Along with the luxurious Olympic 1932 Chrono Chime timepiece, OMEGA has unveiled a special Speedmaster “Numbered Edition” powered by the 1932 Calibre.
The Speedmaster Chrono Chime has a 45 mm diameter 18K Sedna™ Gold case inspired by the 2nd generation Speedmaster. The Caliber Omega 1932 is the most complicated movement the brand has ever produced.
The dial, in blue aventurine “Grand Feu” enamel, features an inner bezel and subdials in the same 18K Sedna™ Gold “exclusive acoustic waves” as the Olympic Games tribute.
The hour markers and hour/minute hands are in diamond-polished 18K Sedna™ Gold. Blued CVD subdial hands and a red tipped dial hand add extra touches of colour to the display.
Although the movement is the same as that of Olympic 1932 Chrono Chime, the functional and decorative pushers are in different positions: The chime at 8 o’clock and split seconds at 2 o’clock.
For the Speedmaster, OMEGA turned the 1932 calibre around to suit the configuration of the case and accommodate the two subdials. Completing the look is a bracelet and buckle in 18K Sedna™ Gold.
Each Omega Speedmaster Chrono Chime watch will be delivered in a special walnut presentation box with resonance plate.
Movement
Calibre: OMEGA 1932
Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre developed with Blancpain
Fully integrated chronograph and minute repeater
Co-Axial escapement
Frequency: 5 Hz
1/10th of a second
Finishing: satin-brushed, mirror polished
Gold weight: 40 grams
Power reserve: 60 hours
Case
Sedna™ gold case
Diameter: 45 mm
Between lugs: 21 mm
Thickness: 17.3 mm
Tachymeter bezel
Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
Water resistance: 3 bar (30 metres / 100 feet)
Transparent case back
Dial
Colour: Blue
Bracelet
Sedna™ gold bracelet with fold-over butterfly clasp with comfort setting
Total product weight (Approx.)
326 g
Other features
Master chronometer certified
Numbered edition
Swiss luxury watch brand Omega presents Olympic 1932 Chrono Chime, an outstanding mechanical timepiece paying homage to the world’s first minute repeater wristwatch produced by OMEGA in 1892 to the pocket chronographs used to time the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games, which marked OMEGA’s debut as Official Timekeeper.
Inside this extremely complex mechanical watch beats OMEGA’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 1932, a fully integrated chronograph and minute repeater movement with the Co-Axial escapement.
The manual-wound OMEGA Calibre 1932 beats at 5 Hz to display 1/10th of a second, like the pocket chronographs used to time the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games.
The watchmakers added three chime cams to the already complicated chronograph mechanism, include two security functions to prevent mal-manipulation, and integrate a split-seconds function. Moreover, this Master Chronometer certified calibre is capable of withstanding external magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss. This extraordinary movement also carries 17 patents, related to the function of the Calibre 1932, its antimagnetic technology and the watch’s external parts.
Satin-brushed and mirror polished, this luxurious handmade calibre with 46.44 grams of gold is not only a technological marvel, it is also thing of beauty.
The Omega Olympic 1932 Chrono Chime watch has an 18K Sedna™ gold case with a diameter of 45 mm. It has a “Grand Feu” enamel dial, graced with a 925 Silver hand-made guilloché inner bezel and subdials in OMEGA’s unique “exclusive acoustic waves” pattern, evoking the sound waves produced by the watch’s chimes.
OMEGA’s 18K Sedna™ Gold produces a beautiful sound when struck. Double hammers, fitted with an insert of hardened steel, hit pitch-perfect 18K Sedna™ Gold gongs, hand-tuned by OMEGA’s watchmakers. Fixed to the case body to produce maximum chime, these gongs are inspired by the bells used by OMEGA to signal the last lap at the Olympic Games and other sporting events.
On the dial, the 18K Sedna™ Gold central hour/minute hands are in blued PVD, as are the subdial hands on the small seconds at 6 o’clock and 15-minute recorder at 12 o’clock.
For easy readability, the display includes a blued CVD central seconds hand and red-varnished split-seconds hand. There is a further tribute to 1932 in the Arabic numerals and minute track in black “Petit Feu” enamel.
The chime pusher at 5 o’clock sports a charming polished and embossed music note. The split-seconds pusher at 11 o’clock has a polished ring filled in with red hybrid ceramic to mirror the look of the split-seconds hand.
The 18K Sedna™ Gold caseback is engraved with the words Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, Co-Axial Master Chronometer and the watch’s number.
The brown leather strap with 18K Sedna™ Gold buckle includes OMEGA’s new Quick-Change patented system. The special presentation box includes an additional leather strap and two leather cords, allowing the “timekeeper” to wear it as a discreet pocket watch or a stopwatch around the neck.
The walnut presentation box features a resonance plate made of spruce to amplify the precise rhythm, tone, harmony and length of each chime.
Technical details
Model Omega Olympic 1932 Chrono Chime Specialities
Reference 522.53.45.52.04.001
Movement
Calibre OMEGA 1932
Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 1932, developed with Blancpain
Fully integrated chronograph and minute repeater
1/10th of a second chronograph
Frequency: 5 Hz
Satin-brushed and mirror polished
Gold weight: 40 grams
Anti-magnetic: 15,000 gauss
Power reserve: 60 hours
Functions
Chronograph with split-seconds function
Minute repeater
Small seconds
Case
Sedna™ gold case
Diameter: 45 mm
Between lugs: 18 mm
Thickness: 16.9 mm
Domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment on both sides
Transparent case back
Water resistance: 3 bar (30 metres / 100 feet)
Dial
Colour: White
Strap
Brown leather strap
Strap surface: Alligator leather
Strap underside: Non-grained calf leather
Buckle: Pin buckle in Sedna™ Gold
Hermès has created a unique tourbillon minute repeater pocket watch that combines artistic techniques like engraving and enamelling with complex horological mechanisms.
The unique Arceau Pocket cheval punk reveals a playful alliance of craftsmanship and fine watchmaking. Its open-worked white gold cover, adorned with an engraved equestrian profile painted in miniature enamel, frames a champlevé enamelled dial and a Hermès tourbillon minute repeater movement.
The punk horse motif is drawn from a men’s silk scarf designed by Daiske Nomura in 2021. The Japanese designer illustrator, who loves to divert and stage the company’s emblems, was inspired by a figurine from the Emile Hermès collection: a horse whose thick mane evokes a punk crest.
The artist has mixed in numerous elements from the museum in a whimsical and futuristic interpretation of the Hermès universe.
Fashioned in white gold, the horse with its flamboyant crest, harness and tattoo combines several demanding techniques and gives a glimpse of movement. Hundreds of hours of meticulous work bring the silhouette to life beneath under the burins and chisels of the master engraver, before being painted in miniature enamel.
Its slim cut-out then reveals an equally meticulous creation: a crisscrossed gold dial crafted in champlevé enamel. To achieve this, the artisan applies several layers of coloured glass powders mixed with natural oils to the engraved cavities, which are successively dried and fired in the kiln.
The cheval punk watch comes in an elegant round white gold case measuring 48 mm in diameter. It is equipped with the Hermès H1924 tourbillon minute repeater movement. An abyss blue alligator strap is attached to the rectangular stirrup and highlights the deep nuances of the decoration.
Technical details
Model: Hermès ARCEAU Pocket cheval punk
One-of-a-kind creation
Movement
Manufacture Hermès H1924 movement
Mechanical hand-wound, Swiss made
Diameter: 30 mm (13 ¼ ‘’’)
Thickness: 6.1 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Functions: minute repeater, hours, minutes
Case
Shape/size: Round, 48 mm diameter
Material: White gold
Glass: Anti-glare sapphire crystal and case-back
Water resistance: q3 bar
Cover
Cover in engraved and miniature-enamel painted white gold
Dial
Dial in champlevé enamelled white gold
Orange transferred saddle-stitched motif
Issued in a numbered 24-piece limited series, the Arceau Lift tourbillon répétition minutes so black watch by Hermès features a black grand feu enamel dial revealing part of its captivating mechanism.
It combines two magnificent horological complications. The complex mechanism of the double-gong minute repeater can be admired through the horse-shaped dial cut-out. The flying tourbillon is revealed through a round aperture at 6 o’clock.
The double-H tourbillon structure of the ARCEAU Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes So Black watch is inspired by an emblematic motif of the Hermès boutique in the Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. This distinctive design surmounting the carriage and barrel bridge echoes the shape of the wrought iron adorning the entrance, railings, staircase and elevator of the Parisian establishment.
The dial cut-outs and the sapphire case-back reveal the Manufacture Hermès H1924 mechanical hand-wound movement ensuring a crystal-clear chime for the minute repeater. The titanium case measuring 43 mm in diameter is fitted on a matt black alligator strap.
Technical details
Model: Hermès ARCEAU Lift Tourbillon Répétition Minutes So Black
Edition
Numbered 24-piece limited edition
Movement
Manufacture Hermès H1924 movement
Mechanical hand-wound, Swiss made
Diameter: 30 mm (13 ¼ ‘’’)
Thickness: 8.89 mm
Power reserve: 80 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3Hz)
Functions: minute repeater chiming on two gongs, hours, minutes
Distinctive feature: flying tourbillon
Case
Shape/size: round, 43 mm in diameter
Material: titanium
Glass: anti-glare sapphire crystal and case-back
Water resistance: 3 bar
With the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue, H. Moser & Cie. presents one of the most traditional and romantic watch complications and combines it with a magnificent flying tourbillon.
Drawing attention to the minute repeater mechanism, it has taken the bold decision to position the two shaped gongs and the hammers on the dial side, in a brand-new design. This involved overcoming many technical challenges. In particular, the chimes had to be curved so as not to interfere with the flying tourbillon and keep the design understated.
The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue watch features a 40 mm diameter case in red gold or titanium. This specially designed case architecture optimizes the sound and achieves the perfect balance between volume, resonance and harmony. The case middle has been widened to the maximum in order to accommodate the movement while allowing enough space to create a soundbox.
This amplifies the chiming of hours, quarter-hours and minutes by two gongs, onto which fall two hammers that are raised based on information provided by different feeler-spindles.
The Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue has been designed to retain classic, perfectly balanced dimensions and proportions.
At six o’clock, the one-minute flying tourbillon is visible behind a skeletonised bridge. Boldly contemporary, the tourbillon appears to float weightlessly above the “Grand Feu” enamel dial.
Starting with a pattern engrained onto a gold base, as if hammered, four different colour pigments are washed, finely crushed, then applied to create an ombré effect. It took approximately one hour of careful work for the master enameller to painstakingly apply the pigments, adding them one by one so that the colours oxidise and meld together when heated in the furnace, without any pixellation. A translucent “Grand Feu” enamel dial must be fired twelve times in total to create the signature H. Moser & Cie. fumé effect.
Each dial is unique and has a particularly striking texture and an intense Aqua Blue hue. The watch dial comes with no logo or indices. The magnificent HMC 904 hand-wound calibre can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back.
Technical details
Model: H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue
References
Reference 1904-0400, 18-carat red gold model, Aqua Blue fumé dial, brown alligator leather strap, limited edition of 20 pieces
Reference 1904-0500, titanium model, Aqua Blue fumé dial, black alligator leather strap, limited edition of 20 pieces
Case
18-carat red gold or titanium
Diameter: 40.0 mm/height: 13.5 mm
Sapphire crystal
Sliding bolt with runner made from Teflon
See-through sapphire crystal case back
Crown adorned with an “M”
Dial
Aqua Blue fumé “Grand Feu” enamel with hammered texture
Hammers and chimes on dial side
Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands
Movement
HMC 904 hand-wound calibre, partially skeletonised
Diameter: 33.0 mm/height: 9.62 mm
Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h
35 jewels
Power reserve: 90 hours
Double Moser stripes on the plate and bridges
Movement and components hand-finished and decorated
One-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with skeletonised bridge
Minute repeater
Functions
Hours and minutes
Minute repeater with hour, quarter-hour and minute chimes
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator leather
Red gold or titanium pin buckle, engraved with the Moser logo
Chopard expands its L.U.C Haute Horlogerie collection by introducing a multi complication timepiece incorporating the brand’s emblematic striking minute repeater mechanism and tourbillon. Limited to 20 pieces, this watch features an ethical 18-carat rose gold case.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the L.U.C collection, the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon model is one of the most sophisticated and most innovative Grand Complication watches ever created to date.
It follows in the footsteps of Chopard’s L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater timepieces, of which the first ethical rose gold edition was awarded the “Aiguille d’Or” best-in-show award at the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. These timepieces feature a unique Chopard-patented system in which the gongs and sapphire crystal form a single entity, which resonates in its entirety to produce the chime.
Dressed in a 42.5 mm diameter and 12.58 mm thick case, the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is distinguished by well-balanced proportions contributing to the characteristic elegance of the L.U.C collection. With its interplay of grey and gold colours between the case and strap, dial and hands, as well as between the movement’s steel and nickel silver components, this watch flaunts its aesthetic perfection at every level.
