WORLD FIRST! The sweet sounds of the Patek Philippe Alarm 5520RG
Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilots Alarm Travel Time 5520R
Absolutely delighted to finally get my hands and eyes on this one! I first saw it through security glass at Watches and Wonders 2024 and have been more than slightly obsessed ever since. It was my choice of the show over and above the likes of the Nautilus and Aquanaut which usually rank highly on my want-list, but there’s something about the Pilots Alarm
This is the Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilots Alarm Travel Time, so not only will you have a couple of timezones covered, you’ve got a glorious chiming alarm to boot.
Its a 42.2mm piece, just under 12 thick with a lug to lug of 51mm which is a perfect size for my 19cm wrists - Thierry Stern take note if you ever fancy sending me a gift in the post.
The slightly inconvenient lug width of 21mm keeps the head balanced well on the wrist. Fortunately, the matte chestnut pilot style leather strap is a perfect choice for this watch so I doubt that you’d be inclined to “change it up” regularly.
At first glance, if you’re a watch fan, you’d identify it as a Pilot’s watch. You may even clock it from a distance as being a Calatrava Pilots, but unless you live and breathe watches, it’s unlikely that you’d immediately associate it with being a Grand Complication with a retail price that could buy you a house.
It is only on closer inspection that you find little details to give the game away that this is likely The King of alarm pieces, and really, isn’t that part of the enjoyment?
One definitely not little detail is the series of 4 lockable pushers surrounding the watch case.
These are used to set local and home time, plus the alarm function.
The buttons on the left are marked with plus + and minus - signs.
These are pushed to adjust the local time, and jump the hour hand either forwards (plus) or backwards (minus)
The top button on the right side of the case is pushed to switch the alarm on and off.
The alarm is always synchronised with local time.
Note that when the alarm is on, the cut out of a bell below 12 on the dial shows in white.
The alarm has a day night mode for AM and PM setting. This is shown in a circle beneath the alarm time with AM in white, and PM shown in blue.
This follows the same theme as the day night indicator for local and home time with cutouts at 3 and 9 on the dial.
Its really important to remember that without the watch being fully wound, the alarm wont strike as it needs the power to fully charge the gongs, which when you hear this thing is completely fair enough!
The 5520’s crown is on the bottom right side of the case and marked with the Calatrava cross.
It has 3 positions:
Winding, then position 1 to set the alarm which jumps in 15 minute increments and can be viewed in the two windows at the top of the dial. The crown pulled out fully sets the home time.
At this point you might be wondering where setting the date comes in to all of this, via the crown, it doesn’t. The date is set using a nicely tucked away pusher which is set between the lugs of the watch.
It is a remarkably intuitive and easy to use set-up despite the complexity of the watch and although the buttons are large and broad for easy grip, they are positioned in a manner that elevates them from the wrist and avoids that ever irritating crown dig.
Taking a tour around the rest of the watch, the 42mm case is fully polished rose gold with a broad bezel and lugs so it wears REALLY well.
The dial is an attractive charcoal sunburst which tones well against the warm gold and features beefy blackened gold applied numerals which have got a fantastic dose of lume.
These things are seriously legible under any conditions. The rail track minutes around the outer edge of the dial give it quite a vintage vibe which really rings my bell. (Sorry, had to get a cheesy alarm related gag in there)
Patek made a dedicated movement exclusively for this model which took 5 years of research and development. Completely understandable given that this is a completely new mix of complications.
It has 52 jewels and a matching 52 hour power reserve, has all of the cutting edge Gyromax, Spyromax, Pepsimax innovations and is accurate to +/-2 seconds per day.
Most mechanical alarms through the ages have been very useful but dreadful on the ears, if you’ve been able to hear them at all.
Usually they sound like you’ve trapped an irritated wasp and offer you a dull persistent buzz rather than anything more appealing.
This is where the 5520P really hits the stratosphere.
It has a loud, clear, and musical chime very similar to that of a minute repeater.
The alarm will continue to ring for 40 minutes unless you stop it earlier, and I suspect that until the novelty wears off its wearer will let the chimes run just for the grin factor which is massive.
The whole watch is just an absolute peach, and one which in my opinion doesn’t get nearly enough hype given that it’s so well executed.
Quite genuinely, if I had the beans for this beast its competitors wouldn’t get a second glance.