The Patravi TravelTec GMT by Carl F. Bucherer is a bold, ingenious timepiece (46.6. mm) that via its CFB 1901 Calibre movement sets a third time zone by simply pressing a pushbutton. Frequent flyers and international business people are well aware of the importance of the various time zones around the globe. A world time zone map is one possibility of being au fait, mental arithmetic is another, but the simplest is the new Patravi TravelTec GMT and one that is far more practical to discover that at lunchtime time in Geneva, it is breakfast time in New York and dinner time in Tokyo.
The chronograph has two counters, minutes at 9 o’clock, hours at 6 o’clock and a central seconds hand. These functions give recorded time up to 12 hours and down to an eighth of a second. The small seconds of the watch are at 3 o’clock.





Setting times, dates and zones
The CFB 1901 certified chronometer movement allows the hour hand to be disengaged from the rest of the train using the crown and moved either forward or backward in one-hour increments. The movement continues to run, so that the exact time is kept while the watch is being set. Setting the local time is therefore always a straightforward operation, even when there are large time differences.
Normally, correcting the date during a long-haul flight from East to West can be troublesome. The date changes to the day before, require the display to be advanced through an entire month. The Patravi TravelTec GMT allows the date, found alongside 4 o’clock, to be reset in either direction with the display changing automatically as soon as the time is set backwards. Resetting the date is thus a relatively quick and easy matter of turning the crown.
An additional, red 24-hour hand ensures that the wearer always maintains home time using the fixed 24-hour scale on the dial’s raised ring. And, in conjunction with the 24-hour rotating bezel inside the watchcase, it can also display a third time zone. The rotating bezel is not moved by simply turning another crown, but with the aid of a new, single push button mechanism, which is located at 10 o’clock (patent pending).
By pressing the pushbutton at 10 o’clock, the bezel can be turned forward or backward in one-hour increments, depending on the position of the sophisticated switch mechanism. A third, neutral position prevents the display unintentionally being set to the wrong position. This construction results in fast and precise wheel movement as well as great ease of use, since the pushbutton can be operated without having to remove the watch from the wrist. For the avid watch enthusiast, the complex single pushbutton mechanism is visible through an aperture in the side of the watchcase. The diamond plasma-treated surfaces of the switches are hardened to an incredible 5000 Vickers. This sophisticated system is extremely durable, ensuring low wear and tear with no mainten-ance requirements.
The case is highly complex and together with the switch mechanism, comprises more than 70 components. The sapphire crystal is non-reflecting on both sides, thus providing optimum readability. The case back and crown are screwed on and the watch is water-resistant to 50 metres.
The Patravi TravelTec GMT is available in stainless steel with a black or white dial and in 18 carat pink gold with prices ranging from 9,900 to 37,900 Swiss francs ... but, then is there a price for such pertinent ingenuity?


Source: Europa Star April-May 2006 Magazine Issue