Two very special world time watches
Over the weekend, two very important world time watches will come up for sale during the November 2023 Geneva auctions : a ref. 96HU Prototype and a ref. 5110 Prototype. We had a chat with Thomas from @minutesdevoyages who have us a piece of his mind on what makes this pieces so significant.
The sale of both of these watches during the same auction season allow collectors to understand the lineage and continuity in Patek’s world time watches. Following the ref 2523, a long hiatus for the complication was only interrupted by Philippe Stern’s wish to reintroduce the complication, thus creating the 5110. These two watches both in their own right introduce vintage and modern world timers to the public.
The production of the Réf. 96 started in 1932 : a pivotal year in the history of the brand. Charles et Jean Stern took the helm of Patek Philippe & Cie. This is also the year when the first reference codes of PP&Cie have been used.
The production of the Réf. 96 HU persisted during 40 years with many evolutions and prototype complications.
The Réf. 96 HU, however, is one of the first Worldtime watches on a bracelet produced by Patek Phlippe or designed by any manufacture. The very first Worldtime wristwatch is very difficult to fully identify, but we know Louis Cottier, the designer of the HU complication, mentions a first model handed over to Patek Philippe in 1936.
Following the different world time watches created by the brand in collaboration with Louis Cottier, Patek Philippe finally started creating World Time wrist watches in series with the ref. 1415 followed by the 2523. Louis Cottier produced the 2523 Patek Philippe until 1965 before his passing in 1966. The complication was still artisanal at the time, and following Cottier’s passing, the knowledge and desire to create this complications passed too. For more info on the 2523, check out our last article about the reference !
Collectors had to wait until the early 2000’s for the world time complication to return to the Patek Philippe catalogue - under the helm of Philippe Stern, the ref. 5110 was introduced, reviving the complication from a 34 year world time drought. The 5110 was a mechanical beauty with a very ingenuous system synchronising the local time, the city disk and the 24hour disk with one single click - much more advanced than all its predecessors - easy to use, very functional and perfectly adapted to modern living.
Despite these two watches being made close to 70 years apart, they draw very similar attributes, showing Patek’s enduring attention to detail and continuous aesthetic. Let’s take a closer look at both watches, comparing them side by side.
On the « Ref 96 HU prototype », the case is a regular Réf. 96 case, calatrava style. The number 4 on the case back can allow us to identify Antoine Gerlach as the manufacturer of the case. The « 5110 prototype » case is also a standard 5110.
The movement of the « Ref 96 HU prototype » is a LeCoultre based movement originally intended for Gondolo & Labouriau in Brazil and featuring the classic Gondolo gold wheel train and ‘moustache’ lever as stated by Christie’s. It’s interesting to note that those movements were originally made for pendant watch but remained in the hands of the manufacture and were then « recycled » into another use. The « 5110 prototype » movement is a standard 5110. The movement is a 240 caliber adapted for a WorldTime complication.
The hands of the « Ref 96 HU Prototype » are also standard and can be seen in other older models like the Réf. 515, Réf. 542. The hands of the « 5110 Prototype » are also regular.
However, the dials have some unusual particularities on both prototype watches:
- The central disk of the « Ref 96 HU » is not signed. Unsigned dials are only known for Louis Cottier personal watches. All other models were signed.
⁃ For the “5110 Prototype”, the dial is also quite astonishing giving us a unique opportunity to see what a smooth dial on a modern Patek could be. All other 5110 known have guilloché dials.
⁃ The hour markers and minute track of the “5110 Prototype” also have a unique design which is a mix between the 5110 standard and the unique personal watch of Louis Cottier.
⁃ The 24-hour disk of the “ref 96 HU Prototype” is a monochromatic and basic disk. Researches show that early models in Cottier’s production have those caracteristics. (e.g. the unique Golay Fils & Stahl owned by Auro Montanari and produced in 1940 is monochromatic).
- The “5110 Prototype” is also monochromatic unlike the standard diurnal disk in the regular production.
With more than 63 years separating those two prototypes watches, it is fascinating to highlight the common “prototype” features of these watches. The presence of these two Patek Philippe prototypes in the November 2023 auction sales is a testimony of the past and of the present research and development by the Patek Philippe.
Thank you very much to Thomas for taking the time to write this up for us. Check out his page on Instagram. And thank you to Benoit for sharing this pic of the watch.