The Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-Hour Travel Time 5224R

While chronographs and complex calendars are often seen as the classics of Patek Philippe – and sometimes both combined – traveller’s watches of all kinds have long been present within the brand’s collections. Remember that Patek, together with Louis Cottier, pioneered the concept of the world time watch. There are more travel watches and complications for everyday use available, and the Travel Time dual time zone function is known as Patek’s vision of this multi-time-zone concept. This year, the brand presents a watch that combines elegance, classism and practicality, yet with a slight dosage of originality and casualness; the Calatrava 24-Hour Travel Time 5224R.

Among the numerous complications available in Patek Philippe’s collections, the Travel Time system for the display of a second time zone (with two centre hour hands, one of which can be adjusted backwards or forwards in one-hour steps) has become a classic, with proven practicality when travelling. Paired with pushers to adjust the additional time zone, and most of the time with two day-night indicators, it has been seen in multiple watches; the best-known model probably being the Aquanaut Travel Time 5164A. Of course, it has later been used in the singular Calatrava Pilot 5524, in the technically-advanced Aquanaut Advanced Research 5650, or combined with various complications, such as a chronograph in the Nautilus 5990 or the brand new Calatrava Pilot 5924, or with an annual calendar in the 5326 or even a complex alarm in the 5520.

However, how good the system is – those two + and – pushers on the left side are very practical indeed when you need to adjust the local time – they also make these watches sporty, quite unusual on the wrist and this Travel Time system isn’t particularly suited for an elegant watch. And also, the dial that requires two independent day-and-night indicators (one for the local time, one for home time) necessarily loses some sleekness.

Enters the Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time or reference 5224R. The idea behind this watch was simple; offering a traveller’s model within the elegant case of a Calatrava, with a clean display – meaning, no additional function visible, no holes or apertures… Just the sleek, elegant look that will always be associated with a Calatrava. Visually speaking, the mission has been achieved. The 5224R could almost be seen as a time-only watch with a small second sub-dial, save for the additional centre hand. And as you’ve noticed probably there are no pushers on the side, and no recessed correctors in the caseband.

So, how did Patek got rid of the pushers and the small day-night windows… The answer lies in an original display, with all the hours of the day and night displayed at once on the dial. While it is fairly common to have the additional time zone (a.k.a home time) displayed on a 24h scale, here both hour hands rotate around the dial in this daily manner. It indeed means a display of local time and home time by two centre hands turning on a 24-hour circle, and thus no need anymore for the busy windows for day-night indication. The result is, however, a watch with an unconventional display that will, without a doubt, require some adaptation.

The design of this Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time is directly inspired by another original watch in the collection, the Calatrava Weekly Calendar 5212A – an elegant yet casual watch that I’ve always loved… We have here the same overall design for the case, with a thin bezel, sharp angles, elongated, tapered lugs with a stepped profile (called curved two-tier lugs by Patek) and a thin profile – 10.2mm in height. However, the new Travel Time 5224R is larger at 42mm in diameter and made of 18k pink gold, giving it more presence and demonstrativeness on the wrist. Nothing shouting or loud, but a bit of the same feeling as when the Chronograph 5070 was launched.

The dial of this new model is clean and simple in terms of display, but not in terms of execution. The base is navy blue-coloured, with a double railway-track scale for the hours and minutes. Multiple textures are used in order to enhance legibility; a circular striated centre, a circular satin-finished hour circle and a snailed small-seconds counter with a rose-gilt outline. What strikes me most about this dial is the number of appliques… 44 different applied markers and numerals are used, alternating Arabic numerals and hour markers and its cabochon 5-minute markers. Surely, it does make an impact but feels more coherent on the wrist and from a slight distance than in our close-up photos – plus, it has a bit of that beloved vintage Roulette style. The hands are also using a syringe shape, either full and luminous, or openworked – a style that has become a classic on Patek’s modern watches.

As for the mechanics, the Calatrava 5224R relies on one of the brand’s best base calibres, the 31-260. Initially developed for the 2011 Annual Calendar Regulator Reference 5235 (also in rose gold here), it was later entirely reworked in 2021 for the In-Line Perpetual Calendar Reference 5236P. Patek gave this base movement a 4hz frequency, 20% more barrel-spring torque, a micro-rotor in platinum that is heavier than gold and thus brings better winding power and a reduction wheel that uncouples the self-winding mechanism when the watch is being manually wound and thus reduces wear. Additionally, the shape of the bridges was also reworked with a desirable series of retro-styled finger bridges.

Last year, with the launch of the Annual Calendar Travel Time 5326G, Patek once again worked on this movement and developed several innovations, leading to eight patent applications. Three of them are used in the Calatrava 24-Hour Travel Time 5224R. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the movement retains its handsome architecture with finger bridges (one for each of the wheels of the gear train) and the platinum micro-rotor. Relatively thin at 3.7mm, it allows for the 5224R to be a proper Calatrava with a slender case. Most of the work has been done on the correction of the time zone, as Patek replaced the traditional correction pushers for local time on the left-hand flank of the case with a patented correction system using the crown pulled out to the intermediate position (backwards and forwards adjustment in one-hour steps), a system already used on the 5326G. The other modification concerns the gears for the central local hours, which are now displayed on a 24-hour base.

Availability & Price

Worn on a casual and supple blue calfskin strap with a nubuck finish, the Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time Reference 5224R-001 will be part of the permanent collection. It is priced at EUR 56,900. For more details, please visit www.patek.com.