Patek Philippe 5131 World Time with cloisonne enamel dial is inspired by the Patek world time watches from the 40s and 50s with the distinctive Louis Cottier mechanism. The yellow gold 5131J which was introduced in 2008, and the white gold 5131G which came a year later. The World Time, one of Patek Philippe’s emblematic complications, is highly sought-after by collectors, as are the famous and very rare world time models from the 40’s and 50’s.
The local time of replica Patek Philippe World Time 5131G and 5131 indicated by the hour and minute hands applies to the location on the city disk that is directly aligned with 12 o’clock. The crown is used to set the correct time in conjunction with the 24-hour ring, so a distinction can be made between 4 am and 4 pm. Now, switching from one time zone to another is accomplished simply by pressing the button at 10 o’clock.
Every time it is pressed, the hour hand will advance by one hour while the city ring and the 24-hour ring will rotate counter-clockwise by one hour (equivalent to one time zone). Pressing the button 24 times emulates a trip around the world and a return to the point of departure.
The Patek Philippe World Time yellow gold 5131J has the Americas, Europe and Africa on the cloisonne dial, while the Patek Philippe World Time white gold 5131G has Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa. Each has its strengths but I give the 5131J an edge in terms of visual attractiveness – yellow gold works better with the cloisonne dial – though the colours on the 5131G dial are more vibrant. I dislike the tasteless bezel engraving on both watches though.