For the first time in the history of the Full Strike, the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon model has an almost entirely solid dial. Instead of broadly revealing the watch’s internal mechanisms, it reserves its openings for the two horological complications that make this piece so special.
The first cut-out between 9 and 11 o’clock, highlights the two mirror-polished steel hammers whose striking generates the chime. The other, at 6 o’clock, reveals the tourbillon of the L.U.C 08.02-L calibre.
Thanks to a cross-through sapphire crystal tourbillon bridge, nothing obscures the view of the spiral-shaped carriage bridge. The final touch, made possible by the use of sapphire with its multiple properties, lies in the four rounded notches. This L.U.C signature tourbillon bridge is derived from a design by the founder of the Maison, Louis-Ulysse Chopard.
The dial is made from a base plate in solid gold and this material remains visible along the openings, featuring mirror-polished edges. It also features a hand-guilloché radiating floral pattern belonging to the collection’s aesthetic repertoire that is then ruthenium grey-coloured by means of a galvanic treatment.
It is complemented by applied Roman numeral hour-markers and hands, all of which are gilded in a rose gold matching the case. The latter, like all Chopard’s watch and jewellery creations since 2018, is crafted from ethical gold.
Chopard Manufacture watchmakers have placed the tourbillon of the L.U.C 08.02-L calibre at 6 o’clock, beneath the seconds hand. Its high-quality steel carriage picks up the distinctive spiral design – a signature of L.U.C tourbillons.
This regulator further enhances the precision of the movement, a subject to which Chopard’s Co-President, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, takes a resolutely uncompromising approach. It combats the adverse effects of gravity on the balance-spring and escapement by placing them in a variety of spatial positions.
The tourbillon placed on the Chopard Manufacture minute repeater mechanism thereby contributes to the extreme precision of L.U.C Calibre 08.02-L as well as to the obtention of chronometer certification from the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute.
The L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is not a mere modification of the L.U.C Full Strike. Moving from a calibre comprising 533 components to one with 568 is not an addition, but a revolution. The decision to include a tourbillon regulator required a complete development process that involved rethinking interactions and layouts.
With such a delicate complication subject to as many parameters as the minute repeater, the Chopard Manufacture workshops had to ensure that this tourbillon would not in any way modify the acoustic qualities of the chime.
This equilibrium is preserved by the sapphire gongs that are all-of-a-piece with the watch glass, which acts as a resonator. Moreover, the fact that the minute repeater has its own barrel naturally eliminates any energy-related interference, while the presence of the tourbillon does not alter the striking reserve.
L.U.C Calibre 08.02-L inherits the unprecedented advances featured in the L.U.C 08.01-L: the first minute repeater movement introduced by Chopard Manufacture in 2016. In addition to its resonant structure, whose role is taken on by the sapphire crystal, several innovative technical systems have been added.
It also benefits from the innovations introduced in L.U.C Calibre 02.01-L in 2003. A total of seven are the subject of patents. In a minute repeater mechanism, the energy used by the strikework is provided each time the arming lever is activated.
Here, the energy comes from a separate, dedicated barrel wound directly by the crown. It enables the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon to chime a maximum of 12 times the most complex and energy-intensive time: namely 12 hours and 59 minutes.
This exceptional power reserve is due to several factors. Benefiting from a patented clutch-lever device, it ensures that the strikework gear train is blocked to avoid losing power reserve during the information capture that controls the minute repeater.
Keen to preserve the user-friendliness of the minute repeater and to make its operation as secure as possible, Chopard Manufacture has introduced a number of innovative systems. Thus, if the barrel no longer has sufficient force to power the minute repeater, a safety mechanism blocks its release. In addition, Chopard has filed a patent for a new strikework-activation device. As soon as it is activated, the pusher is disengaged, thereby making it impossible to disturb the running of the minute repeater or to damage it.
So as to optimise and perpetuate the acoustic richness of the monobloc sapphire crystal/gong system derived from the L.U.C Full Strike, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has initiated a new approach. In 2018, while attending a concert given by violinist Renaud Capuçon, he realised that a minute repeater watch should be designed as a musical instrument and should deliver something more – namely emotion.
Renaud Capuçon is a virtuoso of his time as well as a specialist in acoustics and sound – just like his brother, cellist Gautier Capuçon. Both play instruments that are several hundred years old and which embody a perfection and uniqueness that have stood the test of time.
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele decided to call upon the two soloists to join forces with Professor Romain Boulandet – head of the Applied Acoustics Laboratory at Geneva’s HEPIA engineering school – whose work in an anechoic chamber perfectly isolated from noise pollution has demonstrated that the sound of Chopard’s minute repeater is powerful, harmonious and crystal clear.
Together, these experts have combined their skill and knowledge to conduct an analysis that goes beyond the purely measurable criteria of acoustics to enter another dimension: that of sound as perceived by the listener. The L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon timepiece benefits from their analysis and their contribution, both scientific and emotional.
Thanks to Chopard’s unalterable sapphire gongs, the sound of the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is unchanging, stemming from the orchestration of complementary talents: Karl-Friedrich Scheufele for watchmaking precision; Renaud and Gautier Capuçon for artistic and emotional endorsement; and Romain Boulandet for scientific expertise.
Technical details
Model: Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon
Ref. 161987-5001
Edition
Numbered 20-piece limited edition in ethical 18-carat rose gold
Case
Ethical 18-carat rose gold
Total diameter 42.5 mm
Thickness 12.58 mm
Crown with integrated strikework pusher in ethical 18-carat rose gold with L.U.C logo 8.80 mm
Vertical satin-brushed caseband
Polished bezel and case-back, hand-engraved case-back
Exhibition back with sapphire crystal
Movement
Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 08.02-L
Number of components: 568
Total diameter: 37.20 mm
Thickness: 8.90 mm
Number of jewels: 61
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 50 hours
Mainplate and bridges in untreated nickel silver
Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif
Chopard-patented one-minute tourbillon regulator equipped with a Chopard-patented monobloc pallet-lever
Minute repeater
Chopard-patented monobloc sapphire crystal and gongs
Chopard-patented variable-inertia balance
Chopard-patented clutch-lever device serving to block the strikework so as to avoid losing power reserve during information capture
Chopard-patented dedicated ratchet-driving mechanism serving to avoid pauses during chiming
Strikework-activation device serving to act on the pusher whether while it is chiming or not, in normal, low, continuous or fast mode (Patent pending)
Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
Chronometer-certified by the COSC
Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark
Dial
Dial in ruthenium grey hand-guilloché 18-carat rose gold
Chapter ring with snailed concentric circle pattern
Applied gilded Roman numerals
White transferred power-reserve graduations
Gilded Dauphine fusée-type hours and minutes hands
Gilded baton-type small seconds hand
Gilded baton-type power-reserve and strikework power-reserve hands
Railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal
Tourbillon bridge in glare-proofed sapphire crystal
Functions
Minute repeater striking sapphire gongs (Chopard-patented system)
Tourbillon with small seconds display at 6 o’clock
Central display of the hours and minutes
Concentric display of the watch and strikework power reserves at 2 o’clock
Stop-seconds function
Strap
Strap in hand-sewn grey alligator leather with grey alligator lining
Folding clasp in polished and satin-brushed ethical 18-carat rose gold
Created to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chopard L.U.C collection, the limited edition Full Strike Sapphire is the first minute repeater watch whose case is made entirely of sapphire.
The 42.5 mm diameter case is 11.55 mm thick, with well-balanced proportions identical to previous versions of the L.U.C Full Strike, and which contribute to the characteristic elegance of the L.U.C collection. The bezel, caseband, crown, case-back and rear glass are all made of sapphire crystal.
In addition, the dial too is made of sapphire. Its distinctively cut shape enhances the indication elements essential for reading. Absolute transparency can in fact have the effect of blurring the view and Chopard has remedied this by creating a railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal and painted.
It complements a chapter ring punctuated with rhodium-plated herringbone-shaped applied hour-markers, and black transferred counterparts. The sapphire ring is interrupted by three elements. The first is the off-centre seconds counter. The second is an applied white gold plate bearing the “L.U.CHOPARD” logo.
The third is the concentric power-reserve indicator in which two hands respectively indicate the energy remaining in the barrel that drives the movement as well as in the other powering the minute repeater.
The L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire is the first non-metallic timepiece to bear the prestigious Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark, covering both the design and finishing of the movement and the case. In addition, the L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire watch inherits the latest advances with which the L.U.C 08.01-L movement is endowed. Its patented resonant sapphire structure is complemented by several innovative technical systems, four of which are patented.
In a minute repeater mechanism, the energy required by the strikework is provided each time the winding lever is activated. Here, the energy comes from a separate, dedicated barrel wound directly by the crown. It enables the L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire to chime the most complex and energy-intensive time of day (or night) – namely 12 hours and 59 minutes – up to 12 times.
This exceptional autonomy is due to several factors. It benefits from the contribution of a patented clutch-lever mechanism that ensures that the strikework going train is blocked, to avoid losing power reserve during the information capture that controls the minute repeater.
This autonomy is moreover also the result of Chopard Manufacture’s experience in multiple barrels. Since it has an autonomous energy source, the strikework systematically respects the defined rhythm, whatever the time that is chimed and however many times it chimes.
Keen to preserve the user-friendliness of the minute repeater and to make its operation as secure as possible, Chopard Manufacture has introduced a number of innovative systems. Thus, if the barrel no longer has sufficient force to power the minute repeater, a safety mechanism blocks its release. In addition, Chopard has filed a patent for a new strikework-activation device. As soon as it is activated, the pusher is disengaged, thereby making it impossible to disturb the running of the minute repeater or to damage it.
So as to optimise and perpetuate the acoustic richness of the monobloc sapphire crystal/gong system derived from the L.U.C Full Strike, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has initiated a new approach. In 2018, while attending a concert given by violinist Renaud Capuçon, he realised that a minute repeater watch should be designed as a musical instrumentand should deliver something more – namely emotion.
Renaud Capuçon is a specialist in acoustics and sound – just like his brother, cellist Gautier Capuçon. Both play instruments that are several hundred years old and which embody a perfection and uniqueness that have stood the test of time.
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele decided to call upon the two soloists to join forces with Professor Romain Boulandet – head of the Applied Acoustics Laboratory at Geneva’s HEPIA engineering school – whose work in an anechoic chamber perfectly isolated from noise pollution has demonstrated that the sound of Chopard’s minute repeater is powerful, harmonious and crystal clear.
Together, these experts have combined their skill and knowledge to conduct an analysis that goes beyond the purely measurable criteria of acoustics to enter another dimension: that of sound as perceived by the listener. The L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire timepiece benefits from their analysis and their contribution.
Technical details
Model: Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire
Numbered five-piece limited edition in sapphire
Ref. 168604-9001
Case
Transparent sapphire
Total diameter 42.50 mm
Thickness 11.55 mm
Crown with integrated strikework pusher in sapphire, with L.U.C logo 8.80 mm
Polished caseband, bezel and case-back, engraved case-back
Exhibition case-back fitted with sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal with two Chopard-patented integrated monobloc gongs
Movement
Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 08.01-L
Number of components: 533
Total diameter: 37.20 mm
Thickness: 7.97 mm
Number of jewels: 63
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours
Mainplate and bridges in untreated nickel silver
Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève motif
Minute repeater
Chopard-patented monobloc sapphire crystal and gongs
Chopard-patented variable-inertia balance
Chopard-patented clutch-lever device serving to block the strikework so as to avoid losing power reserve during information capture
Chopard-patented dedicated ratchet-driving mechanism serving to avoid pauses during chiming
Strikework-activation device serving to act on the pusher whether it is chiming or not, in normal, low, continuous or fast mode (patent pending)
Balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
Chronometer-certified by the COSC
Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark
Dial and hands
Open-worked sapphire dial
Applied logo plate in 18-carat white gold with black transfers
Satin-brushed chapter ring
Satin-brushed small seconds
Railway-type minutes track engraved on the sapphire crystal
Black transfers
Applied rhodium-plated herringbone-type hour-markers
Applied rhodium-plated Dauphine hours and minutes hands
Rhodium-plated baton-type small seconds hand
Rhodium-plated baton-type movement power-reserve and strikework power-reserve hands
Functions
Minute repeater striking sapphire gongs (Chopard-patented system)
Central display of the hours and minutes
Small seconds display at 6 o’clock
Concentric display of the watch and strikework power reserves at 2 o’clock
Stop-seconds function
Strap and buckle
Strap in hand-sewn grey alligator leather with grey alligator lining
Folding clasp in polished and satin-brushed ethical 18-carat white gold
Bvlgari has unveiled a new version of its ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater watch.
In 2016, two years after the debut of the Octo Finissimo collection, Bulgari released the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, the thinnest chiming watch on the market.
