Patek Philippe World Time, the world timer explained

A watch that tells you at a glance what time it is in Tokyo, New York and Sydney, without any mental arithmetic: that is the promise of the world timer. Few manufactures are as closely tied to this complication as Patek Philippe. The Patek Philippe World Time is one of the most appealing watches the Geneva house makes, because it combines technical refinement, genuine usefulness on the road and, in the enamel versions, true craftsmanship.

This guide explains how a world time watch works and who invented it. It introduces the historic references and the modern collection, shows step by step how to read and set the watch, and sets out what matters when buying a pre-owned Patek World Time.

What a world time watch does

A world time watch, also called a world timer or worldtimer, shows the time in all 24 principal time zones of the globe at once. Two rings around the edge of the dial make this possible. The outer city ring carries 24 city names, each standing for one time zone. Just inside it sits the 24-hour ring, which turns around the dial once a day. Next to each city you read the current hour there from this ring, while a single minute hand gives the minutes for every zone.

The central hands, by contrast, show local time, meaning the time of the city that sits at 12 o'clock. The 24-hour ring is usually divided into a light and a dark half, so you can see immediately whether it is day or night in any given city. In horological terms, world time belongs among the practical complications, the additional functions beyond simple timekeeping.

Louis Cottier and the invention of the world timer

The world time watch in its classic form goes back to Louis Cottier, a Geneva watchmaker who developed the system in the 1930s. Rather than building a separate set of hands for each time zone, he coupled a rotating 24-hour ring to the movement and set a ring of city names against it. A single movement was thus enough to display every zone of the world at the same time.

The invention arrived at a moment when air travel and international communication were making the world noticeably smaller, and the question of what time it was elsewhere was gaining weight. Patek Philippe recognised the potential and worked with Cottier. From this collaboration came the manufacture's historic world timers, which today rank among the most sought-after Patek watches of all.

Patek Philippe's historic world time watches

The manufacture's first serially produced world timer was the reference 1415 HU, which appeared towards the end of the 1930s. The letters HU stand for Heures Universelles, French for world time, and they have accompanied the complication at Patek Philippe ever since. The 1415 HU was a hand-wound watch in a round, classic case reminiscent of the Calatrava. Its city ring was turned by hand via the bezel, before the hands were set to the new local time.

In the 1950s came the reference 2523, which refined the principle. It has two crowns, one for the time and a second for adjusting the city ring. The 2523 was made in very small numbers and is now regarded as one of the most coveted wristwatches in the collecting world, especially in versions with an enamel dial. After the 1960s, world time went quiet at Patek Philippe for a long while.

The return of the Patek World Time with the 5110

In 2000 world time returned to the collection with the reference 5110, and with it came a decisive simplification. On the 5110 a pusher sits on the left of the case at 10 o'clock. One press is all it takes for the hour hand, the city ring and the 24-hour ring to move on together by one time zone. The minute hand is unaffected and the watch simply keeps running. What required several steps on the historic models is handled here by a single pusher.

The 5110 is driven by calibre 240 HU, a slim automatic movement with a micro-rotor. That made it the manufacture's first world timer with automatic winding. The 5110 set the template that the modern Patek World Time still follows: city ring on the outside, 24-hour ring within, central hands for local time and a centre that is often decorated with guilloché.

The modern collection, from the 5130 to the 7130

The 5110 was followed by the 5130, which carried the concept forward in a slightly larger case. With the 5230, Patek Philippe later introduced a redesigned generation. Dial, hands and case lines were reworked, and the look is tidier and more modern, while the familiar reading system remains unchanged.

Reference	Position	Distinguishing feature
5110	First modern generation	Calibre 240 HU, pusher at 10 o'clock
5130	Successor to the 5110	Slightly larger case, same operating principle
5230	Redesigned modern generation	Reworked dial, newly drawn hands
5131	Enamel version	Cloisonné enamel dial with a continent or map motif
5930	World Time Chronograph	World time combined with a chronograph
7130	Ladies' world time	Finer case, often with a diamond bezel

There have been, and still are, further versions, for instance with additional complications. How world time fits into the wider range, from the Calatrava to the grand complications, is set out in the overview which Patek Philippe to buy.

How to read and set a Patek Philippe World Time

Reading the watch is simpler than the densely printed dial suggests. The hands always show the time of the city at 12 o'clock. That is your local time or, when you are at home, your home time. For any other city, find its name on the city ring and read the hour beside it on the 24-hour ring. The minutes come from the minute hand, since they are the same in every whole-hour zone.

The initial setting

For the first setting, press the pusher at 10 o'clock until a city in your current time zone sits at 12 o'clock. For Munich, that is the city that stands for the Central European zone on the ring. Then pull out the crown and set the hands to local time. Keep an eye on the 24-hour ring as you do so. Beside your city it must show the correct hour including the half of the day, so in the afternoon something like 15 rather than 3. If the ring shows the wrong half, turn the hands on by twelve hours.

When travelling

When you arrive in a different time zone, press until your destination city sits at the top. With each press the hour hand jumps forward by one hour, and the city ring and 24-hour ring advance by one zone. The pusher works in one direction only, so for the opposite direction you simply press more often. You never lose your home time: you can read it at any moment on the 24-hour ring beside your home city.

There are two quirks worth knowing. The ring knows nothing of summer time, and because not all countries change their clocks at the same moment, the display for individual cities can be an hour out for a while. In addition, zones with a half-hour offset cannot be shown exactly on the classic 24-zone ring.

