Quick answer
A replica Patek Philippe Aviator Travel Time 5390 is a third-party copy of Patek Philippe's pilot-style dual-time watch. Patek's own catalogue calls that model the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, reference 5524, and it lists no reference 5390. The number comes from replica sellers, not from Geneva. Every part of the copy is made outside Patek Philippe: the case is usually gold-plated steel rather than solid white or rose gold, the movement is a modified mass-produced caliber rather than Patek's 324 S C FUS, and the watch carries no factory warranty, no service history, and almost no resale value.
Prerequisites before you read any 5390 listing
- Know the genuine reference: 5524G in white gold with a blue dial, 5524R in rose gold with a brown sunburst dial.
- Know the genuine case size: about 42 mm wide and just under 11 mm thick.
- Accept that importing or selling counterfeit trademarked goods is illegal in the United States and in the European Union.
- Accept that no Patek Philippe service center will repair, authenticate, or supply parts for a copy.
The genuine model in plain terms
Patek Philippe introduced the Pilot Travel Time in 2015 as its first dedicated pilot's watch in decades. The layout is simple to read: sword-shaped hour and minute hands, a second time-zone hand, applied luminous Arabic numerals, and two small day/night apertures that track local time and home time separately. One crown controls both zones through caliber 324 S C FUS.
None of that layout is secret, so a copy can look close in a phone photo. It cannot look close under magnification or on a timing machine, and that gap is where the inspection steps below matter.
How to inspect a first copy Aviator Travel Time
- Compare the listing photos with Patek's official images of the 5524G or 5524R before you look at anything else.
- Ask the seller for the measured case width in millimeters, not the advertised size.
- Pull the crown to its first position and confirm that local time jumps in exact one-hour steps.
- Turn the crown through those steps and watch both day/night apertures.
- Check that the home-time aperture stays still while local time moves.
- Turn the watch over and inspect the rotor and bridges through the display back.
- Run it for 24 hours and compare the rate against a phone clock.
- Examine the dial printing and the numeral edges at 10x magnification.
- Flex the strap and check whether the buckle is plated steel or solid gold.
- Match the engraving on the caseback to the reference number printed in the listing.
Red flags in replica listings
- A reference number that does not appear in Patek's catalogue, including 5390.
- Photos lifted from auction houses or from the brand's own press material.
- Solid gold claims at a price that cannot cover the metal.
- Swiss movement claims with no photo of the actual movement.
- No return policy and no payment method with buyer protection.
Legal and practical limits
Counterfeit watches infringe registered trademarks. In the United States, Customs and Border Protection can seize imported counterfeit goods, and sellers face civil liability. Resale is effectively impossible, insurers will not cover a counterfeit, and many independent watchmakers refuse to service one because the parts are non-standard. Treat a replica as a disposable object, not as an asset or an heirloom.