Remarkably complex and slender (3.12 mm for the movement and 6.85 mm for the case), this timepiece immediately stands out by its modern and refined design.
Crafted in ultra-light titanium, its octagonal case measuring 40 mm in diameter opens onto a dial also in titanium, with open-worked hour-markers and small seconds. These stylised apertures further amplify the excellent acoustic properties of titanium.
Today, Bulgari revisits the bold and powerful style of this grand complication in a very contemporary version in sandblasted titanium with a matte blue open-worked dial and structured rubber strap.
The understated and contemporary design frames a manual-winding in-house movement: the ultra-thin BVL 362 calibre driving the hours, minutes, small seconds and minute repeater functions.
Technical details
Model: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, Ref. 103669
Movement
Mechanical ultra-thin Manufacture manual-winding movement with minute repeater and small seconds – calibre BVL 362 (3.12 mm thick). 42-hour power reserve, 21’600 VPH (3 Hz) frequency.
Case and dial
40 mm sandblasted titanium case with transparent caseback, 6.85 mm thick, titanium crown with black ceramic insert and titanium push-buttons; open-worked matte blue dial with small second counter, titanium hands. Water resistant to 3 ATM.
Bracelet
Blue FKM rubber bracelet with sun-blasted titanium buckle.
Organised in Venice from 10 April to 1 May 2022, Homo Faber was an international exhibition dedicated to the magic of craftsmanship. Vacheron Constantin was present in this event with its master artisans: a watchmaker, an enameller, an engraver and a gemsetter.
Vacheron Constantin created two unique pieces of Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin watches for this occasion in tribute to Japanese mythology, craftsmanship and the watchmaking expertise of the Maison.
These ultra-thin minute repeater watches are masterpieces of enamelling and engraving, paying tribute to the close ties between the Japanese archipelago and Vacheron Constantin for over a century.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Thunder God
On this occasion, the Louvre Museum – a repository of artistic crafts that Vacheron Constantin has been partnering since 2019 – presented an engraved quadriptych, gilded with gold leaf and enhanced with colours, created by the artisans of the framing-gilding workshop. The dial motifs of Vacheron Constantin watches were a source of inspiration for the gilders.
In reference to the welcome given to Japan and the close ties binding Vacheron Constantin with this country, the Maison drew inspiration from Japanese mythology in creating the two Les Cabinotiers Thunder God and Wind God timepieces presented at Homo Faber.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Wind God
The relationship between Vacheron Constantin and Japan dates back to the 19th century. In 1862, Charles-César Vacheron, who had been at the head of the company for some 20 years, was part of the delegation sent to Japan by the State Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, a prelude to the diplomatic and commercial agreement signed between Switzerland and Japan in 1864.
Thereafter and throughout most of the 20th century, Vacheron Constantin’s local partner was the Swiss importer Siber Hegner & Co, which became its exclusive agent in 1919. Preserved in the company’s archives, correspondence between Vacheron Constantin and its agent shows regular exchanges concerning the preferences of Japanese watch lovers.
Some of the timepieces in Vacheron Constantin’s private collection feature Japanese-inspired decorations and ornamentation and certain examples were displayed on the Vacheron Constantin booth at Homo Faber.
Following the opening of trade between Japan and the West in the second half of the 19th century, the Japanese showed a clear desire to discover the cultural curiosities of Japan.
Vacheron Constantin thus became a must-see attraction for enlightened lovers of timepieces from the Archipelago. Among them were aristocrats, diplomats, members of the nobility and even royals such as Prince Akihito who visited the boutique and the workshops of the Manufacture in 1953. In parallel, the Maison has never ceased to create special editions for the Japanese market imbued with finesse and elegance as well as technical features, such as those developed in 2004 for the opening of the first Vacheron Constantin boutique in Japan, located in Ginza, Tokyo.
Vacheron Constantin also honoured Japanese craftsmanship with the Métiers d’Art – La Symbolique des Laques watch series, interpreted across a three-year period starting in 2010 and celebrating “maki-e”, the art of lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder.
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Thunder God & Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Wind God
Vacheron Constantin drew inspiration from works by Sotatsu – a 16th century Japanese painter regarded as a national treasure in his home country – to create two single-edition Les Cabinotiers timepieces for Homo Faber.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Thunder God
These are depictions in ink and colour on a gold background of Fujin the Wind God and Raijin the Thunder God, appearing on a pair of two-panel screens made around 1626 and kept in the National Museum in Kyoto.
One of the great figures of Japanese mythology and one of the oldest deities of Shintoism, Raijin floats in the sky, dancing with his drumsticks in his hand; while Fujin jumps rope with his windbag.
These gods can be found on the dials of the two Les Cabinotiers watches, which are made by the expert hands of the Manufacture’s master enamellers and engravers, plus the gemsetter’s work of on the case.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Wind God
These two ultra-thin minute repeater watches are powered by Calibre 1731, a movement well known to watch lovers and collectors.
The Les Cabinotiers ultra-thin Minute repeater – Thunder God timepiece is paired with a burgundy alligator leather strap secured by an engraved white gold folding clasp; while the Les Cabinotiers ultra-thin Minute Repeater – Wind God model is fitted with a green alligator leather strap, also featuring an engraved white gold folding clasp.
Engraving, miniature enamelling and gemsetting
The 18K yellow gold dial is first adorned with intaglio-type fine line engraving to reproduce an irregular chequered pattern featuring matt and shiny surfaces creating the illusion of gold leaf decoration.
A layer of transparent flux fired in the kiln is then applied to protect this base, which is thus ready for miniature enamel painting. Outlining the divinities is an extremely important step to ensure the application of the colours stand out clearly against the gilded background. Between six and seven firings were necessary to stabilise the colours of Fujin and Raijin on their clouds. A layer of overglazing flux, given a final polish using the lapping technique, concludes a process requiring a hundred hours of meticulous craftsmanship.
The case of both models is the object of particular care devoted to the fine line engraving of the bezel, caseband and lugs. The Raijin watch is engraved with volutes representing waves of thunder, while the minute repeater’s lug is adorned with six baguette-cut rubies symbolising the power and energy of lightning.
There are also similar intaglio motifs on the case of the watch portraying Fujin in order to represent the filaments of clouds blowing the wind. The slide piece is set with six baguette-cut tsavorites symbolising the vitality of the air currents.
In-house Minute Repeater Calibre 1731
In-house Calibre 1731 (a reference to the year Jean-Marc Vacheron was born) powers these two musical timepieces. Its main characteristic is its extreme thinness for a minute repeater movement. It is nevertheless equipped with a barrel ensuring an impressive 65-hour power reserve.
Its 265 components come to life in a 32.8 mm diameter with a thickness of 3.9 mm. This movement is certified with the Hallmark of Geneva.
It took four years to solve the conundrum of how to create a minute repeater movement combining slenderness, pure acoustics, aesthetic elegance, reliability and robustness.
Nor is the technical prowess confined to the ultra-thin challenge, since Calibre 1731 is also equipped with a completely silent flying strike governor (unlike conventional pallet lever-type governors), whose role is to regulate the rate at which the hammers strike the gongs.
Great attention was devoted to acoustics, the true reason for being of a minute repeater. To obtain a crystal-clear and perfectly harmonious sound, the gongs are not only linked to the case middle to amplify the sound, but also superimposed rather than aligned side by side.
The white gold case measuring 41 mm in diameter and 8.44 mm thick enables excellent air circulation between the mechanism and the case, thus contributing to optimal propagation of the notes. The case construction is also gasket-free so that the elements can interact metal on metal and thus release enhanced sound amplitude.
Technical details
Model: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Thunder God
Reference 6600C/000G-B731
Movement
Caliber 1731
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical manual-winding
32.80 mm diameter, 3.90 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 65 hours
3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
265 components
36 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Functions
Hours, minutes,
Minute repeater (hours, quarters and minutes on demand)
Case
18K white gold
41 mm diameter, 8.44 mm thick
Case fully hand-engraved with an ornamental pattern and minute repeater slide set with 6 baguette-cut rubies for a weight of approximately 0.16 ct.
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
18K gold, hand-engraved and hand-enamelled Grand Feu miniature representing the Thunder God
Strap
Burgundy Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Clasp
18K white gold folding clasp
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Presentation box & accessory
Les Cabinotiers model
Edition
Single-piece edition
“Pièce unique”, “Les Cabinotiers” and “AC” Hallmark engraved on the back of the timepiece
Model: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – Wind God
Reference 6600C/000G-B732
Movement
Calibre 1731
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical manual-winding
32.80 mm diameter, 3.90 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 65 hours
3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
265 components
36 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Hours, minutes,
Minute repeater (hours, quarters and minutes on demand)
Case
18K white gold
41 mm diameter, 8.44 mm thick
Case fully hand-engraved with an ornamental pattern and minute repeater slide set with 6 baguette-cut tsavorites for a weight of approximately 0.16 ct
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Dial
18K gold, hand-engraved and hand-enamelled Grand Feu miniature representing the Thunder God
Strap
Green Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Clasp
18K white gold folding clasp
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Presentation box & accessory
Les Cabinotiers model
Edition
Single-piece edition
“Pièce unique”, “Les Cabinotiers” and “AC” Hallmark engraved on the back of the timepiece
Unveiled during the Watches and Wonders 2022 luxury watch event, the new interpretations of the Grande Complication Calibre 945 highlight Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enduring expertise in celestial complications.
The new masterpieces from this series are the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia in pink gold and the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Atomium in white gold. These new works celebrate La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts while reaffirming its technical ingenuity. Each model is offered in a limited edition of five pieces.
Having fully mastered sidereal time – the measurement used by astronomers to track the apparent movement of the constellations across the night sky – the JLC watchmakers are able to create one-of-a-kind calibres that reproduce these astronomical events on the wrist, bringing complications together in fascinating new ways.
Originally created in 2010, Calibre 945 unites a sky chart with a celestial vault, a zodiacal calendar and a minute repeater, and is further elevated by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Cosmotourbillon – a celestial flying tourbillon.
The new “Atomium” and “Galaxia” dials showcase the skills of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® atelier, introducing grisaille enamel to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s repertoire of rare artistic crafts for the first time.
A Cosmotourbillon makes a complete circuit of the dial in one sidereal day, and a Northern Hemisphere sky vault tracks the positions of the constellations in real time, as seen from the Vallée de Joux. The exquisite chimes of a minute repeater complement the celestial timekeeping.
Highlighting the astronomical aspect of time measurement, the watchmakers developed a mechanism able to display the passing of sidereal time, based on the stars. Set at the centre of the dial, the celestial vault maps the Northern Hemisphere night sky as seen from the 46th parallel – the latitude of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux – tracking the position of the constellations in real time.
Enhancing this celestial display, the Cosmotourbillon is elevated beyond its purely technical function as a regulating mechanism, measuring the passing of time as it makes a complete, anti-clockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day.
With a duration of precisely 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds, a sidereal day is defined by Earth’s rotation measured in relation to more distant fixed stars, whereas the 24-hour solar day – our civil time – is measured by Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
A golden sun-shaped pointer set at the edge of the dial indicates the month of the zodiacal calendar and solar time on a 24-hour scale, which is necessary for setting the watch. The Dauphine-shaped hands indicate the minutes and 12-hour cycles of civil time, which are displayed on two concentric rings on the flange of the dial.
An exceptional movement merits an exceptional habillage and the new Master Hybris Artistica Galaxia and Master Hybris Artistica Atomium bring fresh artistic expression to this marriage of complications.
Hand-decorated by the artisans in the Métiers Rares® atelier of the Manufacture, the multiple-level dial amplifies the beauty of the celestial theme while also showcasing the Cosmotourbillon.
For the star map, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces grisaille enamel to its repertoire for the first time. A painterly technique that originated in 16th-century France, grisaille enamel is unique in creating a chiaroscuro effect, with an illusion of three-dimensionality created by half-tones and shading.
First, the enameller must perfect the dark background – traditionally blue or black – building the depth and intensity of colour by applying multiple layers, each of which requires firing. Then, using a super-fine brush, the image is added in white enamel, layer by painstaking layer, again with a firing after each stage.
Because thicker enamel creates lighter areas, its application must be controlled with the utmost skill to achieve the ethereal beauty and apparent depth that make grisaille so beguiling. Thanks to this rarefied technique, the dials of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 depict with utmost artistry the sky that we see above us at night.
In a subtle allusion to the way the night sky seems to form a dome above us when we look at the stars, the dials are constructed on multiple levels, dominated by a domed structure that also wraps around the Cosmotourbillon.
Visible around the edge of the dome and beneath the tourbillon, the deepest level of the dial is a midnight blue or black disc (for the white gold and pink gold cases, respectively) decorated with translucent lacquer over opaline, with transferred white inscriptions for the names of the months, and the tourbillon seconds.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Complication Calibre 945 Galaxia
The dome is formed of two sections. On the black dial of the “Galaxia”, both the outer section of the dome and the inner celestial disc are made of gold, with grisaille enamel depicting the planets, and the star map and names of the constellations transferred over the enamel.
