It is well known that obtaining a watch from Patek Philippe might be quite an arduous task. With this in mind, imagine how the company’s approach to special requests… the near-impenetrable iron curtain set up by the company against on-demand variety within the collection is remarkable, with few - if any - comparisons among other brands. And yet, some lucky few do get their wishes granted, and occasionally the market is graced by the results of these collaborations. This is the case with this watch (and its white gold counterpart lot 11).

An example of the hallowed reference 5131 Worldtime - the first modern Worldtime Patek Philippe wristwatch with cloisonné enamel dial - the present watch ditches the leather strap in favor of a massive gold bracelet, completely transfiguring the looks of the piece. Fully confirmed by the extract, this means that it was indeed Patek Philippe that agreed to fitting the bracelet onto the watch, rather than it being an unofficial addition of the bracelet made without consent of the company.

Ref. 5131 was introduced in 2008 in yellow gold and subsequently in white gold (2009) and pink gold (2014), before a final edition in platinum in 2017 - interestingly featuring by default a bracelet, possibly the result of Patek Philippe being convinced by these previous on-demand specimens. Each of the four versions bears a different geographic map.