Calibre 240 HU

The heart of the modern world timers is calibre 240 HU. It is based on calibre 240, one of the manufacture's thinnest automatic movements. Its hallmark is a gold micro-rotor that does not swing over the whole movement but is set into the movement's own plane. The small rotor saves height and, on versions with a display back, leaves the bridges and their finishing in full view.

On top of this base movement Patek Philippe places the world time mechanism, which links the hour hand, the rings and the pusher. The slim construction explains why these world timers wear so neatly and comfortably despite their complication. The 5930 chronograph uses its own chronograph movement with a world time function, but the basic principle of the display stays the same.

World Time or GMT, the difference

World time watches and GMT watches are often mentioned in the same breath, yet they do different jobs. A GMT watch shows a second time zone alongside local time, usually via an additional 24-hour hand. On some models a rotating bezel adds a third zone. The best-known example is the Rolex GMT-Master II, covered in detail in the Rolex GMT-Master II guide.

The world timer goes a step further and shows all 24 zones simultaneously. In return, you have to find a particular second time on the ring rather than reading it off a dedicated hand. Anyone who travels regularly between two fixed places is often better served by a GMT or dual time watch. Anyone who deals with many regions, or simply enjoys an overview of the whole world, will find the World Time the more elegant solution. For two time zones, incidentally, Patek Philippe has its own system called Travel Time, found for instance in the Nautilus, more on which in the Patek Nautilus guide.

Enamel dials and Métiers d'art

World timers with cloisonné enamel hold a special place. In this technique a craftsman shapes the outlines of continents and oceans in extremely fine gold wire on the dial plate. The resulting cells, known in French as cloisons, are filled with enamel powder in various colours, and the dial is then fired several times in a kiln. Every firing carries the risk that the enamel cracks or discolours, and not every dial survives the process.

The pairing of world time and enamel is a tradition at Patek Philippe. Some of the historic references already carried world maps and continents in enamel, and it is precisely these pieces that attract the most attention at auction. Modern versions such as the 5131 continue this line. They belong to the realm of the Métiers d'art, the rare handcrafts that Patek Philippe deliberately cultivates. For collectors they form a category of their own, because here it is not only the movement but the dial itself that counts as a work of art.

Prices and the market for the Patek Philippe World Time

At Patek Philippe the World Time belongs to the complications segment, which places it above the simple three-hand watches in price. Most versions are made in precious metal, which further shapes the level. On the pre-owned market, price depends above all on reference, material, dial, condition and completeness.

Broadly, the market can be arranged in three tiers. The standard versions of the 5110, 5130 and 5230 with a classic dial form the most accessible part. Above them sit the enamel versions such as the 5131 and combinations with further complications, which usually trade considerably higher. At the top are the historic references 1415 HU and 2523, above all with enamel dials. As rarities they change hands almost exclusively at major auctions, where they rank among the most sought-after Patek watches.

How list prices and the secondary market behave across the brand, and which factors move value, is covered in the article on Patek Philippe prices.

Buying a pre-owned Patek World Time, what to look for

The complication brings a few checks of its own when you buy.

• Papers and provenance. Certificate, box and proof of purchase add security and resale value. For older pieces, an extract from the manufacture's archives can confirm the original specification.
• Service history. Records of servicing by the manufacturer or a qualified workshop show how the watch has been looked after.
• Pusher function. Every press at 10 o'clock should engage cleanly. The hour hand, city ring and 24-hour ring must advance together by exactly one zone, and the minute hand must not move. Check one full rotation through all 24 cities.
• Ring alignment. The cities and the hours of the 24-hour ring should line up precisely. Any offset points to a problem in the mechanism.
• Dial condition. Look for crisp printing of the city names and, on enamel, for fine hairline cracks or chips, which can hardly be repaired invisibly. Establish whether the dial is original or a later replacement.
• Case. Heavy polishing changes edges and proportions, particularly on precious metal cases.

Information on servicing and maintenance can be found under Patek Philippe service. A selection of the brand's watches can be found in the collection Patek Philippe watches.

Patek Philippe at Time Boutique

You will find selected pieces from the manufacture in our Patek Philippe collection, each inspected in our own workshop in Munich.

A World Time is rarely available straight away. If you are looking for a particular reference or an enamel dial, we will find it for you. Get in touch.

For your own Patek Philippe, we offer service and overhaul and purchase.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Patek Philippe World Time?

It is the Geneva manufacture's world time watch, which uses a city ring and a 24-hour ring to show the time in all 24 time zones at once. The hands give the local time of the city at 12 o'clock, and you read every other zone from the rings.

Who invented the world timer?

The classic system goes back to the Geneva watchmaker Louis Cottier, who developed it in the 1930s. Patek Philippe worked with him and built the historic references 1415 HU and 2523 on that foundation.

What does HU mean at Patek Philippe?

HU stands for Heures Universelles, French for world time. The letters appear on the historic references just as they do on the modern calibre 240 HU.

How do you set a Patek world time watch?

Press the pusher at 10 o'clock until a city in your time zone sits at the top, then set local time with the crown. Make sure the 24-hour ring beside that city shows the correct half of the day.

What is the difference between World Time and GMT?

A GMT watch shows a second time zone, and on some models a third, usually via its own hand. A world timer shows all 24 zones simultaneously, but asks for a brief glance at the city ring in return.

Which Patek worldtimer is the right place to start?

For many, the 5110, 5130 or 5230 with a classic dial is the natural starting point, because they show the operating principle in its purest form and wear well. Those drawn to craftsmanship look to enamel versions such as the 5131, and those seeking a ladies' watch to the 7130.