In 1952, the first jetliner, a de Havilland Comet, made its inaugural voyage from London to Johannesburg, and thus began the Jet Age of air travel. It wasn't until later in the 1950s when travel by jetliner became more regulated and improved operationally, that a real culture developed amongst those who could afford to fly across the world at a whim. Typical destinations included New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Rome, alongside exotic tropical resorts such as Capri, St. Tropez, Acapulco, and the Bahamas. The stewardesses and pilots were glamorous and attractive, caviar and roast pheasant were served to travelers, and icons were born and made by the photographs and films that captured this lifestyle.

Patek Philippe's similarly iconic reference 2597 was also born during this era, created as a direct response to this new age of travel. An easy way to keep track of time across multiple time zones, Patek Philippe used the ingenious designs of Louis Cottier in his development of the world time watch and asked him to engineer what would become the 2597, made in two versions. The first series featured an independently adjustable hour hand whereas the second, like the present watch introduced in 1962, included an additional hour hand. Contemporary corporate literature made clear the need for accuracy and clarity in timing, and this new function, with its independently adjustable hour hand, succeeded by having no effect on timekeeping. One would simply press the pushers at 8 o'clock and 10 o'clock to quickly adjust the hour without changing the time through the crown. Patek Philippe patented this system in 1959, with Swiss Patent 340191 for a "Time Zone Watch".

The cases of reference 2597 were produced by Antoine Gerlach, one of the firms specializing in making cases for Patek Philippe. The current example in yellow gold dates to 1961 and in our opinion, has never been polished. The case has beautifully oxidized over the intervening years, with few signs of careful wear over its lifetime. The raised, hard enamel print is perfectly intact and the factory, brushed finished to the caseback remains crisp, making this a superb example of one of the world's most sought after travel watches of the mid 20th century.