The result is that gold or platinum cased minute repeaters, or any other watch with a chiming complication, tend to sound duller and muted than if it was made from titanium or stainless steel. There are ways to compensate for this, for example, by making chambers in the case that resonate the sound better. This does increase the size of the case, and as also these chambers are made from precious metal, they can only improve the quality of it so much. Another option is to improve the gongs themselves. Chopard did this with their L.U.C Full Strike (see image above), which they launched in 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary of their manufacture. For this watch, they created sapphire gongs, which give a rather loud and crystal-clear (no pun intended) sound, en in a gold case. Other brands have simply taken an easier route, like H. Moser & Cie that uses a titanium case for its Endeavour Minute Repeater Tourbillon, as does Armin Strom with its Minute Repeater Resonance (see image below). Even one of the grandmasters of modern-day watchmaking, François-Paul Journe, used common stainless steel for its Répétition Souveraine simply because it sounds the best.

The question that remains is how much of a problem is this actually? Only on rare occasions have I been in a room where multiple chiming watches were present, and these were mostly all from a single brand, cased in the same type of metal. So when it comes to a side-by-side comparison, there is little to worry about. However, when I would make the substantial investment to get a minute repeater or other chiming watch, I want it to be all about the sound. The fact of the matter is that, unless you come with a clever solution like Chopard with their L.U.C Full Strike, stainless steel and titanium remain the best options to solve what essentially remains a rich (wo)man’s problem.

This story was originally published in the spring of 2022.

1. Hublot

In the manually wound Caliber HUB9005, 11 vertically arranged barrels provide a power reserve of 50 days. Hublot includes a special power tool with each watch to make sure the winding process doesn’t also last for days. The hours, minutes, and power reserve are shown on cylinders; there’s a vertical tourbillon, too.

2. Corum

The Golden Bridge movement, created by Vincent Calabrese for Corum in 1980, has long been a cult object. In 2011, the brand upgraded the Golden Bridge with an automatic winding mechanism. Naturally, given the Golden Bridge’s unorthodox structure, the movement doesn’t have a traditional winding rotor; instead the winding weight moves linearly along two rails.

3. Montblanc

The hand-wound Caliber MB M68.40 from Montblanc gives the time in two time zones. It also powers two 24-hour rings that rotate around models of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. An added bonus is the patented tourbillon with a cylindrical balance spring, spinning at 12 o’clock.

4. Vacheron Constantin

A tourbillon that runs for two weeks? Amazing! With the hand-wound Caliber 2260, Vacheron Constantin has created a real long-distance runner.

5. Patek Philippe

Every lever, edge and screw recess has been meticulously finished in Patek Philippe’s hand-wound CHR 27-525 PS, a split-seconds chronograph movement. The work increases exponentially with a movement as complicated as this.

6. Roger Dubuis

Two tourbillons in a skeletonized environment give this watch a 3-D look. According to Roger Dubuis, 1,200 hours are needed to manufacture its manual-wind Caliber RD01SQ.

7. A. Lange & Söhne

With the manual-wind Caliber L043.5, the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk, which shows the hour and minutes digitally in two windows, is upgraded to become a minute repeater. The repeater chimes the time in decimal fashion, ringing out 10-minute intervals rather than quarter hours, as most minute repeaters do.

In the world of haute horlogerie, hardly anything is as exclusive and alluring as a chiming watch. Often described as the ultimate single complication in watchmaking, only a few manufacturers are at present capable of producing them in-house. Unsurprisingly, it is estimated that only a few hundred minute repeaters are produced in Switzerland each year, and only a handful of them are grande sonneries — chiming watches that automatically strike the full hours and the quarter hours. Last November, in time for Philippe Stern’s 82nd birthday, the independent Genevan manufacture Patek Philippe added a new member to its already impressive collection of repeater watches, the Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie. It features three classic gongs and two patents for the striking mechanism and the jumping small seconds at 6 o’clock. It is also the first Patek with a grande sonnerie “in its purest manifestation.”

