The Patek Philippe 5131 world time with cloisonne enamel dial comes in either white gold (5131G) or yellow gold (5131J). Between the two I prefer the warmer look of the 5131J but I very much prefer the cloisonne dial on the 5131G. The dial on the yellow gold model has much more muted and limited colours, while the white gold has a much wider palette.

Patek Philippe 5131G white gold

Patek fans will find this outrageous but the quality of the cloisonne dials is not the best I have seen on a modern watch. The imperfections (bubbles and surface cracks) are, at best, on par with average quality cloisonne dials. This is evident in some of the photos. I have examined other Patek watches, like the limited edition Calatrava sets made each year, that are better. Additionally the hands are flat and uninteresting. And the italic font for the cities as well as the engraved bezel seem affected and out of place. But nevertheless this is a deeply desirable watch, because it is a Patek and the world time is a complication so closely associated with the brand, though Patek was not the first to make a Cottier style world time. – SJX

Patek Philippe 5131J World Time Cloisonne yellow gold

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

Patek Philippe 5131G World Time Cloisonne white gold

I have the book by Leonardo Arte and it’s a beautifully illustrated publication with lots of large photos of vintage Pateks.