The “Atomium” takes its name from the delicate filigree of silvered metal that forms the outer section of the dome, its shape echoing the lines that link the stars to form constellations. Framed within this, on the domed celestial disc, midnight-blue grisaille enamel and a transferred star map amplify the visual connection to the cosmos.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Complication Calibre 945 Atomium
The dials of the “Galaxia” and “Atomium” are encircled by three concentric rings that carry the indices for solar time. The inner ring, for 24 hours, and outer ring, displaying minutes, are finished in opaline; between them, the hour ring is decorated with enamel over a hand-guilloché base, with applied indexes.
The Master Grande Tradition case is a perfect complement to the artistic dials and mechanical sophistication of these sumptuous pieces. Comprising more than 80 parts, its convex bezel is complemented by broad bevels on the lugs; the hollowed-out sides of the lugs add dynamic tension, while the repeater slide is tapered to harmonise with the curving case sides. Different surfaces are microblasted, polished and satin-brushed to maximise the play of light and emphasise the details.
This exceptional timepiece also takes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in chiming watches to new heights by uniting the astronomical complications with a minute repeater.
The technical difficulty of creating minute repeater lies in the complexity of the mechanism needed to transcribe the precise time shown by the hands into a series of perfectly programmed strikes, with different sounds for hours, quarters and minutes.
The artistic challenge is that, this being a miniaturised musical instrument, the chimes must be pure, harmonious and clearly audible. At Jaeger-LeCoultre, this continuing quest for the ideal sound has produced several patented innovations, including crystal gongs, trebuchet hammers and a silent governor.
In the minute repeater mechanism of Calibre 945, these inventions contribute a special magic that complements the romance of celestial timekeeping.
Case
Pink gold or white gold with micro-blasted, satin and polished finishes
Dimensions: 45mm x 16.05mm
Sapphire case-back
Water resistance: 5 bar
Movement
Manual mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 945
Frequency: 28,800
Power reserve: 40 hours
Functions
Hours/minutes, months, 24-hour indication; Cosmotourbillon indicating sidereal time; celestial disc with star chart indicating the constellations in the northern hemisphere in real time; minute repeater, zodiacal calendar
Dial
Black dial with grisaille enamel (in pink gold case) or blue dial with silvered laser-welded structure (in white gold case)
Patek Philippe has launched a high-jewellery version of the Ref. 5374 Grand Complication with minute repeater and perpetual calendar. The platinum case and bezel of the new Patek Philippe 5374/300P-001 are paved with baguette-cut diamonds.
This new reference comes with a stunning the blue-lacquered dial. The flange is set with baguette-cut diamond minute markers and baguette-cut blue sapphire hour markers.
The Patek Philippe 5374/300P-001 Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar is equipped with the self-winding caliber R 27 Q. Its Minute repeater mechanism with “cathedral” gongs emits a deep, rich sound.
The watch is adorned with a total of 228 baguette-cut diamonds (11.62 cts) and 13 baguette-cut sapphires (0.72 ct).
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5374/300P-001
Movement
Self-winding mechanical movement
Caliber R 27 Q
Functions
Minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs
Perpetual calendar
Day, date, month, leap year and 24-hour indication by hands
Moon phases
Case
Platinum case
Interchangeable solid and sapphire crystal case backs
Humidity- and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 12.28 mm
Dial
Blue-lacquered, black-gradient rim
Sapphire hour markers and diamond minute markers
18K gold dial plate
Bracelet
Alligator leather with square scales, hand-stitched, shiny dusk blue
Diamond-set fold-over clasp
Gem-setting
Bezel and flange: 120 diamonds (7.1 ct)
Flange hour-markers: 13 sapphires (0.72 ct)
Case-band and slide: 86 diamonds (3.5 ct)
Clasp: 22 diamonds (1.02 ct)
Total of 228 baguette-cut diamonds (11.62 cts) and 13 baguette-cut sapphires (0.72 ct)
Vacheron Constantin has created a single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers timepiece evoking the legend of the Flying Dutchman. This unique piece belongs to the newly inducted “Les Royaumes Aquatiques® series inspired by the world of the sea and its accompanying mythology.
This single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers minute repeater and tourbillon watch was inspired by the Flying Dutchman and his ghost ship. Interpreted on a dial in miniature enamel painting and grisaille enamel, the ship sails into the heart of the storm on raging waves streaked with lightning. In-house developed and produced Manufacture Calibre 2755 TMR is regulated by a one-minute tourbillon and equipped with a minute repeater mechanism.
Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon – Flying Dutchman is a watch inspired by this legend of the seas dating back to the 17th century.
The strikingly realistic dial of this unique timepiece offers a spectral vision of the ghost ship, plunging through the waves in the middle of a storm. With the sea raging and the waves threatening, lightning streaking across a full moon sky, the stage is set for a dramatic vision of this vessel. It is as if the minute repeater of the watch has been designed to sound the death knell of any sailor crossing its path, in order to drag him into the swirling depths of a mechanical sea.
The dial is a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship staging a spectacular show in its own right. To create it, Vacheron Constantin’s master artisan drew on a rarely used technique combining miniature enamel painting and grisaille enamel.
This single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers watch is powered by the 471-component minute repeater and tourbillon Calibre 2755 TMR. Derived from Calibre 2755, Vacheron Constantin’s signature movement for Grand Complication models, this manual-winding version is equipped with a one-minute tourbillon, beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and endowed with a 58-hour power reserve displayed on the back.
The mechanism is complemented by a minute repeater serving to sound the time on demand. To create this particularly complex chiming mechanism, which is controlled by a sliding bolt on the bezel, Vacheron Constantin’s engineers and master watchmakers drew inspiration from the work done on the 2005 La Tour de l’Île anniversary watch, and its strike governor in particular.
This system enables the duration of the musical sequences to be perfectly timed so as to achieve a distinct and harmonious sound of the notes playing the hours, quarters and minutes by hammers striking two circular gongs. The model is thus equipped with a perfectly silent centripetal flywheel strike governor that avoids any undue wear on the mechanism.
Calibre 2755 TMR features Fine Watchmaking finishes including meticulous hand-bevelling of the bridges adorned with a Côtes de Genève motif, circular-graining of the baseplate and rounding off applied to the tourbillon carriage bars.
The fact that each part composing the movement is hand-finished and decorated – whatever its place within the mechanism and even when hidden from sight –demonstrates the same meticulous care displayed on the dial and representing an integral part of Vacheron Constantin’s signature aesthetic quest in which overall beauty and harmony stems from the attention lavished on even the smallest details.
Calibre 2755 TMR is housed in a 18K white gold case measuring 45 mm in diameter and 13.52 mm thick and fitted with a dark blue alligator leather strap secured by a white gold folding clasp.
“Les Royaumes Aquatiques®” (aquatic kingdoms) evoke the wonderful world of the sea and its accompanying mythology. The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of models and to unique creations. For this year, Vacheron Constantin has chosen “Les Royaumes Aquatiques®” as the theme for its single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers timepieces.
Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon – Flying Dutchman watch perfectly fits Vacheron Constantin’s annual theme “The Anatomy of Beauty®” which celebrates the Maison’s attentiveness to detail. This extraordinarily painstaking care is expressed through the designers’ aesthetic choices and preferences as well as in the meticulous finishing work performed by the artisans.
All the components of the Vacheron Constantin Flying Dutchman watch benefit from this scrupulous attention, even those that remain invisible once the movement has been assembled.
Movement
Caliber 2755 TMR
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.9 mm diameter, 7.1 mm thick
Approximately 48 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
471 components
40 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva
Indications
Hours, minutes
Small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage
Minute repeater, tourbillon and power-reserve indication on the case-back side
Setting
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Case
18K white gold with case
45 mm diameter, 13.52 mm thick
Dial
18K gold covered with “Grand Feu” miniature enamelling and grisaille enamelling representing a “Flying Dutchman”
18K white gold hands
Strap
Dark blue Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle
18K white gold folding clasp
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
A leading specialist in celestial complications, Jaeger-LeCoultre reinterprets its Grande Complication Calibre 945 with two magnificent new interpretations for 2022: Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia in pink gold and Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Atomium in white gold.
Each offered in a limited edition of five pieces, these new works celebrate La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts while reaffirming its technical ingenuity.
Originally created in 2010, Calibre 945 unites a sky chart with a celestial vault, a zodiacal calendar and a minute repeater, and is further elevated by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Cosmotourbillon – a celestial flying tourbillon.
Highlighting the astronomical aspect of time measurement, the brand’s watchmakers developed a mechanism able to display the passing of sidereal time, based on the stars. Set at the centre of the dial, the celestial vault maps the Northern Hemisphere night sky as seen from the 46th parallel – the latitude of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux – tracking the position of the constellations in real time.
Enhancing this celestial display, the Cosmotourbillon is elevated beyond its purely technical function as a regulating mechanism, measuring the passing of time as it makes a complete, anti-clockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day. With a duration of precisely 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds, a sidereal day is defined by Earth’s rotation measured in relation to more distant fixed stars, whereas the 24-hour solar day is measured by Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
A golden sun-shaped pointer set at the edge of the dial indicates the month of the zodiacal calendar and solar time on a 24-hour scale, which is necessary for setting the watch. The Dauphine-shaped hands indicate the minutes and 12-hour cycles of civil time, which are displayed on two concentric rings on the flange of the dial.
Hand-decorated by the artisans in the Métiers Rares® atelier of the Manufacture, the multiple-level dial amplifies the beauty of the celestial theme while also showcasing the Cosmotourbillon.
For the star map, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces grisaille enamel to its repertoire for the first time. A painterly technique that originated in 16th-century France, grisaille enamel is unique in creating a chiaroscuro effect, with an illusion of three-dimensionality created by half-tones and shading. Thanks to this rarefied technique, the dials of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 depict with utmost artistry the sky that we see above us at night.
In a subtle allusion to the way the night sky seems to form a dome above us when we look at the stars, the dials are constructed on multiple levels, dominated by a domed structure that also wraps around the Cosmotourbillon.
Visible around the edge of the dome and beneath the tourbillon, the deepest level of the dial is a midnight blue or black disc (for the white gold and pink gold cases, respectively) decorated with translucent lacquer over opaline, with transferred white inscriptions for the names of the months, and the tourbillon seconds.
The dome is formed of two sections. On the black dial of the “Galaxia”, both the outer section of the dome and the inner celestial disc are made of gold, with grisaille enamel depicting the planets, and the star map and names of the constellations transferred over the enamel.
The “Atomium” takes its name from the delicate filigree of silvered metal that forms the outer section of the dome, its shape echoing the lines that link the stars to form constellations. Framed within this, on the domed celestial disc, midnight-blue grisaille enamel and a transferred star map amplify the visual connection to the cosmos.
The dials of the “Galaxia” and “Atomium” are encircled by three concentric rings that carry the indices for solar time. The inner ring, for 24 hours, and outer ring, displaying minutes, are finished in opaline; between them, the hour ring is decorated with enamel over a hand-guilloché base, with applied indexes.
The Master Grande Tradition case is a perfect complement to the artistic dials and mechanical sophistication of these sumptuous pieces.
Comprising more than 80 parts, its convex bezel is complemented by broad bevels on the lugs; the hollowed-out sides of the lugs add dynamic tension, while the repeater slide is tapered to harmonise with the curving case sides. Different surfaces are microblasted, polished and satin-brushed to maximise the play of light and emphasise the details.
This exceptional timepiece also takes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in chiming watches to new heights by uniting the astronomical complications with a minute repeater – considered to be the most challenging and rewarding of all horological complications for a watchmaker to master.
The technical difficulty of creating one lies in the complexity of the mechanism needed to transcribe the precise time shown by the hands into a series of perfectly programmed strikes, with different sounds for hours, quarters and minutes. The artistic challenge is that, this being a miniaturised musical instrument, the chimes must be pure, harmonious and clearly audible.
At Jaeger-LeCoultre, this continuing quest for the ideal sound has produced several patented innovations, including crystal gongs, trebuchet hammers and a silent governor. In the minute repeater mechanism of Calibre 945, these inventions contribute a special magic that complements the romance of celestial timekeeping.
Case
Pink gold or white gold with micro-blasted, satin and polished finishes; sapphire case-back
Dimensions: 45mm x 16.05mm
Calibre: manual mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 945
Frequency: 28,800
Power reserve: 40 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, months, 24-hour indication
Cosmotourbillon indicating sidereal time
Celestial disc with star chart indicating the constellations in the northern hemisphere in real time
Minute repeater
Zodiacal calendar
Dial
Black dial with grisaille enamel (in pink gold case) or blue dial with silvered laser-welded structure (in white gold case)
Water resistance: 5 bar
Vacheron Constantin has created a unique Les Cabinotiers timepiece endowed with a minute repeater equipped with a centripetal flying strike regulator and a split-seconds monopusher chronograph.
