Patek Philippe Ref. 5531R World Time Minute Repeater Singapore 2019 Special Edition

As the first minute repeater that always strikes local time, the Ref. 5531 grand complication was introduced in 2017 at the Patek Philippe Exhibition in New York and then added to the regular collection in 2018. The special edition for Southeast Asia is limited to five watches that stand out with a cloisonné enamel dial depicting a map of Singapore. It pays tribute to the craftsmanship carefully preserved by the manufacture. Also, the name of the city-state replaces Beijing on the city disk. The pierced hour hand shows the unmistakable form of the “Southern Cross” constellation. Composed of 462 parts, the movement features novel design elements for which patent applications have been filed. An unusual detail: the two gongs of the minute repeater are attached directly to the caseband instead of to the plate, optimizing the sound quality. The self-winding mechanism is powered by a minirotor in 22K gold recessed in the movement, so despite its complexity, the watch has a remarkably slender silhouette. The elegant rose-gold case features generously pierced lugs; the repeater slide and the caseband are manually guilloched with the manufacture’s iconic hobnail pattern. Both the sapphire-crystal case back and the interchangeable solid-gold back are decorated with the inscription “PATEK PHILIPPE SINGAPORE 2019”.