Patek Philippe Does Double Denim: Introducing The World Time Date 5330G And Nautilus Chronograph 5980G
Patek Philippe does double denim at Watches and Wonders 2024, and I’m all for that. The brand from Geneva is casually showing some laid-back novelties that are, of course, not as casual as they appear to be. The complicated World Time Date 5330G first debuted as a limited edition at Patek Philippe’s “Watch Art” grand exhibition in Tokyo in 2023, and now it makes its debut in the current collection. The watch pairs a delicate dial motif with a calfskin strap with a casual denim pattern. The same type of strap also made its way to the much sportier Nautilus self-winding flyback chronograph that now comes in a new white gold version with an opaline blue-gray dial. Following the looks of the Nautilus is the Aquanaut Travel Time 5164G, which now comes in white gold with an opaline blue-gray dial and matching composite strap in a jeans-like color.
The 5330G, the very first mechanical world-time watch with a date, started life as a limited edition with a striking purple dial. But it was too good not to make it part of the current Patek Philippe collection. So the watch that makes it into production is the new generation of the World Time that distinguishes itself with a patented world first — a date display indexed to local time, i.e. that of the time zone selected at 12 o’clock and indicated by the central hands.
Patek Philippe does double denim: World Time Date 5330G-001
A patented differential makes something very complicated incredibly easy to use. When crossing several time zones, upon arrival, you can align your current corresponding city with the red dot. The transparent glass hand with a red tip will automatically jump to the correct date when needed.
The fully polished white gold 40 × 11.57mm case is a vintage-inspired one. It’s a design introduced with the Calatrava 24-Hour 5224R, and it can be described as slim. There are also stepped lugs and a rounded middle case. Inside the case beats the 3Hz micro-rotor caliber 240 HU C, an upgraded variant of the caliber 240 HU found in the standard World Time model. The new date mechanism alone consists of 70 parts and adds around 0.7mm to the thickness of the caliber. The glass date hand with the red tip is driven by a separate gear train. That’s how it allows the date to move in sync with the time display. It also moves both backward and forward for optimum usability.
Looking good in denim
Enough about the insides and more about the casual outsides of the World Time Date 5330G-001. It all starts with the opaline blue-gray dial showing a carbon pattern you might recognize from the Calatrava 6007G. The patented caliber is the real star of the show, but the blue-gray calfskin strap with a denim pattern and contrasting white stitching catches the eye. I won’t dare call the World Time Date 5330G a casual watch, but you can surely wear it casually. That makes it possible to go do double, triple, or even quadruple denim — the last being a look that pairs jeans to a denim shirt, jacket, and watch strap. The price of the World Time Date 5330G-001 is CHF 65,000.
Patek Philippe does double denim again: Nautilus Self-Winding Chronograph 5980/60G-001
When you have a blue-gray calfskin strap with a denim pattern at your disposal, why not match it to the most obvious watch in the collection, the Nautilus? A 5811A would have been nice, but instead, Patek decided to come with a new version of the Nautilus self-winding flyback chronograph. It now comes in a white gold version with an opaline blue-gray dial.
On the dial, the chronograph indications are grouped in the mono-counter at 6, which shows three concentric scales. In case you want running seconds, you can also use the central chronograph seconds hand for that. There’s also a date window at 3 o’clock, and the white gold applied hour markers received a white luminescent coating.
The blue shade of the dial goes incredibly well with your denim shirt. It also shines when paired with the calfskin strap with a denim color and motif. You also get contrasting white stitching and a white gold Nautilus fold-over clasp. The 40.5 × 12.2mm white gold case features a screw-down crown (though the water resistance is limited to 30 meters). Furthermore, the mid-case and bezel show contrasting polished and satin finishes. The list price of the 5980/60G-001 is CHF 67,000.
Looks like denim: Aquanaut Travel Time 5164G-001
Is anybody still sad that the black-dial Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time 5164A got axed for 2024? Well, take a look at the new Aquanaut Travel Time 5164G-001. Look at its characteristic case and bezel shape, blue dial, and rubber strap, and tell me what you think. Yes, it’s white gold — steel really is becoming a rare commodity for the Geneva-based manufacture — and therefore more costly than the equivalent in steel, but (list) prices and Patek sports watches still play by different rules than other watches, so it doesn’t matter to most of the watch’s aspiring buyers.
The 5164G is the first Aquanaut Travel Time in white gold. The case measures 40.8 × 10.2mm, is water resistant to 30 meters, and is outfitted with a screw-down crown. The sapphire crystal on the case back allows a look at the automatic caliber 26-330 S C FUS.
The blue-gray dial with the emblematic pattern shows the easy-to-use Travel Time display and the date in a sub-dial at 6 o’clock. The date, by the way, is indexed to local time. There’s no denim strap for the Aquanaut. Instead, it has a curved-end composite strap in a color that matches the dial perfectly. And you could describe the dial and strap combination as a “jeans look.” The patented fold-over clasp is in white gold, of course, and the price of the 5164G-001 is CHF 53,500.
What do you think? Is this too much denim for your liking? Is it too casual for Patek Philippe? Please let me know in the comments.