Equipped with the new manual-winding in-house Calibre 2757, this unique Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph is in keeping with the grand tradition of Vacheron Constantin’s complicated watches.
The construction of this calibre, which consists of integrating an additional split-seconds chronograph mechanism into a basic minute repeater movement, represents a technical feat. The combination of these functions with a tourbillon has rarely been seen in the world of pocket watches, is almost non-existent in the world of wristwatches, and represents a first for Vacheron Constantin in a wristwatch.
This timepiece is also distinguished by a concern for the purity of the dial and the legibility of its chronograph functions. The tourbillon is visible only through the case back, while the off-centre display of the time and chronograph indications highlights the two central chronograph hands. The presence of a minute repeater is revealed by the slide-piece positioned on the left-hand side of the watch.
As early as 1819, Vacheron Constantin produced a pocket watch with independent deadbeat seconds and quarter repeater, at the time one of the first of its kind, which is now kept in the private collection of the Maison.
The deadbeat seconds mechanism, which allows the central second hand to advance in one-second jumps, played an important role in the measurement of short times. By making this mechanism independent by means of an additional gear train, watchmakers developed what is considered the ancestor of the chronograph towards the end of the 18th century. With such a device, it is now possible to stop the seconds hand without affecting the time indications.
The split-seconds chronograph was first introduced with a single-hand system in 1831, followed by the two-hand configuration in 1838. Vacheron Constantin quickly integrated these developments into the pocket chronographs of the time, as confirmed by an 1889 split-seconds timepiece dispatched to Buenos Aires for a horse racing enthusiast.
Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers have developed the 698-component manual-winding Calibre 2757. Such a large number of parts denote a rare degree of horological complexity. Even in the world of grand complications, calibres are often of simpler design and made with far fewer components.
Given this intensely technical nature, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers have nonetheless risen to the challenge of elegance by successfully arranging the complications of this timepiece within a remarkably slender movement measuring barely 10.4 mm thick and 33.3 mm in diameter.
Calibre 2757, operating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and endowed with an approximately 60-hour power reserve, enables short time measurement with 1/5th of a second precision appearing on the graduated minute-track. The unusual configuration of the dark grey dial has been designed to ensure optimum visibility of the split-seconds chronograph.
The hours and minutes are displayed on an offset subdial, leaving room for the 30-minute chronograph counter prominently placed at 2 o’clock. The layout is complemented by small seconds at 6 o’clock, indicating that the watch is in operation, thereby leaving plenty of space for the two central chronograph hands.
The very construction of the movement, particularly in terms of its chronographic functions, is based on the imperative of performance. In the watchmaking world, where many great inventions belong to the past, innovation often consists in optimising the operation of a calibre.
This approach begins with the development of the movement and continues with the use of new materials. This same approach is reflected in Calibre 2757, whose additional split-seconds chronograph plate has been specially designed to ensure efficiency thanks to the in-depth arrangement of its components.
This optimisation of volumes, despite the thinness of the calibre, is also accompanied by new materials. Some of the wheels in the going train have been made of titanium or electroformed in nickel- phosphorus with a toothing profile specific to Vacheron Constantin, the goal being to ensure better gear penetration so as to avoid any jerking of the seconds hand. Silicon, an ultra-light material that requires no lubrication, is also used for one of the split-seconds levers and its insulator.
These savings in component weight and friction thus reduce the loss of energy amplitude from the barrel, thereby maintaining a comfortable power reserve of up to 50 hours with the chronograph activated.
For short-time measurements, a function demanding extreme regularity in terms of precision, Vacheron Constantin watchmakers have opted for a construction with two column wheels: the first devoted to the chronograph and the other to the split-seconds mechanism. This chronograph is thus controlled by a single pusher at 2 o’clock for the basic functions (start/stop/reset) and by the one at 4 o’clock for the split-seconds (stop/reset).
Pressing the latter stops the seconds hand on an intermediate time while the first hand continues running. Pressing it again enables the split-seconds hand to join the first seconds hand in counting off time. Two scales further enhance the technical nature of this timepiece.
The tachymeter scale, screen-printed in white on a 1,000-metre base, enables the average speed in km/h to be calculated over the first minute of timekeeping; the telemeter scale in red is used to calculate distances of up to 20 km according to the speed of sound (340 metres/second).
The chronograph functions are complemented by a minute repeater, activated by the lever on the left-hand side of the case. An essential complication for musical watches, the minute repeater has been part of Vacheron Constantin’s watchmaking vocabulary for more than two centuries, sounding the hours, quarters and minutes on demand.
The first known mention of a Vacheron Constantin chiming watch in the production records dates back to 1806, with a gold quarter-repeater pocket watch. Since that date, chiming and repeater watches have been part of the Maison’s heritage that has continued to grow over the decades.
Calibre 2757 is the direct heir to this tradition, benefiting from the technical developments perfected within the Manufacture. These include an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator.
In a minute repeater watch, this mechanism regulates the duration of the musical sequence so that the notes can be heard distinctly and harmoniously. This system is distinguished by its two weights whose very special shape has been optimised to act as a brake by means of centripetal force acting on the governor’s rotating shaft, thereby evening out the energy released by the barrel and regulated by the tourbillon. This original device is also perfectly silent. Visible exclusively through the caseback, the tourbillon is distinguished by a carriage whose shape is inspired by the Maison’s Maltese cross emblem. Held by a delicately hand-chamfered bridge, this regulator carriage performs one complete rotation per minute.
Presented in a 45 mm-diameter 750/1000 5N pink gold case with an exhibition back and on an alligator leather strap with gold folding clasp, this watch represents a technical feat as well as epitomising extraordinary mastery in the field of watchmaking finishing.
A signature feature of Vacheron Constantin watches is that each component is finely decorated with hand-made finishes before being assembled, even when destined to remain hidden. These surfaces that is alternately bevelled, polished, satin-finished, frosted, circular-grained or engraved and beadblasted create a play of light that brings out all the magic of Vacheron Constantin’s calibres and contributes to the brand’s intrinsic anatomy of beauty.
The assembly, setting into operation and casing-up of this Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater split-seconds monopusher chronograph movement thus represents only one third of the time devoted to the watch, as opposed to two thirds devoted to the calibre finishing.
The contrast between the bridges and maintaining plate with Vacheron Constantin’s signature black coating and the “metallic” moving parts already acts as a revelation of this kinetic art, which takes shape thanks to the meticulous attention lavished on details.
On the dial side, the skeletonised bridges, with their hand-chamfered and straight-grained flanks feature a circular satin finish. The wheels, with their chamfered arms, are burnished and polished, a complex operation that requires special tools for the titanium wheels.
On the caseback side of the movement, the watchmaker in charge of the timepiece – who carries out all the assembly and finishing operations right the way through to timing and casing-up in the manner of 18th century cabinotiers – has created an original decoration, in keeping with this remarkable timepiece.
The blackened bridges featured a hollowed-out surface that has been sandblasted to a very fine grain by hand, topped by a mirror-polished sink. This magnificent execution, which plays on the reflections of light between the matt and the shiny, brings out the “musical” components of the movement. The strike governor is notably engraved with the initials J.M.C. in tribute to Jean-Marc Vacheron and features a bar whose delicate rounding off involves 12 hours of meticulous hand craftsmanship. The Tourbillon Bridge is engraved with Vacheron Constantin’s Maltese cross emblem.
The single-piece watch Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph features a concern for impeccable finishing and meticulous decoration of all watch components, even those that remain invisible, vividly illustrating Vacheron Constantin’s theme for 2022:”The Anatomy of Beauty®”.
Technical details
Model: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph
Reference: 9750C/000R-002C
Movement
Calibre 2757
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.30 mm diameter, 10.40 mm thick
Approximately 60 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
698 components
59 jewels
Poinçon de Genève
Functions
Off-centred/Offset hours and minutes
Chronograph
Split-seconds chronograph
Small seconds
30-minute counter
Minute repeater
Tourbillon
Case
18K 5N pink gold
45 mm diameter, 16.4 mm thick
Dial
Dark grey dial
Hours, minutes and seconds hands: 18K 5N pink gold, polished
Chronograph and split-seconds chronograph hands: gold-toned aluminium, matt
Strap
Black Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle 18K 5N pink gold folding clasp, Half Maltese cross-shaped
A. Lange & Söhne has enriched the RICHARD LANGE watch family with a stunning minute repeater watch in platinum. Limited to 50 pieces, this elegantly crafted acoustic complication timepiece comes with a white, three-part enamel dial.
The complex design of the RICHARD LANGE MINUTE REPEATER is based on the traditional sound format: when the slide integrated into the left-hand case flank is actuated, the chiming mechanism strikes the hours, the quarter hours, and the minutes. It follows a mechanical programme that with two differently tuned gongs can strike 720 different sequences – one for every minute in the twelve-hour cycle.
The hours sound at a lower pitch, the quarter hours with a double tone, and the minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour with a higher-pitched tone. When the repeater sequence is activated, the sapphire-crystal caseback reveals exactly how the mirror-polished gong hammers execute the respective sequence of strikes on the two gongs that are wrapped around the movement. A refined system of artistically choreographed racks, snails, levers, and wheels controls the 191-part mechanism.
The RICHARD LANGE MINUTE REPEATER is designed to superb acoustic quality standards. The tuning effort involved corresponds to that of an exquisite musical instrument. A lucid, clear, and reverberant sound is assured by the hand-tuned gongs that harmonise perfectly with the acoustic characteristics of platinum, the case material. All components are carefully harmonised with one another by a Lange master watchmaker. This requires multiple disassemblies, reworking, reassembly and finally testing. Much of the manufacture time is thus dedicated to perfecting the sound.
In the RICHARD LANGE MINUTE REPEATER, three technical facets stand for the quest of the Saxon manufactory to continuously take watchmaking artistry a step further. Thus, the chiming mechanism has a pause elimination feature. It skips the otherwise common pause between the hour and minute strike when no double tone must be struck for the quarter hours in the first 14 minutes after the top of the hour.
To prevent damage to the chiming mechanism, it was equipped with a safety device so that the minute repeater cannot be activated while the crown is pulled out. Further, the crown cannot be pulled out when the chiming mechanism is active. Finally, the patented hammer blocker causes the hammers to dwell in their home position for fractions of a second after the gongs have been struck. Thus, the re-bounding hammers cannot bounce and strike the gongs again.
The platinum case has a diameter of 39mm and a height of only 9.7mm. It features the typical satin-finished flanks and prominently domed strap lugs.
The three-part white enamel dial has a solid-gold core and is crafted in-house. The outer ring and the middle part of the main dial as well as the subsidiary seconds dial are hand-crafted individually in an elaborate process before all three parts are joined together. The white radiant background assures a crisp contrast for the thermally blued steel hands.
The printed inscriptions are burned into the surface. They include the slender Roman numerals typical of the watch family. Accentuated by the peripheral railway track minute scale and the subsidiary seconds at six o’clock, they emphasise the classic character of the watch. A fine red line above the twelve adds a subtle colour accent.
The watch is worn on a black, hand-stitched leather strap with a platinum deployant buckle. The edition is limited to 50 pieces.
The new, manually wound movement L122.1 addresses all expectations that are associated with the A. Lange & Söhne brand. The sapphire-crystal caseback reveals the entire scope of artisanal finissage. It includes the freehand engraving of the balance cock with the eye-catching whiplash spring.
With its lateral setscrew, it can be used to precisely adjust the interaction between the pallet lever and escapement, referred to as the “beat”. Six bearing jewels are set in polished gold chatons on a three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver and decorated with Glashütte ribbing. Four of the chatons are secured with thermally blued screws. The winding train, decorated with solarisation, is visibly integrated into the plate.
Additionally, the partially visible chiming mechanism features some finish details. The gong hammers are elaborately finished with black polish and the manually bent gongs are polished as well. All bridges of the chiming mechanism are visually paired with solarisation. Among them, the bridge above the centrifugal governor is skeletonised.
Generous openings reveal the most dynamic component of the movement: balanced with two mirror-polished gold weights, the centrifugal governor rotates at a speed of more than 2,000 revolutions per minute when the striking mechanism is running. This guarantees the uniform cadence of the strikes.
The 69th Lange manufacture calibre features a screw balance and a freely oscillating Breguet balance spring made in-house with an overcoiled external Breguet terminal curve. The escapement operates at a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 hertz). The mainspring barrel delivers power for up to 72 hours.
