Review: The New Cheap Replica Patek Philippe Calatrava Travel Time Ref. 5224R-001 Watches UK
Flight travel is back in vogue as nations look to put the pandemic behind them for good. More countries are dropping border restrictions in effort to boost tourism, with the most notable examples in recent months being Japan and Taiwan. There’s no better time for a watch manufacturer to re-introduce travel time replica watches for sale than now. Patek Philippe evidently got the memo early and have been releasing at least one a year for the past couple of years. In 2022, we were treated to the rather left-field Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G. This year, the new world timer model notwithstanding, there have been three travel-related novelties introduced by the brand at Watches & Wonders. The first two are the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronographs with blue or green dial – the first time the chronograph complication is introduced to Patek’s pilot watch line. The third, and arguably the most original novelty released by the Swiss giant so far this year, is none other than the Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time Ref. 5224R-001.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Travel Time Ref. 5224R-001
What makes the Ref. 5224R-001 unique is immediately apparent: its 24-hour display of both local and home time using two center hands – a first for Patek Philippe. However, this isn’t the first time a 24-hour display is used by the manufacture. That honour goes to the No. P-527 pocket fake watches online, made in 1905 for Brazilian retailer Gondolo & Labouriau. For the Ref. 5224R-001, the good people at Patek Philippe have reinterpreted the 24-hour display in a resolutely modern spirit. Here, we bring you the details and our honest thoughts on this most atypical Calatrava reference.
The Case, Dial, and Hands
The case of the new Ref. 5224R-001 is rendered in rose gold and measures 42 mm x 9.85 mm. Its modern sizing is tempered by elegant design. Inspired by the Calatrava Weekly Calendar Ref. 5212A, the fully mirror-polished case is distinguished by its tiered lugs. To preserve its sleek lines, the case does away with dual time correction pushers and instead opts for a patented correction system using the crown. While a little casual for a Calatrava, the blue calfskin strap with nubuck finish and cream stitching that comes with the AAA UK replica watches complements the dial to a tee.
And boy, what a handsome dial it is. It’s easy to go overboard trying to be trendy and end up with a tacky dial or playing it safe and look absolutely boring. But here, luxury Patek Philippe copy watches has struck the perfect balance between sportiness and tradition. The navy blue dial features multiple types of finishes, from the satin brushing of the hour circle to the fine snailing of the seconds sub-dial. On it are applied Arabic numerals, baton-style hour markers, and cabochon 5-minute markers – all in rose gold and with luminescent coating. Indicating the time in hours and minutes are syringe hands, something that Patek have really gotten into in recent years. The hands for local time are coated with luminescent material while the hand for home time is openworked for distinction. The small seconds hand is sword-style and coated with white varnish.
What really sets the Ref. 5224R apart from other perfect Patek Philippe replica watches is in the way it exclusively displays time in 24-hour format; this is a first in the brand’s history of wristwatches. It’s interesting to note that the 24th hour is placed at the 6 o’clock position rather than the more conventional 12 o’clock position. There are a couple of benefits to inverting the display. For one, it is a little more intuitive to use in the daytime when the owner is more likely to be awake. For another, the hour hand doesn’t obstruct the seconds display in daytime, again, when the owner is likelier to read the time.
The Movement
Driving the Ref. 5224R-001 is the 240-part, 44-jewel Calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H. The base calibre 31-260 is one that the manufacture is very familiar with, having begun life as the movement for the Annual Calendar Regulator Ref. 5235 in 2011. Ten years later, the calibre was upgraded and fitted into the exemplary In-Line Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5236, with an increase in operating frequency, a boost in mainspring torque, and a change to a heavier platinum rotor. Then, just last year, the Calibre 31-260 was called into action again, this time to power the polarising Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326 super clone watches shop; no fewer than eight patents were filed. The latest iteration of the Calibre 31-260 for the Ref. 5224R can be seen as a simplified version of the one in the Ref. 5326, benefiting from three of the eight patents pertaining to optimised accuracy, durability, efficiency, and user-friendliness. One of these user-friendly applications is the aforementioned patented correction system for the dual-time display. Instead of actuating inelegant pushers, the owner only has to pull the crown out to its intermediate position to set the second time zone (by one-hour increments, backwards or forwards). This device is modeled after the one used in the Ref. 5326.
The finger bridge architecture of the Calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H is reminiscent of old pocket watch movements, in stark contrast to the rather contemporary colour scheme and dial design of the Ref. 5224. Bearing the Swiss made Patek Philippe fake watches, Seal, it goes without saying that the movement is beautifully finished. Geneva waves span across each bridge in perfectly parallel rows. Every edge is beveled and polished, every wheel brushed. It is also a pleasure to see so many sharp, outward angles, although there are no inward ones. Despite blending into the background, the platinum micro-rotor with the engraved Calatrava cross is ironically the most eye-catching part of the movement. More often than not, Patek Philippe winding rotors are rendered in rose gold so it is refreshing to see one in the silvery hue of platinum.