On a technical level, combining the world time mechanism with the chronograph-which Patek Philippe did this year-presented an array of engineering challenges. The Guilloche-decorated dial of the new 5930G Several years ago Patek Philippe president Thierry Stern, the fourth-generation of his family to lead the brand, told me that the World Time was a strategic complication for winning the next generation of collectors. The World Time is, importantly, a complication that consumers tend to use, its combination of complexity and approachable price have made it a favorite among younger watch fans. It has also proven to be a popular bridge complication between entry-level watches and the high complications that impassion “whale” collectors.
The resonant design has since been copied by myriad watchmakers yet it remains closely associated with Patek through its deep connection to Cottier. Known for its balanced design and the evocative representation of international place-names corresponding to all 24 time zones, a World Time watch from Patek Philippe makes a statement about its wearer’s presumably international lifestyle.
It was Cottier who invented the modern world time watch, in which a pair of crowns control a dynamic timekeeping mechanism to aid travelers in need of the time in multiple destinations. Prior to the adoption of universal time, the very idea that one could know the precise hour in a place a thousand miles away was revolutionary–until now time was a distinctly local thing. In the late 19th century, as international travel and communication became possible for more of the world’s population, nations came together and set forth a new standard of 24 world time zones. Cottier freelanced for various big names in Swiss watchmaking, but his most notable achievements came through his partnership with Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe 5930G World Time ChronographĪmong Patek’s less-celebrated milestones is a 1950 invention attributed to an independent watchmaker contracted to Patek Philippe-Louis Cottier-a name well known to watch geeks and collectors of complicated timepieces designed for travelers. After all, once you’ve crafted many of the world’s most famously complicated timepieces, inventing the winding crown, various calendar mechanisms, and the split-second chronograph-not to mention the wristwatch itself-the reflexive impulse to tout every last patent and achievement tends to wane. Patek Philippe’s list of watchmaking firsts is so long that it’s easy to overlook some of them. The patents held by Patek Philippe offer a glimpse into the history of haute horlogerie.
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