A while back we showed you a rare Patek Philippe World-Timer (reference 5110 J) that was specially ordered by the Government of Qatar and with "Doha" on the dial instead of Moscow. Today we are showing you another spectacular watch from Patek aimed toward the Middle East: a limited reference 5130 P, one of 150 made of platinum with an emerald green center disc and "MECCA?printed in green on the dial (in place of "MOSCOW?or "DOHA?as it is in the same time zone as those two cities).
This watch would be great for the King of Saudi Arabia (officially known as the "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques?at Mecca and Medina), one of the many Saudi Princes, or any Muslim planning their Hajj. The emerald green on the dial is special both because green is considered the traditional color of Islam (green was used by Muhammad's tribe as the color of their flag, the Qu'ran describes the garments and cushions in paradise as made of green silk, and green is often used in mosques as well as coverings of the Qu-ran) and green is also the color of Saudi Arabia's flag. The watch face is also reminiscent of the world's largest clock, which opened last year in Mecca and glows green at night.
And why is the watch made of platinum and not gold, cost aside? In fact, you may not know that there is a hadith (an act or saying attributed to Muhammad) that says Muhammad saw a man wearing a gold ring cheap tag heuer replica, took the ring off of him, and then cast it aside saying something to the effect of "Would you take a burning piece of coal and put it in your hand?" A later hadith says that Muhammad claimed anyone wearing gold or silk at the time of their death would be denied gold and silk in Paradise. But still a later quote attributed to Muhammad by Ali, his cousin and son-in-law, said that Muhammad clarified only men cannot wear gold and silk, but women can. Now, there are various interpretations of this rule in that some believe white gold is okay for men to wear because it doesn't look like yellow gold, but the strictest interpretation is that not an atom of Au can be in the watch.
All this is an explanation of why you are unlikely to find a gold watch on the wrist of a devout Muslim man and why this special Mecca Patek is made of platinum. To see this watch, available on Jameslist for 58,500 Euros, click here.
Related posts: For a less expensive alternative, last year we profiled an IWC Watch with a qiblah compass for Muslims to know the direction to Mecca.
Patek-philippe Patek-philippe-world-time A Patek Philippe ref 1563 Owned By Duke Ellington And A Cloisonne World Time Clock Coming Up At The Patek Grand Exhibition 1066