Patek Philippe Alarm Journey Time 5520P (Reside Pics, Specs & Price)

In 2015, Patek Philippe shocked the luxury watch group with the disclosing of the Calatrava Pilot Journey Time Ref. 5524. Polarising in its design, it was merely one of many very important talked about watches of the Sincere. 4 years later and the Geneva powerhouse is at it as soon as extra, pushing the boundaries even further with its latest Grand Complication, the Ref. 5520P Alarm Journey Time. We now have been fortunate ample to spend some hands-on time with this spectacular new timepiece. Listed below are our preliminary concepts.

Editor’s phrase: to know further regarding the difficult 5520P, please study the video on prime of this textual content.

Whenever you’re new to the world of luxurious watches, you will have missed the entire controversy surrounding the introduction of the Ref. 5524 in 2015. The reality is, now you could even uncover it laborious to contemplate there was any controversy the least bit, as a result of the model has since develop to be a core part of the Calatrava assortment. Lots so {{that a}} second mannequin – the Calatrava Pilot Journey Time Ref. 7234R Lady – debuted remaining 12 months to rave opinions. Actually, as Brice wrote in 2018, the Ref. 5524 has gone from misunderstood radical to extraordinarily fascinating collectable in merely three transient years. Does that suggest the watchmaking world is ready for its way more outrageous sibling, though?

The 2015, inaugural white gold mannequin of the Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Journey Time 5524

The 2018 Rose Gold mannequin of the Calatrava Pilot ref. 5524R

To this point, the strategies has been blended. Everyone seems to agree that technically the Ref. 5520P is excellent. Aesthetically though, it is proving merely as polarising, if no extra so, than the distinctive Ref. 5524. The 4 crowns/pushers, notably, look like an precise sticking stage, and understandably so. You really can’t miss them, they normally give the watch a extremely distinct look, which is absolutely not like one thing we’ve seen sooner than from Patek Philippe. That’s not basically a nasty issue ideas you, nonetheless it’d merely take some time sooner than collectors actually make their ideas up about this model.

Let’s break it down in further factor to see if we’re capable of familiarize your self with this daring new watch.

Movement

Unusually, I’m going to start this hands-on consider by discussing the movement first. There are two causes for this. Firstly, I take into account that understanding the mechanical ingenuity of the Ref. 5520P is important to understanding the watch as a whole. Secondly, the calibre AL 30-660 S C FUS inside is a completely new movement and was created notably for this watch.

In keeping with Patek Philippe, spherical 5 years previously it tasked its engineers with rising a model new alarm mechanism and mixing it with the Journey Time concept’s two time zone affiliation. To have the ability to maintain the case as skinny as attainable, the selection was taken to develop an built-in movement, versus putting an alarm module on an current movement.

The alternative key challenge was ease of operation, a consideration that is not always on the prime of ideas when rising a model new piece of Haute Horlogerie. The thought was to create a Grand Complication that is logical and intuitive to utilize and nearly unimaginable to interrupt by the use of inadvertent client interference (i.e. overzealous householders making an attempt to activate pushers as soon as they shouldn’t).

The result is the self-winding calibre AL 30-660 S C FUS, comprised of 574 components, along with Patek’s patented Gyromax steadiness outfitted with a Spiromax steadiness spring product of Silinvar. The company doesn’t notably disclose what variety of of those elements make up the model new 24-hour alarm mechanism. We do know nonetheless that its development has resulted in 4 patent functions. These embody:

• an anti-backlash mechanism for programming the alarm time, which offsets mechanical play making it attainable to set the alarm strike with one-minute accuracy to the following quarter hour. As an illustration, at 12:14, the alarm may very well be set to 12:15;
• the alarm logic capabilities;
• the digital alarm present; and
• the alarm winding deactivation, which deactivates the alarm spring winding system when the alarm present reveals ON.

As with the date, the 24-hour alarm is coupled with the native time present, making it helpful for travellers who don’t must depend upon a lodge wake-up identify inside the morning. When the alarm is triggered, a hammer (seen by way of the present once more) strikes a gong that circles the movement – similar to a minute repeater, simplified to a single phrase. The placing continues for as a lot as 40 seconds at a frequency of two.5 Hz (2.5 strikes per second), or about 90 strikes in full. A centrifugal governor ensures a every day and sustained placing cadence – as soon as extra, similar to a minute repeater. Vitality is obtainable to the alarm mechanism by the use of a separate spring barrel that is tensioned with a crown at 4 o’clock. A built-in clutch prevents inadvertent over-tightening.

The movement has a stop-seconds mechanism that allows the time to be set with one-second accuracy. Adorned with the Patek Philippe Seal, the movement, in any case, offers a extreme stage of handbook ending and precision – with a tolerance of -3/+2 seconds per day. Vitality reserve is between 42 and 52 hours.

