Patek Philippe’s new pilot’s watch lands with technical acuity and panache
While its reputation for high-end horology is widespread, Patek Philippe’s connection with tool watches is less well-known. The Geneva-based watchmaker first made pilot’s watches almost a century ago, and this year’s Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524G-010 is the latest addition to the lineage.
In the 1930s, before radio navigation or satellites, Patek made a handful of siderometer, or “hour-angle” watches – large, highly legible instruments that allowed aviators to calculate longitude by comparing local solar time with Greenwich Mean Time. These technical pieces were fitted with rotating bezels and oversized crowns for use with aviators’ gloves, and two examples survive in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
Patek Philippe's Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524G-010 takes inspiration from the watchmaker's original pilot watches
Patek did not revisit pilot’s watches until 2015, when it released the white-gold Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524G. It was powered by calibre 324 S C FUS, a self-winding movement that allows instant adjustment between home and local time. With large numerals, luminous hands and bold, aviation-style pushers, it shocked traditionalists, but soon became, as celebrated watch platform Hodinkee noted, “a cult classic”.
The following years saw Patek riff on the theme, and the 5522A – a steel three-hander made in 2017 – distilled the design to essentials. A year later came the rose-gold 7234R, a 37.5mm version that brought the concept to smaller wrists. In 2019, the platinum-cased 5520P Alarm Travel Time introduced a patented 24-hour mechanical alarm – not a buzzer, but a proper chiming gong, engineered with the intricacy of a minute repeater. And in 2023, the white-gold 5924G Chronograph Travel Time added a flyback chronograph to the mix.
The latest 42mm model features the white gold of the 2015 watch, but has tones that differ strongly from it – an ivory-lacquered dial matched to charcoal-grey white-gold numerals and sword-style hands filled with a luminous coating. Inside beats the calibre 26-330 S C FUS, a 4Hz automatic movement with 290 components and the Patek Philippe Seal’s rigorous accuracy standard of -1/+2 seconds per day. The movement boasts two patents – one for isolating the base movement during local-time adjustment, the other to lock the pushers and prevent accidental changes mid-flight. It has a power reserve of 35-45 hours.
Through the open caseback, the craftsmanship is revealed. Geneva stripes, chamfered bridges and a 21k gold rotor engraved with the signature Calatrava cross discreetly showcase the brand’s attention to detail and artistry. The latest Pilot Travel Time is completed by a khaki composite strap with a textile motif and white-gold clevis buckle – inspired by a vintage pilot’s harness. When the first 21st-century Patek pilot’s watch appeared, it was a calculated risk – one that paid off. With every additional model, it looks like the pilot’s watch remains a strong component of Patek’s permanent collection.
£52,180; patek.com
