LADIES Just for her
Patek Philippe ladies’ World Timer,
Ref. 7130 Special New York Edition.
the 40th anniversary of the movement, which was developed at the height
of the quartz crisis in 1977, when men’s wristwatches were much smaller
than they are today. Any movement developed at that time had to be slim
to compete with the much smaller proportions made possible by quartz
technology, and creating a slim movement with an automatic winding
system was a particular challenge. It was achieved in a way that has recently
caught on with many other watch companies in their endeavor to create
thinner automatic calibers – by using a small off-centered rotor, recessed
into the plate. This micro-rotor keeps the 240 to the proportions of a
manual-wound movement (it is 2.53mm thick).
Today, the caliber is a mainstay of the slim Calatrava collection for
42 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2018
Patek Philippe ladies’ Calatrava Ref. 7000/250, the star of the show,
comes with an engraved caseback Patek Philippe New York 2017.
both men and women’s watches, serving as the base for several high
complications, including the Celestial Ref.5102 and the World Time Ref. 5110.
The Caliber 240 is used in three 2017 introductions from Patek Philippe,
one of which is the high jewelry Ref. 4899-900G – for which the 240 is
perfect because it allows space for the gemsetter to work his magic.
Patek Philippe launched several commemorative special-edition
timepieces to celebrate the July 2017 opening of its Art of Watches
Exhibition in New York City. Three of those masterpieces were ladies’
watches, two of them containing the Caliber 240.
The star of the show was the ladies’ minute repeater, Ref. 7000/250, with
a beautiful blue enamel dial. It contains the Caliber R 27 PS. The case is set
iWMAGAZINE .COM