The reference 5131 is Patek Philippe's latest generation worldtime wristwatch, following a long line of exquisite world-time wristwatches from the famed manufacture, drawing its technical and aesthetic inspiration from the legendary pocket watches and wristwatches produced since the early 20th century. Worldtime watches were invented, as is the case with most innovations, out of necessity. With the advent of the industrial age came the means necessary to facilitate global trade and travel and, as a direct result, there was a need for timekeeping devices capable of tracking time in multiple locations. Between 1930 and 1931, Louis Cottier designed an ingeinious, ultra-thin mechanism that simultaneously displayed the correct hours across the world's time zones through a rotating 24-hour ring, in addition to the local time.
The city of choice (local time zone) would be set at the 12 o'clock position with the hours/minutes hand set at local time. The highly user friendly design, used until the present day, would then display the correct time in both hours and minutes, night and day, for every time zone in the world simultaneously, while clearly indicating local time - all via a single dial.

Patek Philippe has since then embraced the artistic opportunities worthy of such a poetic yet practical complication, and in many instances, combined it with one of their most exclusive métiers d'arts creations - cloisonné enamel. In this example, the vibrant cloisonné enamel center disc depicts the Americas, Asia, and Oceania in a wonderful array of blues, greens and yellows all outlined in fine gold. A well-balanced 40mm in diameter, this modern horological masterpiece marries the old and the new perfectly, and is sure to be the perfect companion for the well-traveled connoisseur.