While the invention of the chiming clock is generally credited to English watchmaker Daniel Quare (1647/49 – 1724), Patek Philippe began producing striking watches right from the start. In September 1839, just four months after it was founded, the manufacture already entered the first timepiece of this kind in its journal, a pocketwatch with a repeater (which was sold for CHF 450). In 1850, entries of pocketwatches with a grande sonnerie appeared in the same journals. The catalog of the 1851 “Great Exhibition” in London (the first world exposition, attracting six million people from May to October) mentions “repeaters” and “watches with automatic strikeworks” as specialties of Patek Philippe. This was followed in 1860 by Patek Philippe’s first pocketwatches with minute repeaters, then in the course of the 19th century, by further timepieces with quarter repeaters, five-minute repeaters and minute repeaters. More precisely, the first wristwatch from Patek Philippe with a five-minute repeater, No. 174603, was a ladies’ model with platinum case in 1916, followed by the brand’s first wristwatch minute repeater sold in 1925 to Ralph Teetor (Aug. 17, 1890 – Feb. 15, 1982), the blind inventor who later developed the automobile cruise control system.

Fast-forward to 1989, the year Patek Philippe celebrated its 150th anniversary: the launch of the Caliber 89 also marked the rebirth of the Patek Philippe’s chiming watch expertise. Featuring 33 complications, “the world’s most complicated portable mechanical timepiece for more than a quarter century” also included the grande/petite sonnerie and minute repeater on four gongs. Shortly thereafter, Patek Philippe resumed regular production of repeaters, and today, every single one is personally checked by Thierry Stern, President and Chief Executive of Patek Philippe, before it leaves the workshops.

A New Movement Derived from the Caliber 300
For the 6301P, Patek Philippe obviously had to develop a new movement. As a starting point, the team chose the Caliber 300 of the Grandmaster Chime (the Ref. 5175, introduced in 2014, is the most complicated wristwatch movement Patek Philippe has produced so far). Consisting of 703 parts (as a comparison, the Grandmaster Chime’s Caliber 300 has 20 complications and 1,366 parts), the new manual-wind Caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM (diameter: 37 mm, height: 7.5 mm) was equipped with two tandem-connected twin mainspring barrels, one for the going train and the other for the chiming mechanism. This setup offers a power reserve of 72 hours for the movement, and of 24 hours for the strikework, which allows the watch to strike the full hours and the quarter hours during an entire day, and — thanks to a uniform torque characteristic — to also offer optimized sound intensity. The two twin mainspring barrels are wound with the crown pushed in and rotated clockwise to wind the going train and counterclockwise to wind the strikework. The four mainsprings feature slip bridles to avoid over-tensioning. Patek has also opted for a silicon hairspring, which shows both the manufacture’s commitment to using the high-tech material, but also highlights the contrast to a watch and movement that are in its essence clearly designed and decorated in a much more traditional style.

When it comes to the strikework, perhaps the world’s first “push notification” ever, Patek Philippe opted for three classic gongs — low, medium, high. This technical option requires more energy than the more common systems with two gongs. It also complicates the watchmaker’s work when tuning each gong until all three create the desired sound. Attached to the movement, the three gongs must not touch one another nor other parts of the case or movement despite the compact space in which they hover. Three hammers of identical size and mass provide a uniform strike for all three pitches. The hours are struck on a low-pitched gong, the quarter hours with a three-strike high-low-medium sequence. The melody for the first quarter hour (15 minutes) sounds once, for the second quarter hour (30 minutes) twice and for the third quarter hour (45 minutes) three times. Each quarter-hour sequence is automatically preceded by the number of elapsed hours, and followed by the number of quarter hours. Thanks to the energy stored in the twin mainspring barrel of the strikework, this adds up to an impressive total of 1,056 strikes in 24 hours. Owners of a 6301P can also select the strikework mode petite sonnerie; it strikes the full hours but omits the repetition of the hours when striking the quarter hours. In the silence mode, the automatic time strike is switched off altogether.

The selection of the strikework mode is performed with a slide switch in the caseband at 6 o’clock. The petite sonnerie mode is on the left adjoining the grande sonnerie mode in the middle and silence on the right. This special feature is the subject of a patent that was already developed for the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime and describes a mechanism that enables the selection and activation of the strike mode with a single slide switch. Previously, two switches were needed to execute these steps. Another patent, also developed for the Grandmaster Chime, allows the complete isolation of the grande sonnerie in the silence mode, eliminating power consumption. On request, the minute repeater can be triggered by pressing the pusher in the crown at 3 o’clock. In response, it strikes the number of hours with low tones, the quarters with three-strike sequences (as in the grande sonnerie mode), and, on the higher-pitched gong, the number of minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The minute repeater can be triggered at any time, even if the slide is set to the silence mode.

