Somewhere, a crow was sent a piece of cheese by God... or how to bring a famous fable to life on a watch.
At the Watches & Wonders exhibition, Patek Philippe introduced an unexpected novelty - a wristwatch with an automaton. The watch is interesting for two reasons: a) it is the first automaton in the brand's modern history; b) the dial of the model recreates the plot of Jean de La Fontaine's fable 'The Fox and the Crow', known to Russian-speaking readers through the work of Ivan Krylov.
The creators of this model reimagined a true treasure from the Patek Philippe museum collection - the pocket watch Le Corbeau et le Renard Ref. 784. Released in 1958, they were equipped with a mechanism refined by Louis Cottier. That very Louis Cottier, who is best known for his world time indication mechanism. It turns out, Mr. Cottier was not only a co-author of the famous world timers, which today sell successfully at auctions, but also a fan of alternative time display methods like the jumping hour or retrograde indication.
Press the button located at 2 o'clock, and the fox uses its paw (from 0 to 6:59) or its muzzle (from 7 to 11:59) to indicate the current hour, while the crow drops the piece of cheese at the current minute. If you release the button, the image returns to its original position.
The automaton mechanism is based on a lever, which first reads the hours and then activates the minute indication mechanism. Between the fox and the crow on the dial, you can see a star-set diamond: through the rotation of the second wheel, it is in constant motion. This is the original second hand, indicating that the mechanism is working.
The hour and minute scales on the dial are presented as two arcs of yellow gold with rhodium plating. The dial composition includes at least 10 gold appliques of different colors. Some are purely decorative, while others bear a functional load. During work, the engraver must carefully control the pressure on the appliques, as the slightest deformation of the functional parts can affect the automaton's operation. The thinnest parts of the composition are only 0.2 millimeters thick.
The watch has a 43 x 12.62 mm case made of rose gold. It features short straight lugs and a hinged back cover (the so-called officer-style case). The dial, made of rose gold in a 'matara' shade, showcases the plot of the well-known fable. Under the dial is the caliber 249 31-260 PS HMD AU - a 4 mm thick mechanism equipped with a peripheral micro-rotor. The power reserve of the mechanism lasts from 38 to 48 hours.
The new model is offered with a classic alligator leather strap, equipped with a triple folding clasp.
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