Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P Watch Review
Meehna Goldsmith reviews the Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P. An avid fan of Maison, Meehna examines enlightens readers about the many exquisite features that distinguish this watch as special, including its bewitching green dial and platinum case.
Louis Cottier invents the world time display (1931)
With 24 time zones across the globe, it’s pretty impossible to remember, let alone quickly calculate, what hour of the day it is in a far-flung location, especially one you don’t deal with on a daily basis. That’s where the world time feature comes in. It’s an ingenious complication that solves the problem with just a glance at the dial.
We have watchmaker Louis Cottier to thank for the world time display. In 1931, he invented the rotating bezel with the names of principal cities in different time zones, giving a snapshot of time around the world. So ingenious yet simple is the invention, no one has come up with a better way to juggle time differences to date. And why even try when you’ve got such an elegant solution?
Vacheron Constantin, Rolex and Agassiz recognised the value of the innovation and ordered some movements from Cottier to power their watches. But it was Patek Philippe that formed a special relationship with the watchmaker and his groundbreaking complication. Since 1937, the brand has produced many different iterations of world timers.
Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P – green dial
This year Patek Philippe revisits the world timer complication in a festive version just in time for the holidays. In addition to the world time function, this one flexes its technical muscles by combining it with a flyback chronograph. Patek first launched the Worldtimer paired with a flyback chronograph in 2016 (ref. 5930G). It came cased in white gold with a blue dial and strap to match. Right in step with the holidays, this new iteration makes an entrance attired in platinum and a green-coloured dial reminiscent of a lush fir tree (Ref. 5930P). Of course, with a strap to match.
When the Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P enters your gaze, your eye immediately gravitates to the vivid green at the centre of the dial. It’s decorated with a circular hand-guilloched pattern, while the snailed 30-minute counter at 6 o’clock provides an alluring contrast. These two finishes give the dial visual texture and a touch of intrigue. Continuing the theme, the city names on the rotating world time disc are also green. Easily change time zones with the push of a button at 10 o’clock. There’s no need to worry about damaging the movement so you can push to your heart’s delight.
Since there’s a lot going on, on the face of it, Patek wisely chose simple white-gold baton indicators and faceted Dauphine-type hands, also in white gold. Both contain lume for visibility, on call for those times when conditions aren’t illuminating enough. Keeping the dial tidy, the chronograph hand can smartly fill in as a running seconds.
Although the world timer function is cool enough by itself, the Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P offers even more flair by including a flyback chronograph with 30-minute counter. Rather than having to start, stop and reset the chronograph function, it can be reset on the fly by pushing the button at 4 o’clock.
Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P – caliber CHR 27-525 PS
The chronograph ticking away inside is a bragging right for Patek. The brand was historically an établisseur. However, watch aficionados started placing high value on in-house expertise, so Patek got to work and released its first in-house chronograph in 2005. And they did so with a big splash. The caliber CHR 27-525 PS is the world’s thinnest split-seconds chronograph.
The Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph Ref 5930P plays host to the CH 28-520, the brand’s second in-house chronograph movement, which followed a year later in 2006. In addition to the flyback function, it features automatic winding and a ‘vertical disk-type clutch system’.
Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph 5930P – platinum case
The platinum case has a nice hand-polished sheen and features “wing-type” lugs typically seen on 1940s-1950s World Time watches. Did you happen to catch the twinkle on the side of the case below 6 o’clock? That’s a diamond, and it’s Patek’s code to indicate the case is in platinum.
While I wouldn’t kick the blue 5930G to the curb, there’s something so striking about the green tones Patek has chosen for the platinum model. Lately, green is the colour du jour on watch dials, but Patek’s shade of green makes it a standout in the field. This new colour and case combo for the 5930P offer beautiful aesthetics along with much technical expertise.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Patek Philippe World Time flyback chronograph Ref 5930P
- Case: platinum; diameter 39.5 mm; height 12.86 mm; water resistance 3 ATM (30 m); sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: Hours; minutes; chronograph; world time/city disc; 24-hours disc with day/night indication; flyback chronograph
- Movement: Caliber CH 28-50-520 HU caliber; self-winding movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz); 38 jewels; minimum power reserve 50 hours/maximum 55 hours
- Strap: Alligator strap with square scales, hand-stitched, shiny bottle green paired with a fold-over clasp
- Price: £77,420 (RRP as of 19.12.2021)