According to Patek, one of the challenges was the integration of a small jumping seconds display at 6 o’clock, something that was never done with a grande sonnerie. Based on the four patents of the 175th-anniversary model, the Ref. 5275 Chiming Jump Hour, the 6301P does not rely on jumper springs as usual but instead comes with wheels and a release lever that instantaneously unblocks the wheel train every second, making energy consumption easier to regulate and control.

When we asked Thierry Stern about the biggest challenge the 6301P posed, he did not have to think long: “Definitely the sound. It is always a huge challenge, especially for this one. With three gongs, it is not easy at all to find the perfect harmony. Each of the gongs alone, it is easy to do, but when you have to mix the three of them, in one case, and they should not touch each other, and they should have the same harmony altogether, especially for the quarter, this is really a challenge. And that’s where I am happy to have, I would say, a lot of experience, thanks really to my dad [Philippe Stern]. Because when I started at Patek, I was 19 years old, the first thing he did, he took me in those validation meetings when he had to listen to the minute repeaters. Since then I’ve been listening to a lot of them, and today I am able to find new ideas, you know. I am not good enough to do it myself, but I am very good at imagining how far we can go and what we should try. And that was a very beautiful challenge to do; with this watch, for example, we found some new diameter and some new ideas as to how to improve the sound, and that is something very important. Because at the end of the day, when you buy a minute repeater, we can all listen to the piece and say ‘it is nice,’ or not; you don’t need to be a professional, you know, writing an article, that’s something not all of us can do. But listening to music and to say ‘it is nice’ or ‘not nice,’ all of us can do it. So it is really a challenge, you know, to find the perfect harmony that will suit the watch, especially on the platinum case. But that was the point for me, that was my target — to say ‘we can do it.’”

The new Ref. 6301P is part of the brand’s regular collection (although its complexity limits production to a few pieces per year), and its price tag is CHF 1,150,000.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: Patek Philippe SA Genève, Chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire 141, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
Reference number: 6301P
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater
Movement: Caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM, manually wound mechanical movement; grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater on 3 gongs; jumping seconds; strikework mode indicator (petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie, silence); power-reserve indicators for movement and strikework
Case: Platinum 950 with a flawless Top Wesselton diamond between the lugs at 12 o’clock; not water-resistant but protected against moisture and dust; sapphire crystal caseback and interchangeable solid platinum caseback
Strap and cla­­sp: Hand-stitched alligator leather with large square scales, platinum folding clasp
Dimensions: Diameter = 44.8 mm, height = 12 mm
Price: CHF 1,150,000

The newest addition to Chopard’s growing catalog is the L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon. The new release is an ethical pink gold edition limited to just 20 pieces. Beyond its use of a unique material, the model stands out by combining a minute repeater with a tourbillon.

Chopard opts for sapphire to craft both the bridge over the tourbillon as well as the gongs in this piece. The result is a surprisingly clear and loud sound as the repeating mechanism is activated. For this reason, the gold case is all the more special, as gold doesn’t transmit sound as well as, for example, titanium or stainless steel would.

The design of the new L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is a feat for Chopard, particularly because quite a few watch connoisseurs still prefer to have their repeating watches cased in precious metal. The sapphire monobloc gongs, which are very challenging to craft, solve this problem elegantly and innovatively.

The caliber L.U.C 08.02-L powering the hands is a well-loved movement from Chopard. It beats at 4Hz and offers a power reserve of 50 hours. The mechanism has refined finishing, earning it the prestigious Poinçin de Genève, or Geneva Seal quality hallmark.

The outward-facing side of the watch is equally as enamoring as its mechanics, with a grey dial that complements the warm-toned pink gold. Cutouts at 10 and 6 o’clock entice onlookers with a view of the tourbillon and the hammers of the minute repeater. Two additional hands indicate the power reserve of both the movement as well as the striking mechanism. The finishing touch is the grey alligator strap, matching the color of the dial and further adding to the good looks of what is a striking example of excellence.

The new Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Tourbillon is limited to 20 pieces and is available at select retailers with the price available upon request.

To learn more, visit Chopard, here.

Audi’s “progress through technology” motto also applies to the importance of the tourbillon for watch design, because this eye-catching complication greatly enhances a timepiece’s visual appeal. A new trend contributes its fair share, too: many recent models are styled with such a strong emphasis on high tech that their tourbillons fit harmoniously into their overall designs. Here are 10 of these tourbillon watches.

