Patek Philippe’s All-New Calatrava REF. 5224R-001 Travel Time With A 24-Hour Display

With the addition of the new Calatrava model featuring the Travel Time dual time zone function and distinctive 24-hour display, Patek Philippe is expanding its range of travel watches and complications for everyday use at Watches And Wonders 2023!

Elegant rose gold case with a navy blue dial and strap houses the new calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H self-winding movement, which features a number of technical innovations that enhance the watch's performance and make it easier to operate. The Travel Time system, unique to Patek Philippe, allows for the display of a second time zone with ease and excellent legibility (thanks to two centre hour hands, one of which can be adjusted backwards or forwards in one-hour increments).

The brand has already used it to great effect in a number of different models, such as the elegantly sporty Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph (5990/1A-011 and 5990/1R001), the contemporary, sporty, and chic men's Aquanaut Travel Time (5164A-001 and 5164R-001), and the ladies' Aquanaut Luce Travel Time (5269/200R-001). Also new this spring are the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronographs 5924G-001 and 5924G-010, as well as the Grand Complication Alarm Travel Time model (5520P-001) and the Annual Calendar Travel Time (5326G-001).

At any time of day or night

Adding to their already extensive lineup of Travel Time dual time zone watches, Patek Philippe has released a new Calatrava model that uniquely shows both local and home time via two centre hands rotating on a 24-hour circle. The Chronometro Gondolo watches the brand made in the early twentieth century for the Brazilian retailer Gondolo & Labouriau featured 24-hour displays, so this was not a first for the brand. There's a 1905 pocket watch among them that's on display at the Patek Philippe Museum (No. P-527). The designers behind the new Reference 5224R-001 have given this type of indicator a decidedly contemporary makeover. To further guarantee readability throughout the day, they've opted to put noon at 12 o'clock instead of the more conventional 6 o'clock.

An innovative automatic winding mechanism

Patek Philippe added a 24-hour mechanism and a Travel Time mechanism to their 31-260 ultra-thin self-winding base calibre to provide these features. In 2011, the Annual Calendar Regulator Reference 5235 (calibre 31-260 REG QA) was released; in 2021, the In-Line Perpetual Calendar Reference 5236P-001 was released with a completely revised movement (caliber 31-260 PS QL). A platinum (heavier than gold) mini-rotor increases winding power by 20%, and a reduction wheel decouples the self-winding mechanism when the watch is being manually wound, reducing wear. The watch runs at a frequency of 4 Hz (28, 800 semi-oscillations per hour).

Patek Philippe filed for eight patents on innovations made to this movement in 2022 for use in their Annual Calendar Travel Time Reference 5326G-001 (calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H). Three of these patents help the new calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H movement found inside Reference 5224R-001 achieve its goals of superior efficiency, rate accuracy, durability, safety, and user-friendliness. The royal family's patented method of course correction. The new self-winding calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H movement with mini-rotor in platinum is visible through a transparent sapphire-crystal back, allowing for the provision of a case whose elegant finesse (9.85 m high) is perfectly suited to a Calatrava model.

Patek Philippe also eliminated the bulky local time adjustment pushers from the left side of the case in favour of a crown that can be pulled out to an intermediate position, thereby preserving the watch's clean aesthetic (backwards and forwards adjustment in one-hour steps). Reference 5326G-001 from 2022 served as inspiration for this device. The curved two-tier lugs of the 42 mm rose-gold case are reminiscent of those of the 2019 Calatrava Weekly Calendar Reference 5212A-001.

A clean, easy-to-read face

The dial's navy colour is complemented by a double railway track scale that makes reading the time easier and more elegant. There are a total of 44 rose-gold appliques, each individually applied and polished to achieve the same brilliance, that make up the 24-hour display of Arabic numerals and hour markers alternating with cabochon 5-minute markers. Rose gold syringes with luminescent coatings on the local hour and minute hands and a pierced centre on the home hour hand show the time in two different time zones with the Travel Time feature. The dial has been meticulously finished, with a striated centre, a satin-finished hour circle, and a snailed small-seconds counter with a rose-gilt outline, all of which reflect light in beautiful ways. The dial's colour is mirrored by a calfskin strap that is navy blue with a nubuck finish and cream stitching. A rose-gold prong buckle fastens it.

Features protected by caliber 31-260 PS FUS 24H patents

This new calibre incorporates several Patek Philippe patents, including three patents from the calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H (Reference 5326G-001) for the time zone component.

• Three-position crown for setting time (Swiss patent CH 716383 B1 published 29.07.2022) The timer's three-position lever lets you turn off individual wheels when they're not actively correcting the time. As a result, you'll save money on your utility bills and extend the life of your tyres. Both rate accuracy (balance amplitude) and dependability are improved as a result.

• Timezones are becoming more linear (European patent EP 3650953 B1) A star wheel and a jumper spring make up this setup. The torque between the home time wheel and the local time wheel is greatly enhanced, giving the user more accurate time readings.

• Delta for inertia (European patent application EP 3822711 A1) This mechanism cancels out the effect of a heavier wheel's greater inertia. It prevents the clocks from being accidentally nudged ahead or behind when the time zone is adjusted (home time, local time, minutes). As a result, the visuals will be more precise.

Technical Specifications:

Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time Reference 5224R-001
Movement: Caliber 31-260 PS FUS 24H Self-winding mechanical movement.
Travel Time dual time zone with local time and home time on a 24-hour display Small seconds
Diameter: 31.74 mm
Height: 3.7 mm
Number of parts: 240
Number of jewels: 44 Power reserve: 48 h
Winding rotor: Mini-rotor in platinum, unidirectional winding
Frequency: 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 Hz)
Balance: Gyromax®
Balance spring: Spiromax® (in Silinvar®)
Balance spring stud: Adjustable Functions: 3-position crown: • Pushed home: manual winding • Pulled to middle position: setting of local time in either direction in one-hour steps • Pulled out all the way: simultaneous setting of home time, local time and the minute with “stop seconds” function
Displays: With hands: • Local time on a 24-hour scale and minutes from the center • Home time (second time zone) on a 24-hour scale from the center • Small seconds at 6 o’clock Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Features Case: 18K rose gold Sapphire-crystal case back
Water-resistant to 30 m
Case dimensions: Diameter: 42 mm Height (from crystal to display back): 9.85 mm
Total height: 10.2 mm
Width between lugs: 21 mm Dial: Navy-blue with contrasting finishes (center with circular striation, hour circle with circular satin finish, small seconds counter finely snailed with rose-gilt outline)