Technical details
Model: A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Minute Repeater
Ref. 606.079F
Movement
Lange manufacture calibre L122.1, manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver; balance cock engraved by hand
Diameter: 30.0 millimetres
Height: 5.4 millimetres
Movement parts: 415
Jewels: 40
Screwed gold chatons: 4
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillation system: Shock-resistant screw balance; superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house with patented spring clamp, frequency 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour, precision beat adjustment sys-tem with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
Power reserve: 72 hours when fully wound
Functions
Time in hours and minutes, subsidiary seconds with stop sec-onds, chiming mechanism with minute repeater
Operating elements
Crown for winding the watch and setting the time; slide for activating the minute repeater
Case
950 platinum
Diameter: 39.0 millimetres
Height: 9.7 millimetres
Crystal and caseback: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Water resistance: To 2 bar (20 metres)
Dial
18-carat white gold, white-enamelled
Hands: Blued steel
Strap
Hand-stitched leather strap, black
Deployant buckle in 950 platinum
The single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus combines Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in grand complication watches with its mastery of artistic crafts. This double-sided wristwatch comprises 16 complications, essentially astronomical and calendar-related, powered by Calibre 2755 GC16 with minute repeater and tourbillon. A technical feat housed in an 18K 5N gold case whose middle is sculpted in bas-relief. In tribute to the Roman god of vines and wine, this “Bacchus” watch finds another source of inspiration in Johannes Kepler, resulting in a captivating association between mythology and astronomy.
The 18K 5N pink gold case of this Les Cabinotiers timepiece features a decoration composed of vine leaves interspersed with bunches of ruby grapes. The engraver’s work is complemented by that of the gem-setter on the outside of the case in giving life to figurative motifs, making this watch a piece of fine craftsmanship.
The case decoration continues on the bezel and case-back with a hand engraving depicting vine leaves. The difficulty implied by this intaglio engraving lies in the absence of a border or contour line. Hollowed out across the entire width of the bezel, the garland thus stands alone thanks to the metronomic regularity of the motif. This latter aspect is picked up on the two fastening options – folding clasp and pin buckle.
To create the movement of this highly complicated watch, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers took the Tour de l’Île as a reference, a timepiece presented in 2005 as a tribute to 250 years of watchmaking expertise cultivated by the Geneva-based Manufacture. In the same spirit, the Les Cabinotiers – Bacchus timepiece combines 16 complications, making it one of the most complex watches produced by the Maison. Its manual winding Calibre 2755 GC16 is equipped with a tourbillon regulator to compensate for the effects of the earth’s gravity on the mechanism.
Featuring a cage shaped like Vacheron Constantin’s signature Maltese cross emblem, the tourbillon completes one full rotation per minute, thus serving as a small seconds indicator. This watch also incorporates a minute repeater chiming the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. To avoid unnecessary noise as well as wear and tear on the mechanism, the striking of the gongs is equipped with an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator. This perfectly silent device regulates the duration of the musical sequences so as to obtain clear, distinct and regular sounds.
The calendar and astronomical functions play a starring role on both sides of the watch. On the front, where the mechanical ballet of the tourbillon can be admired at 6 o’clock, the perpetual calendar indications are displayed on three counters. Positioned in the upper part of the dial, they respectively show the date, day and month.
Designed to keep track of the Gregorian calendar’s vagaries without any need for adjustment until 2100, this horological complication is further enhanced by the indication of the leap-year cycle. The latter appears in a small aperture next to the hand indicating the torque of the minute repeater mechanism between 1 and 2 o’clock. This striking mechanism power reserve is matched by an indication of the movement power reserve, which can be read by means of a serpentine pointer coaxial with the day of the week hand.
The complex mechanics of this piece also provide an astronomical reading of time representing a tribute to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), regarded as one of the founders of modern astronomy for having discovered the laws of planetary motion, in perfect agreement with Copernicus’ heliocentric hypotheses. The first astronomical functions thus appear on this same opaline champagne-coloured dial, starting with the equation of time positioned between 10 and 11 o’clock.
As the Earth’s path around the Sun is not circular but elliptical, and since the Earth’s axis is inclined at 24° to the plane of its orbit, the time between two zenith passages of the Sun is not the same throughout the year. This difference between the (true) solar day and the (average) 24-hour civil day ranges from -16 to +14 minutes depending on the time of year and coincides only four times a year. Called the equation of time, or time correction in astronomical language, this differential is displayed by a dedicated pointer, while sunrise and sunset times – adjusted according to a reference city – appear at the bottom of the dial.
The sidereal time display finds its place the back of the watch in the shape of a rotating disc depicting the celestial vault with its constellations observable from the Northern hemisphere. Taking a fixed star in the sky as a reference point, the time required for the Earth to complete a full 360° rotation, or sidereal day, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
Since the Earth is both spinning on its axis and revolving around the Sun, it takes about four minutes less than a calendar day to return to its point of origin relative to a given star. On this model, the “celestial” disc thus performs a complete rotation according to sidereal time with the time displayed on the periphery, opposite the date appearing on the periphery of the mobile disc.
This same date is read off by a large central hand moving over the fixed outer flange bearing a scale graduated in five-day increments. This hand also indicates the sign of the zodiac, the season and the four dates corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes. Finally, the small central hand indicates the age of the moon.
Comprising 839 parts and measuring a total 33.90 mm in diameter and 12.15 mm thick, this extremely complex movement is endowed with a 58-hour power reserve. It displays all its functions in a perfectly legible manner on both sides. The balance oscillates at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz).
The 47 mm-diameter 18K 5N pink gold case has been specifically designed to provide the best possible sound quality for the minute repeater.
Technical details
Model: Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus
Reference 9700C/000R-B755
Movement
Caliber 2755 GC16
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.90 mm diameter, 12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
839 components
42 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Front side: Hours, minutes, small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage – Minute repeater – Tourbillon – Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year) – Power reserve indication – Equation of time – Sunrise time – Sunset time – Alarm torque indication
Back side: Sky chart – Age and phases of the moon – Sidereal hours and minutes – Seasons, zodiac signs
Crowns and pushers
Setting Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case
Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece
Case
18K 5N pink gold with bezel and back side hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and case band hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and gem-set with 113 rubies for a total weight of approximately 1.84 cts representing bunch of grapes
47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick
Strap
Dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle: 18K 5N pink gold folding clasp and buckle hand-engraved with a “vine leaves” pattern; Half Maltese cross-shaped
Box
Les Cabinotiers Prestige box
Accessories
Delivered with a corrector pen and a magnifying glass
A winder box
Edition
Single-piece edition
« Les Cabinotiers », « Pièce unique », « AC » hallmark engraved on caseback
Patek Philippe presents a state-of-the-art Minute Repeater watch developed by its “Advanced Research” department.
For this new acoustic complication watch, Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” has developed a totally new all-mechanical sound amplifying system. This fortissimo “ff” module consists of a flexibly suspended sound lever and an oscillating wafer made of transparent sapphire-crystal glass. In comparison with conventional minute repeaters and regardless of the case material, it delivers clearly amplified sound of excellent acoustic quality.
Carrying four patents, the ground-breaking technology is presented in the Ref. 5750 “Advanced Research” minute repeater, a special limited edition consisting of 15 watches cased in platinum and endowed with a unique dial design.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5750 “Advanced Research” Minute Repeater
Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” Innovations for Minute repeaters
(1) A sound amplification system with a sapphire-crystal oscillating wafer
Departing from the famous self-winding caliber R 27, the movement with which Patek Philippe in 1989 ushered in the grand comeback of the minute repeater, the engineers and designers at Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” searched for a way to amplify the volume of the time strike in a purely mechanical manner while preserving the excellent acoustic quality as well as the smallest possible dimensions.
After several technical forays in various directions, they decided to preserve the design of the base movement and then on the bridge side (the side facing the wrist) to add a module that works like a mechanical loudspeaker. But unlike normal loudspeakers, the amplification of the sound does not rely on a flexible diaphragm which like the skin of a drum is attached along its periphery. Instead of a membrane, the system for which Patek Philippe registered three patents has an oscillating wafer made of synthetic sapphire with a thickness of 0.2 mm.
Thanks to its angular motion, this rigid and freely movable wafer provides clearly better sound propagation for the confined volume of a wristwatch. The transparency of the sapphire glass also preserves the unobstructed view of the movement through the case back. To implement this heavily miniaturized system, the developers had to master considerable challenges, both in design and in production.
(2) A flexibly suspended sound lever
To achieve sound transmission from the gongs of the minute repeater to the sapphire-glass oscillating wafer, the engineers developed a system with a steel sound lever that is attached in the middle of the oscillating wafer. The other end of this sound lever that resembles a tuning fork features a flexible attachment with a thickness of 0.08 mm.
When the hammers strike the gongs, their oscillations are transmitted to the sound lever which in a first phase amplifies them and transmits them to the rigid oscillating wafer where they are further amplified. The angular motion of the oscillating wafer excites the air layers above and beneath the sapphire glass, producing a noticeably louder sound.
(3) A new type of sound propagation
Parallel to the integration of the fortissimo “ff” amplifier module, the team also developed a totally new sound propagation system. In a classic minute repeater, the strikes of the hammers on the gongs create oscillations of the entire watch. The sound is propagated on all sides by the case, the back, and the crystal glass.
Therefore, the case material has a significant influence on the sound, whereby rose gold is considered the best precious metal for sound propagation while platinum, with its higher material density, presents the greatest acoustic challenge. In the minute repeater with the fortissimo module, an insulation rim made of a high-tech composite material acoustically uncouples the amplifier from the movement. The sound is first routed to the sound lever and then to the oscillating wafer and subsequently propagated through four openings at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock in a titanium ring.
The sound waves exit through a narrow slot between the case back and the case band. A dust filter protects the movement without affecting the sound. So the case material does not influence the sound and its propagation. It is always of the same quality, regardless of whether the case material is rose, yellow, or white gold or platinum.
(4) A distinctly louder and totally harmonious sound
The fortissimo module attached in the case back allows the sound to be heard at a six-fold larger distance. So a classic minute repeater on the wrist, at a distance of 10 m, sounds as loud and clear as an amplified minute repeater at a distance of 60 m. The manufacture also leveraged its rich experience in the domain of chiming watches to create a reverberating sound that also pleases the ear; this requires considerable dexterity and acute hearing.
Even though the sound amplified by the fortissimo module differs slightly from that of other minute repeaters, it offers the harmonic quality and acoustic richness that underpin the unique reputation of Patek Philippe minute repeaters and arouse enthusiasm with a long resonant fade out relative to the “attack” (hardness). Additionally, the maximum duration of the time strike (32 strikes at 12:59) – it usually lasts 17 to 18 seconds – was extended to 20 to 21 seconds, allowing the gongs to fade somewhat longer.
(5) Platinum components
Apart from the additional fortissimo module, the caliber R 27 PS benefits from further technical enhancements with respect to materials and design factors. The minute repeater hammers, originally in steel, were replaced with platinum hammers, a patented solution that in this specific case improves the quality of the strike in line with the directives of the Patek Philippe Seal and produces a softer strike as well without reducing its sonority. A minirotor in platinum replaces the eccentrically recessed minirotor in 22K gold; thanks to the greater material density, it delivers the same winding power with a thinner design. With it, the thickness of the fortissimo module can at least be partially offset.
Ref. 5750P Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” Minute Repeater
The Ref. 5750P Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” minute repeater comes in a sleek case with a slightly domed bezel. It is inspired by the Ref. 5178 minute repeater with cathedral gongs, has the same diameter of 40 mm. However, with a height of 11.1 mm, it is 0.57 mm thicker. To demonstrate the efficiency of the fortissimo system, the manufacture opted for platinum, the material that poses the greatest acoustic challenges. It is a limited edition of 15 watches.
In its center, the five-part elaborately constructed dial features an openworked motif inspired by the spoked wheels of vintage automobiles. It stands out against the black background with snailed spiraling lines. The subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock consists of a rotating disc with the same open-worked motif against a black snailed background and a small marker that serves as a hand – a movable element which creates a unique, dynamic effect. The time is indicated by flat Dauphine hands in white gold and applied kite-type hour markers in blackened white gold.
The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the hammers and the classic gongs of the minute repeater as well as the sound lever in the shape of a tuning fork that carries the transparent oscillating wafer of the fortissimo amplifier system. A pierced Calatrava cross decorates the cover of the centrifugal governor that assures the regular rhythm of the time strikes. The spectacular outlook also shows the Gyromax® balance spring in Silinvar® launched in 2006 by Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” as well as the large bridge with Geneva striping and carefully chamfered and polished edges.
The platinum minirotor sports a ray pattern in the style of the dial; it was created with a laser-based light-absorbing surface texturing technique that allows certain segments to appear black. This limited special edition is worn on a shiny orange alligator strap with black contrast seams and a platinum fold-over clasp.
Patents
Loudspeaker with freely oscillating wafer: PCT/EP2021/066501 – TIMEPIECE COMPONENT COMPRISING A SOUND AMPLIFICATION DEVICE.
Platinum hammers: CH00153/21 – STRIKEWORK MECHANISM COMPRISING A STRIKEWORK HAMMER AND A STRIKEWORK GONG, IN REFERENCE TO SAID STRIKEWORK HAMMER AND IN REFERENCE TO SAID STRIKEWORK GONG.
