New York, or Wall Street to be precise, is Patek Philippe’s most important market in the world, so it makes perfect sense for the watchmaker to hold the extensive exhibition “The Art of Watches” in the city and release nine limited editions specifically for it.
Among the nine limited styles, we especially like the Ref. 5522 pilot watch. In 2015 Patek Philippe released the collector’s item Ref. 5524G aviator watch in a 42 mm diameter case with dual time zone. Ref. 5522 is even rarer with a stainless steel 42 mm case and features the self-winding Calibre 324 S. The watch is Patek Philippe Seal-certified, decorated with the engraving “PATEK PHILIPPE NEW YORK 2017” on the sapphire-crystal back and is limited to 600 pieces.
Although Ref. 5522 features a stainless steel case, on the dial it has Arabic numerals in white gold and hands in blue steel, both with a luminescent coating applied for excellent legibility in the dark. The blue dial is originated from the livery of American fighter planes in the 1930s and the numerals and minute markers recall the aesthetics of the same decade. Although Patek Philippe does not have a history of producing watches for the US Army, and the target audience of Ref. 5522 is more likely to be bankers in New York rather than fighter pilots, we can still get the appeal of this special edition timepiece.
