When the original Calatrava Pilot Travel Time was released in 2015, it was received with a sense of surprise. The Calatrava collection's design had always been simple, elegant, and classical – most enthusiasts would probably regard it as the perfect dress watch. The Pilot Travel Time took all of those design choices and flipped them on their head. This was a rather bold move for Patek as, while they had not only expanded the Calatrava, a flagship collection - the Travel Time variant was also their first commercial foray into pilots watches.
The Travel Time was a surprising merger between Patek's elegant design language and the sportiness of a pilot's watch. The duality of its modern tool-watch design and Patek's luxurious use of precious metals made the Travel Time quite a popular watch for Patek, and collectors longed to see it in a stainless steel case.
Those prayers were finally answered last year, in 2019, when Patek brought out the Travel Time ref. 7234A at their Grand Expo in Singapore. Sold out immediately, one of the mistakes I think Patek made was to label this piece as a ‘ladies’ watch. Measuring in at 37.5mm, it is a fantastic size for men and sits much more elegantly than the larger 42mm 5524G. I personally prefer this sizing to the ‘men's’ model.
Behind the display caseback, we are greeted by the same incredible caliber 324 S C FUS automatic movement that also features in Travel Time variants of the Aquanaut. The limited-edition 7234A that I have on offer here comes with a gorgeous blue-grey sunburst dial, with its original matching Cordura synthetic strap.
Also, the sapphire crystal display caseback comes engraved with “Patek Philippe Singapore 2019” to mark its truly special place amongst this soon-to-be iconic collection. Limited to just 400 pieces and originally offered in only Singapore and Southeast Asia, the Patek ref. 7234A would easily slot into any collection as that special piece that few have, but everyone wants.