1. Richard Mille 50-02 ACJ

Richard Mille RM 50-02 ACJ

Richard Mille collaborated with Airbus Corporate Jets, which builds luxurious aircraft, to design a technical miracle with an extremely modern-styled tourbillon at 6 o’clock. The split-seconds chronograph for measuring lap times, the torque indicator at the 2 to show how much tension remains in the barrel, and the display at the 4 to show which position has been selected for the crown are likewise readily visible. Titanium-aluminum alloy, manufacture Caliber RM 50-02, automatic, 30 pieces, $1,050,000.

2. Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire

In this transparent and very extreme wristwatch from Hublot, a vertically positioned tourbillon perfectly augments 11 vertical barrels, which team up to provide 50 – yes, 50! – days of power reserve. A battery-powered screwdriver is delivered along with the watch to wind the mainsprings. Sapphire, 29.5 mm by 45.8 mm, manufacture Caliber LaFerrari, hand-wound, 20 pieces, $575,000.

3. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

A tourbillon provides additional visual appeal in the open styling of this newest technological tour de force from Audemars Piguet. This timepiece also offers a delightful audible treat in the form of the clearest and loudest minute repeater in the entire watchmaking industry. Titanium, 44 mm, manufacture Caliber 2937, hand-wound, 520,000 Swiss francs.

4. Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon

Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbilon

The tourbillon is the sole classically designed component here. The highly unconventional time display consists of a jumping hour with two separate disks and a minutes hand pulled across a linear scale by slender cables. The rollers that move these threads resemble the winches that tighten the lines that secure the mast on a sailing yacht. White gold, 44 mm, Caliber UN 630 by Christophe Claret, hand-wound, 18 pieces, $280,000.

5. Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Earth and Moon

Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Earth & Moon

Eclipse the tourbillon to indicate the moon’s phase? This may sound crazy, but it’s precisely what Cartier does. When the push-piece at 4 o’clock is pressed, a circular disk of stone cut from a meteorite slides in front of the tourbillon so the portion of the “whirlwind” that remains visible corresponds to the moon’s momentary phase. Rose gold, 47 mm, manufacture Caliber 9440 MC, hand-wound, 15 pieces, $239,000.

6. Montblanc 4810 Exotourbillon Slim

Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim

“Ordinary” tourbillons are also still available. A handsomely closed dial and a tourbillon in a dedicated aperture are Montblanc’s interpretation of classical horological beauty at a comparatively affordable price. Rose gold, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber MB 29.21, automatic, $33,500.

7. Christophe Claret X-Trem-1

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1

The characteristically wavy grain of damascene steel makes the Christophe Claret X-Trem-1 look even more extreme. This watch set new technical standards in 2012: its tourbillon is positioned on a diagonal, which makes it difficult to connect the tourbillon to the movement. The “whirlwind” combines with floating balls, magnetically pulled through tubes, to show the hours and minutes. Damascene steel and rose gold, 40.8 mm by 56.8 mm, manufacture Caliber FLY11, hand-wound, eight pieces, $308,000.

8. Breguet La Marine Équation Marchante 5887

Breguet La Marine Équation Marchante 5887

The tourbillon was patented by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet on June 26, 1801. For the 5887, the prestigious brand has not only added a perpetual calendar, but also measures time according to the current position of the sun (the central hand with sun motif), by which the length of a day can vary by -16 to +14 minutes compared to average or civil time. The difference is called the equation of time. The cam responsible for this is shaped like a figure eight, and visible on the dial through a window that also displays the tourbillon carriage. It runs on a sapphire disk so as not to block the view of the tourbillon. Platinum, 43.9 mm, manufacture Caliber 581DPE, automatic, $230,400.

9. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Ultranero

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Ultranero

Bulgari unveiled the slimmest tourbillon movement ever in 2014. The caliber is just 1.95 mm tall and ticks inside a 5-mm-slim wristwatch, which acquires a sporty touch in 2016 thanks to blackened titanium. The straight lines in this watch’s design highlight the complication, which attracts everyone’s admiring gaze. DLC-coated titanium, 40 mm, manufacture Caliber Finissimo Tourbillon, hand-wound, $99,000.

10. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer-02T

A tourbillon watch with a chronograph, automatic winding and chronometer certificate is sensational, even if TAG Heuer tries to quell the hype by calling attention to its industrialized fabrication. An open and symmetrical construction further enhances this watch’s visual appeal. Titanium, partly coated with titanium carbide, 45 mm, manufacture Caliber Heuer 02T, automatic, $15,950.

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