Dial

The sunburst ebony black dial of Ref. 5520P is much like that of the earlier Ref. 5524 in present (not in shade or texture). Native time stays to be confirmed centrally by the precept cathedral arms, whereas the home hour hand is skeletonised. The date stays to be confirmed by the use of the sub-dial at 6 o’clock and is linked to the native time, and every time-zones have their very personal day/night time time indicators (with apertures at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively, which change from white at daytime to blue at night-time). The hours are marked by the similar distinctive utilized Arabic numerals in 18k white gold with Great-LumiNova coating.

The necessary factor change, in any case, is the inclusion of the digital alarm present barely beneath 12 o’clock. The 24-hour alarm may very well be set in 15-minute increments and has its private day/night time time indicator merely beneath the apertures. Above is a small, alarm bell-shaped cut-out, which provides a quick seen indicator of whether or not or not the alarm has been set or not; white for ON and black for OFF.

The dial is super clear and easy to study. The one attainable flaw is the reality that the situation of the alarm present has meant that the Patek Philippe model wanted to be relocated into the sub-dial. The model new location is not going to be an infinite deal, however it does make points look a little bit of crowded down there. Utilizing barely smaller font measurement may have helped with this nonetheless clearly, the determine on the dial is important too, so it’s a fragile balancing act.

Adjusting and setting the entire capabilities is completed by the use of the crown at 4 o’clock and the three further pushers. There’s moreover a corrector for the date between 6 and 7 o’clock. I’ll communicate further regarding the aesthetics of this setup in a second nonetheless for now, let’s consider efficiency.

Firstly, the crown at 4 o’clock has 3 completely totally different positions of operation:

• pushed in – flip clockwise to wind the alarm spring, flip counter-clockwise to wind the mainspring;
• pulled halfway out – set the alarm time in each path in 15-minute increments;
• pulled all the way in which wherein out – set the time in each path, with steadiness stop.

Above that, at 2 o’clock, is the pusher used to activate and deactivate the alarm. The alarm is robotically deactivated as quickly because it’s accomplished chiming nonetheless you presumably can decrease it transient by using this pusher. On the alternative aspect of the case are two further pushers at 8 and 10 o’clock. These imply you’ll be able to switch the native time hour hand forward or backwards in one-hour increments. All three pushers are fitted with Patek’s patented Interlock safety system. Which signifies that sooner than a pusher may very well be actuated, it must be unlocked with 1 / 4 flip. 1 / 4 flip within the different means locks the pusher as soon as extra.

Case

No matter its barely further casual, aviation-inspired look, it’s very important to remember the Ref. 5520P is a Grand Complication. As such, when you can initially assume the case is metallic, it is really platinum, in all probability probably the most treasured of the noble metals and as well as one of many very important troublesome to machine. Its dimensions are much like that of the Ref. 5524, with a diameter of 42.2 mm and a high of 11.57 mm – a fraction of a millimetre further proper right here and there, that’s about it. That’s considerably spectacular when you consider how quite extra difficult the movement inside is.

The case is cold-formed with a high-tonnage press from a clear in platinum, adopted by precision machining and elaborate sprucing in-house. The bezel and lugs are built-in into the case, with the earlier being barely bevelled whereas the latter are barely curved for a comfortable match on the wrist. As with all Patek Philippe platinum watches, there is a diamond set inside the case flank at 6 o’clock. Not surprisingly, the case is totally stunning inside the metallic. The ending is nice and the attention to factor impeccable.

It’s moreover worth noting that that’s Patek Philippe’s first chiming timepiece with a water-resistant case. To ensure most sound top quality, the gong for the alarm is attached on to the caseband as a substitute of the movement. This helps stops the sound waves from being muffled by the water-proof case. By the way in which, locking or unlocking the pushers doesn’t affect the case’s water-resistance.

There could also be in any case nonetheless one (or pretty 4) elephants inside the room that merely can’t be ignored; the three pushers and one crown. At first look, the design may very well be very confronting, overwhelming even. I don’t really assume there’s another technique to explain it. Is it a step too far? It’s highly effective to say. On the one hand, you may make the argument that this design is further symmetrical and subsequently further balanced than the Ref. 5524. Nevertheless… Let’s merely say this watch has been extraordinarily polarising for a goal. To be truthful it’s not as uncomfortable on the wrist as you could rely on. Merely don’t rely on to have the power to subtly slide it away beneath your shirt cuff.

Strap

The Ref. 5520P is worn on a matte black calfskin leather-based strap, hand-stitched with distinction stitching. Comfortable in the direction of the pores and pores and skin, it’s one of the best different for what’s already a extremely eye-catching watch.

Whole, I found the Patek Philippe Alarm Journey Time 5520P to be a surprising and intriguing watch. This is a extraordinarily difficult grand complication timepiece that is really surprisingly logical and easy to perform. It’s moreover refreshing to see one factor a bit of additional unconventional by the use of the design. I don’t love the 4 pusher/crown set-up nonetheless then as soon as extra, I’m not the viewers for the type of watch. Price is CHF 200,000 and availability might be, as you presumably can take into consideration, restricted.