Helical gongs with a coplanar attachment assure the balanced amplification of the hour and minute strikes
EP21203307.0 – BOSSED GONG ASSEMBLY FOR THE STRIKING MECHANISM OF A MOVEMENT
About Patek Philippe “Advanced Research”
Founded in 2005, the Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” department has meanwhile been integrated in the Research & Development division and vested with the task of pursuing high-end research in the fields of new materials, technologies, and conceptual fundamentals intended to open totally new perspectives in the domain of watchmaking.
To attain these objectives, the manufacture has established unique competencies, called together its best specialists, and provided them with the latest technical resources, including instruments required for computer simulation. The engineers at Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” also collaborate with independent external research facilities such as the Centre suisse d’électronique et de microtechnique de Neuchâtel (CSEM) or the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL).
Since 2005, Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” has stood out with pioneering work in the innovative field of Silinvar®, a derivative of silicon with phenomenal characteristics for watchmaking applications (temperature compensating, lightweight, lubricant-free, antimagnetic, etc.).
Concurrently, the manufacture presented the first escape wheel in Silinvar® (2005), followed by the Spiromax® balance spring (2006), the Pulsomax® escapement (2008), the Oscillomax® ensemble (2011), and a further optimized version of the Spiromax® balance spring (2017). Each of these technology leaps was accompanied by the launch of a wristwatch in limited editions that were the first to be endowed with the innovative components. In the meantime, most of the movements for the current Patek Philippe watch collections are equipped with Spiromax® balance springs made of Silinvar®.
In 2017, in a totally different field of research, Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” developed a compliant mechanism (system with flexible articulations) made of conventional horological steel that in Patek Philippe watches with two time zones is used to set the second time zone. This technical innovation was launched in the limited-edition watch that also first featured the optimized Spiromax® balance spring.
Patek Philippe “Advanced Research”: key achievements
2005: Silinvar®
Silinvar® is a novel, patented material based on monocrystalline silicon. It was developed in collaboration with Rolex, the Swatch Group, and CSEM in Neuchâtel, and is suitable for applications in watchmaking.
Thanks to a patented oxidation process that causes molecular changes in the outmost layers, it has temperature-compensating characteristics. In the temperature range from -10°C to +60°C, components made of Silinvar® are highly stable – or invariable as suggested by its name (Silinvar® = silicon + invariable).
This advantage is one of several positive characteristics that make Silinvar® a true super material for horology.
• Silinvar® is very lightweight and has merely a third of the mass of steel. Silinvar® watch components can therefore be moved with less energy and react less sensitively to the earth’s gravitation.
• Silinvar® is twice as hard as steel and thus more wear-resistant.
• Silinvar® cannot be magnetized and is thus insensitive to magnetic fields.
• Silinvar® is corrosion-resistant.
• In microstructures, Silinvar® is very flexible but does not deform permanently. It is therefore very shock-resistant and dimensionally stable.
• Silinvar® components are manufactured with the DRIE process. Deep Reactive Ion Etching produces components of consistently identical shape and quality.
• Thanks to the DRIE process and the know-how accrued in this domain, Silinvar® components can be manufactured with tolerances of less than 1/1000 mm.
2005: First escape wheel in Silinvar®
This new part improves dependability because it requires no lubricants. It also reduces the mass to be moved (better efficiency), is corrosion-resistant, and remains perfectly concentric. Launch of the Ref. 5250 Annual Calendar Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” with a Silinvar® escape wheel in a limited edition of 100 watches.
2006: Spiromax® balance spring in Silinvar®
• Optimized rate accuracy by improved isochronism thanks to concentric breathing (expansion and contraction) of the balance spring.
• Lighter balance spring, less sensitive to external factors such as shocks and gravity.
• Flat design, three times thinner than a Breguet hairspring.
• Patented geometry (Patek Philippe boss at the outer end, integrated stud attachment, self-centering integrated collet) for attachment to the balance staff.
Launch of the Ref. 5350 Annual Calendar Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” with a Spiromax® balance spring and an escape wheel made of Silinvar® in a limited edition of 300 watches.
Meanwhile, the internally produced Spiromax® balance spring has been integrated in most Patek Philippe movement families, especially in calibers 300 (Grandmaster Chime), 301 (Grande Sonnerie), R 27 (except the R TO 27), 240, 28-520, 324, 26-330, 31-260, 25-21, 215 and 30-255.
2008: Pulsomax® escapement in Silinvar®
• Optimized geometry of escape wheel and lever
• Increase of energy efficiency by 15%
Launch of the Ref. 5450 Annual Calendar Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” with a Pulsomax® escapement and a Spiromax® balance spring in a limited edition of 300 watches.
2011: Oscillomax® ensemble (Pulsomax® escapement with GyromaxSi balance and Spiromax® balance spring)
With respect to precision adjustment, the GyromaxSi® balance preserves all of the advantages of the Gyromax® balance that was patented in 1951 (adjustment by changing the moment of inertia of the balance, no impact on the active length of the balance spring.
• Optimization of the advantages of the Gyromax® principle by a mass reduction near the balance staff thanks to a lightweight Silinvar® chassis.
• Concentration of the active mass on the outside edge thanks to pure gold inlays.
• Aerodynamic optimization of the balance with a 15% power gain.
• Change of the moment of inertia with four asymmetric poising weights
• All proven advantages of the Spiromax® balance spring and of the Pulsomax® escapement.
New Spiromax® balance spring thanks to an inner boss (thicker part at the inner end) to improve isochronism of the balance in the vertical positions. This progress is the subject of several patents, allowing a rate accuracy of -1 to +2 seconds per day in comparison with a Patek Philippe Tourbillon watch.
Launch of Ref. 5650 Aquanaut Travel Time Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” with a compliant mechanism for setting the time zone and optimized Spiromax® balance spring in a limited edition of 500 watches. Since then, the optimized Spiromax® balance spring has been integrated in most Patek Philippe movements, especially in calibers 240, 215, 28-520 and 324.
2017: Correctors with compliant mechanism in steel
Compliant mechanism for correcting the time zones. It utilizes the elasticity of materials in microstructures and replaces articulations with pivots and leaf springs. This technical development offers numerous advantages: simplified assembly (12 parts as opposed to 37 previously), flatter design, no mechanical play, no friction, no arbor wear, which results in totally lubricant-free functionality and excellent energy efficiency.
Launch of Ref. 5650 Aquanaut Travel Time Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” with a compliant mechanism for setting the time zone and optimized Spiromax® balance spring in a limited edition of 500 watches.
Technical details
Model: Ref. 5750 Patek Philippe “Advanced Research” Minute Repeater
Limited edition of 15 pieces
Movement
Caliber R 27 PS
Self-winding mechanical movement. Minute repeater with classic gongs and small seconds
Patented fortissimo “ff” system for sound amplification and propagation consisting of a flexibly suspended sound lever, a transparent sapphire-glass oscillating wafer, a composite insulating rim and four sound openings in a titanium ring.
Diameter: 28 mm
Height: 6.05 mm
Number of parts: 342
Number of jewels: 39
Power reserve: Min. 43 hours, max. 48 hours
Winding rotor: Minirotor in 950 platinum with laser texture, unidirectional winding
Frequency: 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour (3 Hz)
Balance: Gyromax®
Balance spring: Spiromax® (in Silinvar®)
Balance spring stud: Adjustable
Displays
With hands: Center hours and minutes
With disk: Subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock
Functions
Two-position crown:
• Pushed home: To wind the watch
• Pulled out: To set the time
Hallmark
Patek Philippe Seal
Case
950 platinum
Sapphire-crystal case back
Minute-repeater slide in left-hand case flank
Not water-resistant, protected against moisture and dust
Diamond at 6 o’clock
Case dimensions: Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 11.1 mm
Width between lugs: 21 mm
Dial
White gold, black nickel-plated snailed base, open-worked ray motif, hand-guilloched edging, hour circle with circular satin finish
Applied kite-type hour markers in blackened 18K white gold
Flat Dauphine hour and minute hands in 18K white gold, black transfer-printed
Subsidiary seconds disk with marker at 6 o’clock
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator leather with large square scales, shiny orange with black contrast stitching, 950 platinum foldover clasp
Audemars Piguet unveils a new version of its Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie in titanium. This complicated limited production watch is equipped with the ground-breaking in-house hand-wound Calibre 2953 which is protected by three patents. The timepiece is adorned with a refined and highly stylised guilloché dial in smoked grey hues to complement the titanium case.
Developed by Audemars Piguet and launched in 2016 in the Royal Oak Concept collection, the Supersonnerie mechanism endows this new minute repeater model with the volume and resonance usually associated with pocket watches.
This patented technology results from 8 years of research in collaboration with EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. Inspired by the sonic power of older minute repeater watches as well as by the harmony of musical instruments, a dedicated community of watchmakers, technicians, academics and musicians reviewed the case construction to produce a new chiming technology.
The exceptional acoustic performance, sound quality and harmonic tone are granted by the patented gongs, case construction and striking regulator developed at the time. The gongs are not attached to the mainplate, but to a new device acting as soundboard, which improves sound transmission and boosts sound amplification.
The redesigned striking regulator – the device that sets the pace of the hours, quarters and minutes chiming sequence– has been revised and now incorporates an innovative, more flexible anchor system which absorbs shocks and eliminates unwanted noise.
Furthermore, an astute mechanical modification of the chiming sequence has mitigated the quarter-hour pause between the chiming of the minutes and the hours, when the watch does not strike the quarter hours. Last but not least, a security function prevents the wearer from activating the hand-setting function while the minute repeater mechanism is striking.
This technology equips the Manufacture’s latest hand-wound minute repeater movement, Calibre 2953. With its 362 components, it attests to Audemars Piguet’s uncompromising spirit with its blend of advanced technology and refined, traditional finishing.
This 42 mm AP Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie encompasses a titanium case and bracelet both meticulously finished with an alternation of satin-brushing and polishing.
Furthering the piece’s monochromatic aesthetic, the smoked grey “Grande Tapisserie” dial subtly progresses into dark hues towards the dial’s extremity, nearly reaching pure black at the edges.
It is complemented with white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating for optimum legibility. The black small seconds counter at 6 o’clock echoes the inner bezel, while its snailed finishing contrasts with the Tapisserie motif.
The titanium caseback is engraved with the “Royal Oak Supersonnerie” indication and a sound wave motif.
Technical details
Model: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie / 42 mm
Reference: 26591TI.OO.1252TI.03
Case
Titanium case, glare-proofed sapphire crystal, screw-locked crown, water-resistant to 50 m
Movement
Hand-wound Calibre 2953
Total diameter: 30 mm (13 lignes)
Total thickness: 6 mm
Number of jewels: 32
Number of parts: 362
Minimum guaranteed power reserve: 72 h
Frequency of balance wheel: 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
Functions
Minute repeater Supersonnerie, hours, minutes and small seconds
Dial
Smoked grey dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, black small seconds counter, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating, black inner bezel.
Unveiled during the Patek Philippe “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibition, this grand complication watch with minute repeater and perpetual calendar features a white-gold case with a blue grand feu enamel dial. This new model replaces the Ref. 5374P-001 in platinum with a black grand feu enamel dial.
The Ref. 5374 with a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar was introduced in 2016 in a platinum version with a black grand feu enamel dial. Now, Patek Philippe is offering a new edition in white gold with a blue grand feu enamel dial.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The case shape shows the subtle and harmonious interplay of rounds and cambers. The bezel has a concave profile. The same finesse is encountered in the manually satin-finished recesses in the case flank. They contrast beautifully against the polished case segments and against the cabochons that decorate the ends of the lugs.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The blue grand feu enamel dial is high-gloss finished, and features applied white-gold Breguet numerals. The displays of the perpetual calendar – day, date, month, and leap year cycle – are placed on slightly enlarged subsidiary dials, complemented with a 24-hour display. The leaf-shaped hands in white gold are filled with a luminous coating for excellent legibility. The moon-phase aperture is executed with the champlevé technique and framed in white gold.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
This grand complication timepiece houses the self-winding caliber R 27 Q. The minute repeater mechanism strikes on two cathedral gongs, and their extended length of nearly twice the circumference of the movement produces a full, reverberant sound.
The shiny dusk blue alligator strap is secured with a white-gold fold-over clasp. The scope of delivery includes a sapphire-crystal case back and an interchangeable solid back.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Minute Repeater with a Perpetual Calendar, Ref. 5374G-001
Movement
Self-winding mechanical movement
Caliber R 27 Q
Diameter: 28 mm
Height: 6.9 mm
Parts: 467
Bridges: 12
Jewels: 39
Power reserve: min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
Minirotor in 22K gold, unidirectional winding
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Spiromax®
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs
Perpetual calendar
Day, date, month, leap year and 24-hour indication by hands
Moon phases
Case
White gold
Interchangeable full back and sapphire-crystal case back
Case is humidity and dust protected only (not water resistant)
Case diameter: 42 mm
Height: 12.2 mm
Strap
Alligator leather with scare scales, hand-stitched, shiny dusk blue
Fold-over clasp
About Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibitionin June 2021, Patek Philippe launched six exceptional wristwatches featuring artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonné enamel, grand feu champlevé enamel, grand feu flinqué enamel, manual guilloching and gemsetting.
