Good evening everyone!
This week, we have a new series, In this new project, we will explain the basics of luxury watches in an easy-to-understand way, for those who are not very familiar with luxury watches and those who want to learn more about them.
This is the 16th time
[ Introduction to Luxury Watches ]: Minute Repeaters
The minute repeater is a complicated mechanism that tells the time by sound. Its beautiful sound captivates the listener, and it is counted as one of the three most complicated mechanisms in the world. If you are a watch lover, you have probably heard of it at least once. However, it is true that there are surprisingly many people who do not know the details of how it actually works and why it was created. So, this time, I would like to explain the mechanism and features of the minute repeater in an easy-to-understand way.
What is a Minute Repeater?
" Minute repeater " = " a complex mechanism that tells the time with a gong "
A "minute repeater" is a complicated mechanism that uses a gong to tell the current time. The gong tells the time with three different sounds, generally a low tone for one hour, a medium tone (a combination of low and high tones) for 15 minutes, and a high tone for the remaining minutes. For example, if the current time is 10:35 , the gong will ring 10 times low, two medium tones, and five high tones.
It sounds very simple, but it is extremely difficult to do with a mechanical watch. Due to the complexity of the mechanism, it is counted as one of the "three most complicated mechanisms in the world" along with the "perpetual calendar" and "tourbillon." In modern times, there are almost no situations in which you cannot check the time in the dark, but the high level of difficulty and rarity of the mechanism, as well as the fact that you can enjoy the quality of the watch with your ears, make it very popular among watch collectors.
The History of the Minute Repeater
The origin of the minute repeater is the pocket watch. In 1783, it was created by the genius watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, who is said to have accelerated the history of the watch industry by 200 years, and was first installed in a pocket watch. Later, in 1892 , Omega released the world's first wristwatch equipped with a minute repeater. Due to the high level of technology, the craftsmanship was temporarily discontinued, but Patek Philippe reconstructed the minute repeater technology and successfully revived it in 1989 as a model commemorating the 150th anniversary of the company's founding.
How the Minute Repeater Works
The Minute Repeater is made up of over 100 different parts, and it is extremely difficult to fit it into a small wristwatch. One of the most important parts is the shuriken-shaped part called the "snail," which transmits the position information of the hands. When the Minute Repeater is activated, the current time is read from the "snail" and the hammer is moved.
The difference between "Minute Repeater" and "Sonnerie"
A mechanism similar to the minute repeater is the sonnerie.
The Sonnerie automatically tells you the time periodically, such as 30 minutes or an hour. The Sonnerie automatically sounds when the mainspring that drives it unwinds, so you need to wind the mainspring in advance to charge it.
On the other hand, the minute repeater charges the mainspring by pressing a button or lowering a slider, and the force of the spring releasing it activates the mechanism to make the sound. In other words, the sound can be made at will, meaning that the sound will not be made unless it is activated.
Features and Appeal of the Minute Repeater
Next, we will introduce three features and attractions of the Minute Repeater.
1. [Beautiful tone]
The first is, needless to say, the beautiful sound that the minute repeater produces. In this day and age when it is bright even at night and luminous technology has been developed, it is said that minute repeaters are rarely used, but they still capture the hearts of many people because they allow you to experience the unique sound that only a minute repeater can produce.
2. [The rarity of the mechanism itself]
Due to the complexity of the mechanism, only a limited number of watchmakers can make a minute repeater. Therefore, mass production is almost impossible, and the price easily exceeds 10 million yen. The average price is said to be 20 to 30 million yen, and due to its rarity and high status, it attracts the envious gazes of many watch enthusiasts.
3. [Enjoy the unique charm of the brand]
Even though the mechanisms of the minute repeater watches from each brand are the same, the tones and rhythms they produce are all different. Each brand is full of individuality, such as the church bell-like beauty of Patek Philippe, which has strengths in developing complex mechanisms, and Audemars Piguet, which has a gong installed on the acoustic plate and a system that amplifies the vibration sound of the hammer. From these aspects, you can also enjoy the fun of finding the minute repeater that suits your taste.
Representative models of the Minute Repeater
From here, we will introduce some representative models of "Minute Repeaters."
[Patek Philippe]
Minute Repeater
"Ref.5078P-001"
[Patek Philippe] The Ref. 5078P-001 is known as the most popular model of the Minute Repeater. Not only does it have an impressively beautiful tone, but its simple yet elegant design with a white Grand Feu enamel dial continues to fascinate watch lovers.
Our store handled one bottle this year (2022), but it sold out in about 10 days, showing how popular and rare it is.
[Audemars Piguet]
"Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie"
"Ref.26591TI.OO.1252TI.01"
[Audemars Piguet] The "Supersonnerie Series" is a masterpiece of the "Minute Repeater" series.
The "Supersonnerie" is a watch that is characterized by its attention to detail in producing sounds like musical instruments. As stated in the advocacy that "sound quality itself is the concept," the watch was developed with the utmost importance placed on sound quality, and in collaboration with the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, a unique watch development team was assembled consisting of acousticians, researchers, professors from the music academy, string instrument craftsmen, and watchmakers, making this a truly outstanding product.
We previously handled the platinum model "Ref. 26591PT.OO.D002CR.01", which was available exclusively at the Japan Boutique, and the sound we heard at that time was so crystal clear that we still remember it to this day.
summary
What did you think.
The minute repeater, one of the three most complicated mechanisms in the world, is not only rare and prestigious, but its beautiful sound is what makes it so appealing. Each brand has a different sound, rhythm, development background, and technology, so be sure to find a watch that suits your taste!
Once again, I hope that this article will pique your interest in luxury watches!
see you!