Patek Philippe 5531 R 27 HU Service manual

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Reference 5531
Caliber R 27 HU
World Time Minute Repeater.
Wristwatch with dial in cloisonné enamel and case with hand-guilloched decoration.
The first minute repeater that always strikes the
local time (a patented mechanism), Reference
5531R continues the tradition of Patek Philippe’s
World Time watches by featuring a dial center
in Grand Feu cloisonné enamel. This decoration,
outlined by some 13 cm of gold wire measuring
0.05 x 0.35 mm in cross-section, presents a
view of the Lavaux vineyards on the shores of
Lake Geneva with a traditional barque sailing
by. A small picture, but given great subtlety and
finesse by the artist’s use of transparent and
opalescent enamels in 22 colors, enriched by
four yellow-gold spangles called paillons at 12, 3,
6 and 9 o’clock. In keeping with the decorative
theme, the name Geneva replaces Paris. The
inimitable shape of the pierced hour hand is
inspired by the “Southern Cross” constellation.
The movement comprising 462 parts resides in an
elegant rose-gold case, its caseband and minute-
repeater slide decorated with a hand-guilloched
hobnail pattern, one of the manufacture’s iconic
hallmarks. Thanks to the generously pierced
lugs, the guilloched decoration can be admired
around the entire circumference.

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 alternating
double strike by two hammers on both the
highand 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).
The World Time
The legendary World Time watch, launched
in the 1930s, simultaneously and continuously
displays the time in all 24 time zones. A cult
object beloved of seasoned travelers and
collectors of fine mechanical devices, it took
another step forward in terms of functionality
in 1999. Since then, a unique mechanism enables
its owner, when changing time zones, to correct
all the displays collectively by pressing a single
pusher, without affecting the rate accuracy of
the movement. This patented system is exclusive
to Patek Philippe.
Cloisonné enamel
Cloisonné enamel is used for luminously colorful
ornamentations that are reminiscent of intensely
rich stained glass. The technique uses flattened
gold “ribbons”, or wires, with thicknesses ranging
from 0.05 to 0.10 mm. They are soldered to the
base metal of the object on their edges, fashioned
into compartments, or cloisons, of a pattern that
are then filled with enamel powders of various
colors. In firing ovens, the powders melt and fuse.
The cloisonné enamel technique is used only
for very small editions of timepieces or unique
pieces. The completion of one single piece of
this kind can take several months, involve over
twenty enamel colors and require several firings.

Winding crown
Position 1: winding
Position 2: setting the time
Hour hand
Time-zone pusher
1 2
Instructions
WINDING CROWN
The winding crown is used to wind the watch
(position 1) and to set the time (position 2).
WINDING
When it is on your wrist, your watch is wound
automatically by your arm movements. When fully
wound and off the wrist, you watch has a power
reserve of at least 43 hours. If your watch stopped
because you set it aside for an extended period of
time, you can wind it manually with about 20 turns
of the crown.
Caution:we advise you to wind the watch before
you put it on. This way, you can avoid lateral
pressure 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.
SETTING THE TIME
To set the correct time, proceed as follows:
1. Press the pusher at 2 o’clock repeatedly until the
city name that corresponds to your time zone
is at 12 o’clock.
2. Pull the crown out slightly and move it clockwise
or counterclockwise until the hour indication
on the ring at the 12 o’clock position coincides
with the local time (in 24 -hour notation) and
the minute hand shows the right time as well.
Push the crown home again.
After this setting, the time and the city on the
24-hour ring indicated by the arrow at 12 o’clock
corresponds to the time displayed by the hands.
Caution: Please set the time before you put the
watch on. This prevents lateral pressure on the
winding stem. Please use your fingernails to pull
the crown out and turn it gently between two
fingertips.
Never pull out the crown in a humid environment
or underwater: the water resistance of your watch
is assured only when the crown is pushed home.
City ring
Minute hand
Slide for actuating
the striking mechanism
24-hour ring