Only the most discerning Patek Philippe connoisseurs will not be entirely surprised to discover this new release for 2015, since they will already be aware of a pilot’s watch made in 1936 and on show in the Patek Philippe Museum. Every bit as masculine as its forerunner, the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time has been successfully updated in terms of its design, its mechanism and its functions. While the first Patek Philippe worldtime watches date back to the 1930s and its first Travel Time patent registered in 1959, the models at that time were not equipped with a Spiromax^® balance-spring in Silinvar^® (derived from silicon technology) featuring patented geometry and ensuring extreme precision, as is that of the reference 5524 model unveiled at Baselworld 2015 ; nor with a heavy 21K gold central rotor visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. The openwork home time hand remains hidden beneath the local time hand when the two are identical. The two ergonomic time-zone pushers feature a patent pending safety lock that avoids any accidental deregulation of local time. To enhance readability, the pointer-type date display at 6 o’clock indicates the dates three at a time. The mesmerizing dial color evokes the blue livery of 1930s American fighter planes, whereas that of the strap is inspired by their pilots’ flight suits. The Patek aircraft carrier has plenty more surprises in store.