glass hand, while the world time display surrounds the central carbon motif. The Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5330G-001 is presented in a 40mm 18K white gold case with a blue-grey calfskin “denim” motif embossed strap complementing the dial.
Once you’re done with this story, click here to catch up with our May 2024 issue.
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