- Movement
- Self-winding
- Size
- 43 mm
Overview
The Crow and the Fox, told on demand
The Patek Philippe Complications Heure et Minute à la Demande, Automate, Haut Artisanat, reference 5249R-001, in rose gold with an opaline 'Matara' brown dial showing La Fontaine's fox and crow, on a chocolate brown alligator strap. Self-winding calibre 31-260 PS HMD AU with hours and minutes on demand; 43 mm, 11.55 mm high.
The reference 5249R-001 is Patek Philippe's automaton wristwatch with hours and minutes on demand, in the Complications collection, which the brand presents as the first automaton wristwatch in its contemporary history — the brand's own account. Its scene is Jean de La Fontaine's fable The Crow and the Fox, after a pocket watch Patek Philippe says Louis Cottier designed for the brand and which is kept in the Patek Philippe Museum. The case is rose gold in the Officer's style, fully polished, 43 mm across and 11.55 mm high, with a turban-style crown and a sapphire crystal case back protected by a dust cover on an invisible hinge. The dial is an 18K gold plate finished in opaline 'Matara' brown, with an applied fox and crow picked out in contrasting colours and hand-engraved gold foliage, on a shiny chocolate brown alligator strap with a rose gold patented triple-blade fold-over clasp.
The calibre 31-260 PS HMD AU is self-winding, wound by a platinum off-centre minirotor, and shows the time only when asked: a press of the pusher at 2 o'clock brings the hours and minutes out on retrograde scales, the hours by way of the automaton, so the scene animates as the time is read, and the display withdraws again afterwards. The scales and the Patek Philippe cartouche are in rhodium-plated yellow gold with black transferred numerals and logo. A decorative small seconds at 6 o'clock, with a diamond at its centre, shows that the movement is running while the time is hidden. The movement measures 33.8 mm across and 4.00 mm high, with 267 parts and 28 jewels, runs at 28,800 semi-oscillations an hour on a Gyromax® balance with a Spiromax® balance spring, has a power reserve of 38 to 48 hours, and carries the Patek Philippe Seal.
For collectors
Patek Philippe places the reference in its history as its first contemporary automaton wristwatch and ties it to a museum piece by Louis Cottier; both are the brand's statements. What Patek Philippe describes directly is the mechanism's logic: nothing tells the time until the pusher is pressed, and the small seconds is there only to show the watch is alive.
Key details
Design and engineering
- Hours and minutes on demandA pusher at 2 o'clock calls up a retrograde display of hours and minutes, the hours moved by the automaton; between readings the dial shows the fable scene alone.
- AutomatonThe applied fox and crow of La Fontaine's fable animate the display, after the Cottier pocket watch Patek Philippe cites in the Patek Philippe Museum.
- Decorative small secondsAt 6 o'clock, set with a diamond at its centre; it indicates that the movement is running.
- Officer's-style caseRose gold, fully polished, 43 mm across and 11.55 mm high, with a turban-style crown and a sapphire crystal case back under a dust cover with an invisible hinge; water-resistant to 30 m.
- Dial18K gold plate, opaline 'Matara' brown, with the applied fox and crow in contrasting colours, hand-engraved gold foliage, and hour and minute scales with a Patek Philippe cartouche in rhodium-plated yellow gold, black transfer-printed.
- Strap and claspShiny chocolate brown alligator leather with square scales, closed by a rose gold patented triple-blade fold-over clasp.
Calibre 31-260 PS HMD AU
- Self-winding, platinum off-centre minirotor
- On-demand retrograde hours and minutes; automaton; decorative small seconds
- 33.8 mm across, 4.00 mm high; 267 parts, 28 jewels
- 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 Hz), Gyromax® balance, Spiromax® balance spring
- Power reserve 38 to 48 hours
- Patek Philippe Seal
The reference
Technical specifications
| Reference | 5249R-001 |
|---|---|
| Collection | Complications |
| Calibre | Caliber 31-260 PS HMD AU |
| Movement | Self-winding |
| Functions | On-demand retrograde hours and minutes, Automaton, Decorative small seconds |
| Case dimensions | 43 mm |
| Case thickness | 11.55 mm |
| Case material | Rose gold |
| Case back | Sapphire crystal case back |
| Water resistance | 30 m |
| Dial | Opaline matara brown |
| Strap | Alligator leather with square scales, shiny chocolate brown |
| Clasp | Rose gold patented triple-blade fold-over clasp |
| Jewels | 28 |
| Power reserve | min. 38 hours – max. 48 hours |
| Frequency | 28,800 semi-oscillations/hour (4 Hz) |
Buying with HYPA
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