Watch brands often have complications that define their identity, and for Patek Philippe, that distinction belongs to the minute repeater or the perpetual calendar chronograph. That being said, there is another complication close behind that the historic watchmaker is just as well known for: the World Time.
The World Time is an ingenious and quietly romantic way of showing 24 time zones at once, and Patek Philippe’s connection to this poetic complication goes back to the 1930s through their work with Louis Cottier, the Geneva-based watchmaker who patented the modern mechanism in 1931. By 1937, Patek had already put the complication into a wristwatch, which was the brand’s response to an era of increasingly faster and farther travel. Eight decades later, even in a world where phones tell the time across continents, the world time remains an indispensable pillar of Patek’s catalog of offerings—proof of its timelessness and enduring relevance in the modern world.
What we have here is one of the most striking expressions of Patek’s world time—the 5131P. Introduced in yellow gold in 2008 and later in white, pink, and finally platinum in 2017, it quickly became a key reference within the lineage, and its significance only grew after production ended in 2021, with the 5231 eventually taking its place. Beyond the mechanics, the 5131 is a true work of art, featuring a hand-painted cloisonné enamel dial depicting the Earth from a North Pole perspective, an artistic centrepiece we’ll explore in more detail shortly.
The 5131P begins with a platinum case measuring 39.5mm × 10.6mm, blending different finishes with an understated elegance, featuring a brushed caseback, a polished mid-case, and a gently rounded bezel. As we all know, world time watches often risk appearing cluttered with text and markers, but Patek avoided this by moving its signature off the dial entirely, engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE” at 12:00 and “GENEVE” at 6:00 on the bezel. A pusher at 10:00 allows quick world-time adjustments, while a small diamond set flushed at 6:00 of the bezel quietly signals the platinum case—a hallmark of all platinum Patek Philippe watches. The case is paired with a full platinum bracelet: lavish, weighty, and unmistakable on the wrist. The hands also remain faithful to traditional world-time styling, with an open-tipped hour hand and a dauphine minute hand that balance clarity with elegance.
At the heart of the watch, the dial is where the 5131P truly comes alive. Its cloisonné enamel map is more than decoration; it is a miniature masterpiece. Centered on a North Pole view of the Earth, the map is framed by the famous Cottier 24-hour ring with day/night indication and the outer city ring showing the world’s 24 principal time zones, seamlessly combining practical utility with artistic expression.
While we’re on the topic of the dial, I believe it’s worth elaborating on the complexities of the cloisonné enamel technique employed by Patek, because this is where the 5131 truly shines. This is a highly detailed process which begins with fine gold wires shaped specifically to outline each continent and applied to a base plate. The spaces within these partitions (or cloisons) are then meticulously filled with enamel paste and fired multiple times in a kiln, gradually building the rich colours and subtle depth that make each map unique. The entire process is painstaking and unforgiving; even a speck of dust or minor error can compromise hours of effort. Because each dial is made entirely by hand, no two are ever identical, and production remains extremely limited, with only a handful of enamel artisans creating fewer than 40 dials per year. The result is a miniature work of art that reflects both Patek’s technical mastery and its commitment to craft.
Powering the 5131P from within is Patek Philippe’s self-winding Cal. 240 HU, abbreviated for “Heures Universelle”, or world-time. Through the exhibition caseback, you can admire the beautifully finished calibre in full view: a patented Gyromax balance wheel, a self-compensating free-sprung balance spring, a 22-carat gold micro-rotor, and beautiful Côte de Genève (Geneva Stripes) finishing throughout. It also bears the Patek Philippe Seal, the standard introduced by Patek in 2009 to guarantee precision, finishing, and overall craftsmanship. Fully wound, the Cal. 240 HU offers a power reserve of up to 48 hours.
Once a tool for guiding travellers through a rapidly globalising world, the world time complication now serves as a poetic reminder of an era when watchmaking combined function and artistry. Ideal for those whose interests span multiple cities and cultures, owning a world time like the 5131 today isn’t about checking the hour in Paris or Tokyo—it’s about carrying that spirit of curiosity, appreciating a craft honed over generations, and wearing a watch that quietly reflects how you move through the world and the perspective you bring to it. There’s also a certain naïve magic in the idea of wearing the world on your wrist, a charm that I, along with many fellow enthusiasts, find deeply compelling.
