Patek Philippe 5330G World Time
To a certain type of person, Patek Philippe is world timers and world timers are Patek Philippe. While Patek didn’t invent the complication, it’s become strongly associated with the brand over the decades, in large part because of well-executed references like the new Patek Philippe 5330G World Time.
Patek introduced the 5330G at last year’s Tokyo Grand Exhibit as a limited edition of 300 and only for the Japanese market. Now, it’s bringing the new World Time reference to its general catalog with an opaline blue-grey dial. The carbon pattern in the center of the dial calls to mind the 6007A Calatrava introduced to celebrate the opening of its new manufacture in 2020.
The Patek Philippe 5330G World Time is powered by the new Patek caliber 240 HU C, which Patek introduced in last year’s LE. It’s a world timer with 24-hour day/night indication for each time zone, but it’s most notable for being the first world time that has a date that faithfully tracks the local (i.e., 12-hour) time. According to Patek, it’s done this while adding less than a millimeter of thickness to the caliber. It’s the type of practical mechanical innovation that Patek continues to do as well as any manufacturer, in particular in its world and travel time watches. The caliber 240 is an automatic movement that beats at 3 Hz and has a 38-48-hour power reserve.
The white gold case measures 40 x 11.57mm. It’s well proportioned and wears thin on the wrist, exactly what you want from the dressier side of Patek. The lugs are compact and keep the 5330G wearable, even given its slightly larger diameter. The round case and stepped lugs feel heritage inspired, appropriate for a classic complication like a world timer.
While the Japanese limited edition had a guilloché purple dial that was certainly an acquired taste, the main catalog 5330G plays it down the middle with a blue-grey opaline. The textured carbon pattern in the middle of the dial contrasts with the smooth world timer rings. A glass date pointer that’s tipped with red feels like a considered touch.
Somewhat provocatively, Patek has paired a denim-style calfskin strap with the Patek Philippe 5330G World Time , just as it has with the updated 5980G. For awhile, we’ve been saying it wouldn’t hurt brands like Patek to deliver its modern dressier watches on something besides the oh-so-formal alligator, so I like seeing something new from Patek. As we mentioned on the first Watches & Wonders episode of Hodinkee Radio, it calls to mind the brown denim-adjacent strap on AP’s Travis Scott collab.
A Patek world timer isn’t going to set the world on fire. It’s simply Patek doing what it’s always done, just making it about 10 percent better – in this case, that means a practical innovation that makes the watch just that much more usable. But the Patek Philippe 5330G World Time is a well executed, modern take on an old-school complication, and that’s exactly the type of thing we like to see from Patek Philippe.
