Each brand can bring forth at least one watch model which, either due to its stylistic language or to some specific and/or unusual complication, can be considered the embodiment of the philosophy of the company.
When it comes to Patek Philippe, in the eyes of the collectors the world time complication - especially when associated with a cloisonné dial - is indisputably one of the “hallmarks” of the brand. This is not because Patek Philippe has some sort of monopoly on this complication; on the contrary, many contemporary and vintage timepieces sport the feature. However, no world time watch of any other brand has ever evoked such strong feelings in the collecting community: while the current production enameled world time pieces are virtually unobtainable unless the collector is more than well known to the company, vintage timepieces are considered absolute endgame wristwatches, among the highest pinnacles achievable in the field.
The reasons behind such an endless fascination of the community with Patek Philippe world time pieces are most probably multiple, and definitely arguable but what is certain is that it all began in the 1940s, with the commercialization of the present reference 1415. Patek Philippe has since then almost continuously offered a world or travel time (another complication developed by Cottier for Patek Philippe) in its catalogues.
In the early years of the twentieth century, telecommunications - pioneered in the 1800s with the telegraph and later the telephone - became a truly widespread occurrence, permeating the fabric of society on every level. Long distance communications became available (the first coast-to-coast phone call having been made in 1915) and with them the necessity of knowing with accuracy the time in every part of the world. Answering to this need, watchmaker Louis Cottier created the concentric rings system that would become the standard for world time watches. After experimenting on a few prototypes (such as a world time chronograph and a rectangular world time wristwatch), Patek Philippe decided to launch a serially produced model, the reference 1415. Created in yellow gold, pink gold, and one known example in platinum, the overall production for the model is a highly restricted 115 pieces in total. Of these, only a tiny minority was blessed with stunning cloisonné dials representing either the map of the world, or - much less commonly - the map of Eurasia.
By filling with enamel powder of various colors compartments (cloisons) created with gold wires, enamel masters managed to achieve dials of incredible chromatic range, astounding brilliance, and mesmerizing depth. In fact, vintage cloisonné dials are considered by purists superior in translucency and overall aesthetic impact to modern creations.
The present example of reference 1415 is an extremely important specimen preserved in astounding condition, with absolutely crisp hallmarks to the case and an immaculate polychrome cloisonné enamel dial.
Furthermore, not only it is one of the 115 examples of this reference made but even more appealing is the fact that it is one of the extremely scarce cloisonné dial variations. While most of the known cloisonné reference 1415 feature a world map, only two pieces, including this one, are known with the map of Eurasia (the other being one number apart: 964’809). Furthermore, it features a bezel engraved with the cities in French, much more rare than the version in English. It is interesting to note how the bezel reports Paris and London on the same time zone. While France adopted Central European time in July 1940, for many years it was expected to revert back, and so many watchmakers kept it within the London time zone for years. There are examples of Patek Philippe pieces from the 1970s which still feature London and Paris in the same zone.