Patek Philippe 5303 User manual

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Reference 5303
Caliber R TO 27 PS
Manually wound wristwatch with minute repeater,
tourbillon and small seconds.
Rose gold.
Launched in a limited edition of 12 watches as a world
debut at the “Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore
2019”, the Ref. 5303 Minute Repeater Tourbillon has
now become part of the current Patek Philippe col-
lection with a slightly reworked design. It stands out
with its open, dialless architecture that exposes the
minute repeater including the action of the ham-
mers and gongs even while the watch is on the wrist.
The desire for transparency is also reflected in the
tourbillon; the underside of its cage can be admired
through a plate aperture at 6 o’clock. The aesthetic
appeal of the manually wound caliber R TO 27 PS
was subtly reworked with the skeletonization of in-
dividual components to enhance their beauty. Of
course, Patek Philippe also leveraged its entire legacy
in the manual finissage of movement parts, including
Geneva striping for the plate, perlage for the recesses,
and circular satin finishing of the strikework ham-
mers. The rose-gold case features a cambered and
polished bezel as well as intarsias in white gold; they
display arabesques and latticework on the flanks of
the caseband and on the strap lugs. The slide for actu-
ating the minute repeater in the left-hand case flank
is made of white gold as well.

The tourbillon
In the course of the 18th century, watchmakers
discovered that the rate deviations of their move-
ments were, in the final analysis, caused by the tiny
hairsprings which together with the balance con-
stitute the oscillator of every timepiece. Since its
center of gravity does not coincide with the
geometric center of the spring, its regular breath-
ing is negatively affected by the earth’s pull in
any orientation except horizontal. The tourbil-
lon corrects this systemic “positional” error. This
is done by integrating the balance and the es-
capement in a hinged cage that rotates about its
axis once a minute. On this orbit, the slightly eccentric
center of gravity of the hairspring revolves around
the center of the cage every 60 seconds, so the
positional error is automatically offset by progression,
regardless of the orientation of the spring.
The minute repeater
On demand, the minute repeater strikes the hours,
the quarter-hours, and then the minutes that
have elapsed since the last quarter-hour. The first
hammer strikes the hours on the low-pitched
gong with one strike for each hour. Subsequently,
each quarter-hour is sounded as an alternat-
ing double strike by two hammers on both the
high- and low-pitched gongs. Finally, the second
hammer strikes the high-pitched gong to count
the number of minutes that have passed since
the last quarter-hour. At 12:59, for instance, the
melody consists of 12 low sounds, 3 double
high/low sounds, and 14 high sounds (totaling the
maximum of 32 strikes).

Functions and settings
HANDSETTING
• Before you perform any corrections or settings, wind the watch by hand
(10 turns of the winding crown, clockwise).
• Pull the crown out (1).
• Turn the hands in either direction.
• Push the winding crown home again (2).
Instructions
To activate the striking mechanism, push the slide
(3) all the way up.
Now release it completely – do not pull it down.
Two small hammers will now strike the hours,
quarter-hours, and minutes on two gongs of low
and high pitch.
If the watch was set aside unwound for an extended
period of time, the minute repeater might not in-
dicate the correct time on the first try. This may
happen if the oil is not evenly distributed but has
no negative consequences. The striking mechanism
will function correctly if you activate it two or
three times in a row.
Caution:
- The strike sequence of the minute repeater
must be allowed to end completely before it
is activated again.
- Never actuate the winding crown as long as
the repeater is working and for 30 seconds
thereafter. Doing so could cause damage to the
repeating mechanism which would not be cov-
ered by the warranty.
Recommendations
wATEr rESISTANcE
Although your watch is equipped with a water-
resistant crown, it is not protected at all against the
ingressofmoisturebecauseoftheslotfortheminute
repeater slide. Therefore, exercise care to ensure
that liquid does not come into contact with your
watch.
wINDING
When fully wound, your wristwatch has a power
reserve of at least 40 hours. We recommend that
you wind your watch at about the same time ev-
ery day. We advise you to wind the watch before
you put it on. This way, you can avoid lateral pres-
sure on the winding stem which, in the course of
the years, could damage the stem tube. The same
applies to handsetting. Please use your fingernails
to pull the crown out and turn it gently between two
fingertips.
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