Manufacturer: Patek Philippe Year: 2010 Reference No: 5131G-001 Movement No: 5’530’330 Case No: 4’501’019 Model Name: World Time Material: 18K white gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. 240, 33 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed. Accessories: Accompanied by Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin dated October 8, 2010, stamped Boodles Ltd, wooden presentation box, leather envelope, product literature and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
The reference 5131 is part of a prestigious lineage of world time wristwatches made by Patek Philippe. Introduced in 2008 in yellow gold, it was later followed by a white gold model in 2009 and finally by pink gold and platinum versions. Now discontinued, it was the first modern world time reference to be graced with the fabled cloisonné dial featuring geographic maps.
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 ingenious, 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 handset 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 24 time zones simultaneously, while clearly indicating local time - all via a single dial.
The present white gold reference 5131 is preserved in excellent, and in our opinion unpolished, condition with its full-set of accessories. The lovely enamel dial representing Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, all outlined in fine gold, demonstrates the technical mastery and artistic craftmanship of these iconic Patek Philippe world time wristwatches.
A similar example of the reference in yellow gold can be found in our sale at lot 111.
Since its founding in 1839, this famous Geneva-based firm has been surprising its clientele with superbly crafted timepieces fitted with watchmaking's most prestigious complications. Traditional and conservative designs are found across Patek Philippe's watches made throughout their history — the utmost in understated elegance.
Well-known for the Graves Supercomplication — a highly complicated pocket watch that was the world’s most complicated watch for 50 years — this family-owned brand has earned a reputation of excellence around the world. Patek's complicated vintage watches hold the highest number of world records for results achieved at auction compared with any other brand. For collectors, key models include the reference 1518, the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph, and its successor, the reference 2499. Other famous models include perpetual calendars such as the ref. 1526, ref. 3448 and 3450, chronographs such as the reference 130, 530 and 1463, as well as reference 1436 and 1563 split seconds chronographs. Patek is also well-known for their classically styled, time-only "Calatrava" dress watches, and the "Nautilus," an iconic luxury sports watch first introduced in 1976 as the reference 3700 that is still in production today.