Adorned with 80 baguette diamonds, this new rose-gold version of the Patek Philippe Minute Repeater and Retrograde Perpetual Calendar watch belongs to the Geneva Maison’s “Rare Handcrafts” series. This new grand complication watch features a transparent sapphire crystal dial, allowing the wearer to admire the movement from the front side of the watch.
The first Patek Philippe grand complication with a transparent sapphire-crystal dial was launched as the Ref. 5104 in 2006; it had a platinum case with rose-gold intarsias. From 2014 to 2018, it was followed by the Ref. 5304 in rose gold with white-gold intarsias.
Now, Patek Philippe has released a new haute joaillerie version in rose gold. Its bezel, lugs, and fold-over clasp sparkle with the fire of 80 flawless Top Wesselton baguette diamonds (~6.22 ct).
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
For this timepiece, Patek Philippe developed an ingenious system for displaying the day, month, and leap year cycle with transparent sapphire-crystal disks in which the respective displays stand out in white against the black background of the small apertures beneath them. To attach the extremely thin sapphire-crystal disks to their minuscule steel arbors, it was necessary to develop an exclusive, patented assembly process.
The pierced leaf-shaped hands in black-lacquered white gold also enhance the view of the movement and its steel parts with beveled and polished edges that stand out beautifully against the rose gilt plates decorated with perlage. The flyback date display features a hand with a crescent moon tip that marks the numerals on a scale at the outermost edge of the dial. The perpetual calendar is complemented with a moon-phase display at 6 o’clock and a subsidiary seconds dial.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
To further refine the appeal of this timepiece, Patek Philippe integrated delicate white-gold inlays with engraved leaf motifs in the case flanks and the repeater slide.
The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the magnificent views of the self-winding caliber R 27 PS QR LU movement, especially the minute repeater mechanism with two gongs or the centrifugal governor beneath the pierced Calatrava cross motif. The recessed off-center minirotor in rose gold is decorated with a leaf motif and rhodiumed sinks.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Minute Repeater with a Retrograde Perpetual Calendar, Ref. 5304/301R-001
Movement
Caliber R 27 PS QR LU
Self-winding mechanical movement
Diameter: 28 mm
Height: 7.23 mm
Parts: 517
Bridges: 12
Jewels: 41
Power reserve: min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
22K gold off-center mini-rotor
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Spiromax®
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater with classic gongs
Perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand
Day, month and leap year in apertures
Moon phases by hand
Small seconds
Dial
Transparent sapphire, date and minute markers printed in white with golden powdered dots
Case
Rose gold
Sapphire crystal case back
Humidity- and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 13.3 mm
Gem-setting: 58 baguette diamonds: ~5.25 cts. (bezel and lugs). 22 baguette diamonds: ~0.97 ct. (clasp). Total of 80 baguette diamonds: ~6.22 cts.
Strap
Alligator leather with square scales, hand-stitched, shiny black
Diamond-set fold-over clasp
About Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibitionin June 2021, Patek Philippe launched six exceptional wristwatches featuring artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonné enamel, grand feu champlevé enamel, grand feu flinqué enamel, manual guilloching and gemsetting.
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibition, Patek Philippe released a new iteration of its Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon watch featuring a hand-engraved rose-gold case with a brown dial in grand feu champlevé and cloisonné enamel
Debuted in 2001, the Ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon is Patek Philippe’s second most complicated wristwatch. It is one of the grand complications most coveted by collectors and connoisseurs.
From 2013 to 2016, this double-face wristwatch was available in a rare handcrafts version with a white-gold case and a blue enamel dial (reference 6002G-001). It was followed in 2016 by a new version with a black enamel dial (reference 6002G-010).
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The new iteration released during “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” combines the warm shimmer of rose gold with brown grand feu enamel. The periphery of the dial, the moon-phase aperture, and the moon of the rotating disc are executed in champlevé enamel. With this technique, the base metal must first be precisely milled out so that individual elements such as the minute scale remain relieved.
Then, the recesses are manually filled with enamel compound. The center of the dial features a decor in grand feu cloisonné enamel that was created with the help of thin flat gold wire. The case, the crowns, the repeater slide, and the fold-over clasp are manually engraved with a motif of volutes and arabesques on all sides. The master engraver invests more than 100 hours of work and considerable patience to complete the process to the highest standards.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The Sky Moon Tourbillon combines 12 fascinating complications, including a tourbillon and a minute repeater that strikes on cathedral gongs. The front dial shows a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date, a moon-phase display and the leap year cycle.
The other side shows a celestial chart on which the apparent motion of the moon and the stars can be viewed from the northern hemisphere. To orchestrate the grand ballet of the celestial bodies, Patek Philippe developed a system of three superposed discs that move in different, precisely calculated trajectories.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The new Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon is delivered with hand-engraved cufflinks in rose gold. It replaces the Ref. 6002G-010 in white gold with a black grand feu enamel dial.
Technical details
Movement
Mechanical manually wound movement
Caliber R TO 27 QR SID LU CL
Third wheel in gold
Flywheel
Diameter: 38 mm
Height: 12.61 mm
Parts: 705
Bridges: 24
Jewels: 55
Power reserve: min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Spiral: Breguet
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs
Tourbillon
Perpetual Calendar
Display
Front side: Perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand. Day, month, leap year in apertures. Hours and minutes of mean solar time. Moon phases
Reverse side: sidereal time, sky chart, phases and orbit of the moon.
Dial
Grand Feu champlevé and cloisonné brown enamel, gold applied Roman numerals
18K gold dial plate
Case
Rose gold
Sapphire-crystal case back
Humidity-and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Case diameter: 44 mm. Height: 17.35 mm.
About Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibitionin June 2021, Patek Philippe launched six exceptional wristwatches featuring artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonné enamel, grand feu champlevé enamel, grand feu flinqué enamel, manual guilloching and gemsetting.
The Divina Mosaica collection offers high-jewellery wristwatches inspired by the roots of Bvlgari, the iconic Maison based in Rome. The Baths of Caracalla and its fan-paved floors are the major cultural icons of this historical city. To adorn full-set dials of the three new Divina Mosaica models, Bvlgari has utilized a motif inspired by the pattern of mosaics in the Baths of Caracalla.
Divina Mosaica Minute Repeater beats to the rhythm of the world’s thinnest striking movement. This high-jewellery watch features a 37 mm-diameter white gold case made by the jewellers of the Roman Maison.
The Divina Mosaica Minute Repeater chimes a crystal-clear melody on demand by activating the dedicated slide in the form of a gem-set lucky charm. The voluptuously curved lugs are accentuated by brilliant-cut and baguette-cut diamonds. Demonstrating impeccable craftsmanship and elegance, its mosaic pattern dial is set with brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds.
As of now, the Divina Mosaica collection is also offering two time-only variants. Both models highlight the fan motif in a variety of colours, with a dial alternating between baguette-cut gems such as diamonds and green tsavorites or pink sapphires. The case, bezel and lugs mirror this aesthetic, also alternating between these two colour combinations.
Movement
Ultra-thin mechanical hand-wound hand movement, Calibre BVL 362
Functions
Two-hammer minute repeater operated by a dedicated slide
Hours, minutes and small seconds at 6 o’clock
Case
White gold case, 37 mm in diameter, entirely set with brilliant-cut diamonds
Bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds
Bracelet lugs set with brilliant-cut and baguette-cut diamonds
“Lucky charm” to activate the striking mechanism in white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds
White gold crown set with a cabochon-cut sapphire.
Dial
White gold dial, Caracalla fan pattern composed of brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds.
Bracelet
Blue alligator strap secured by a white gold folding clasp set with baguette-cut diamonds.
Movement
Mechanical self-winding Manufacture movement, Calibre BVL 191
Functions
Hours and minutes
Case
Rose gold case, 37 mm in diameter, entirely set with brilliant-cut diamonds
Bezel set with baguette-cut pink sapphires, bracelet lugs set with brilliant-cut diamonds and baguette-cut pink sapphires
Rose gold crown set with a cabochon-cut pink sapphire
Dial
Rose gold dial, Caracalla fan motif composed of baguette-cut pink sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds
Strap
Purple alligator strap secured by arose gold folding clasp set with baguette-cut pink sapphires.
Stones
282 diamonds ~ 2.16 ct
261 pink sapphires (including 1 cabochon on the crown) ~12.7 ct
Movement
Mechanical self-winding Manufacture movement Calibre BVL 191
Functions
Hours and minutes
Case
White gold case, 37 mm in diameter, entirely set with brilliant-cut diamonds
Bezel set with baguette-cut tsavorites
Bracelet lugs set with brilliant-cut diamonds and baguette-cut tsavorites
White gold crown set with a cabochon-cut tsavorites
Dial
White gold dial, Caracalla fan motif composed of baguette-cut tsavorites and brilliant-cut diamonds
Strap
Green alligator strap secured by a white gold folding clasp set with baguette-cut tsavorites
Stones
282 diamonds ~ 2.16 ct
261 tsavorites (including 1 cabochon on the crown) ~11.6 ct
Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers department has been renowned for bespoke mechanical timepieces that represent the pinnacle of fine watchmaking and artisanal skills of the Geneva Maison.
Among the recent masterpieces from the Les Cabinotiers department, the the Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer is a stand-out horological marvel. A project first undertaken in 2013, this bespoke pocket watch was made according to an esteemed client’s wish. This timepiece embodies art and beauty, exceptional mechanics and technical mastery.
This magnificent micromechanical wonder is equipped with a new in-house movement, Calibre 3761 with Grande Sonnerie and tourbillon, specially developed by the team of watchmakers who designed the Reference 57260 watch.
The craftsmanship adorning this timepiece is equally extraordinary. The case is hand-engraved on its bezel, back and sides using various artisanal techniques, as well as topped by a bow adorned with two hand-sculpted lion heads. The officer-type caseback is stunningly enhanced by a miniature enamel reproduction of Vermeer’s famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring, created by enameller Anita Porchet.
Vacheron Constantin Reference 9910C/000J-B413 Pocket watch, Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer
Les Cabinotiers is a department in its own right within the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin, dedicated to creating single-piece editions. Following in the footsteps of the Geneva master-watchmakers known as cabinotiers in the Age of Enlightenment, the team took up the challenge of giving substance to the dream of a passionate collector who wanted a pocket watch that was technically and aesthetically exceptional, reflecting the noblest traditions of 18th century Haute Horlogerie. To create this highly complex mechanical pocket watch, it took approximately eight years.
The Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer pocket watch is powered by a new 806-part manual winding calibre, regulated by a tourbillon and comprising Grande and Petite Sonnerie Westminster chimes, coupled with a minute repeater. Within the range of watchmaking complications, Grande Sonnerie models have always enjoyed a special aura, not only because of the inherent complexity of these mechanisms striking several gongs, but also because of the musical qualities required.
Grande Sonnerie watches have a centuries-old tradition within the Maison. Among the oldest timepieces preserved to date, the first travel clock housing such a complication dates back to 1820. When it comes to pocket watches, the oldest model with Grande and Petite Sonnerie in the Vacheron Constantin private collection is dated 1827.
It was followed by several timepieces equipped with such mechanisms, some of them representing landmark creations endowed with an array of extremely sophisticated complications, such as the “Packard” presented in 1918 or the King Fouad I watch completed in 1929.
More recently, the world’s most complicated pocket watch, Reference 57260, was presented in 2015 on the occasion of the Maison’s 260th anniversary, affirming the expertise of the Maison in the realm of exceptional watchmaking.
The client who commissioned this model wanted a real Westminster chime pocket watch with striking five gongs with five hammers, featuring a Grande and Petite Sonnerie and adorned with miniature enamel. The Calibre 3761 measures 71 mm in diameter and 17 mm thick. It is regulated by a tourbillon majestically enthroned on the lower part of the movement, visible through the caseback and performing one full revolution per minute.
The tourbillon is driven by a 2.5Hz balance (18,000 vibrations per hour). The Westminster chime with which the movement is equipped with one of the most complicated striking mechanism to build, as it requires a sequence of five gongs struck in perfect harmony by their respective hammers controlled by four racks.
In wristwatches, Grande Sonnerie (grand strike) mechanisms are usually operated by a single rack, mainly for reasons of miniaturisation. The four rack and snail solution, with four racks for the hour and quarter chimes and one rack for the minute repeater, enhances the sequencing of the melodies and, as an added subtlety, enables different melodies to be played when passing the quarters.
