The calibers 33 and 35 are technically F. 195, a “perpetuelle” (automatic) pocket watch which was sold in 1805. The earliest self-winding repeaters go much further back in pocket watches – Breguet, for instance, made no. 3979 was discontinued in 1998, with only about a hundred made. IWC’s automatic Grand Complication, which included a grande et petite sonnerie and repeater, was launched two years later, in 1990 and Patek’s first automatic repeater, the reference 3979, debuted a year after Blancpain’s, in 1989. The repeater was available in both hand wound and automatic versions, using the caliber 33 and caliber 35 respectively and at the time, the caliber 35 automatic was one of the first – possibly the first – selfwinding minute repeater. Blancpain in its modern incarnation got its start in 1981, when the name (the company, like so many other Swiss brands, had gone dormant during the Quartz Crisis) was purchased from the SIHH conglomerate by Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, the son of watchmaker Frédéric Piguet, a specialist in ultra-and complicated watchmaking.īlancpain began selling watches under that name once again in 1983 and one of the first complications it released was an ultra-thin minute repeater, launched in 1988. The Blancpain LeMan automatic minute repeater is a case in point.
But classic repeater construction still has an enormous appeal to fans of the complication and while such traditionally constructed watches may not offer the volume, or technical bells and whistles, of some modern chiming watches, they have the expression of centuries-old craft techniques on their side. In recent years, several companies have experimented with technical updates to the classic minute repeater design, including new materials for the gongs (crystal sapphire, for instance) new construction techniques for the hammers (the “trebuchet” hammers used by Jaeger-LeCoultre, which resemble the throwing arm of a medieval siege catapult) and new case construction techniques, including the Supersonnerie case developed by Audemars Piguet. The minute repeater and grande sonnerie still require careful hand assembly and hand adjustment, and fine-tuning things like the speed at which the gongs are struck, and the pitch and volume of the chimes, still requires the careful hand of an experienced watchmaker, who must not only have technical knowledge and the mastery of very challenging technical skills, but also a good ear as well.įor that reason minute repeaters remain rare, with just a few high-end watch brands keeping them in regular production. However, one complication has resisted industrialization – or I should say, one class of complications has resisted industrialization chiming complications. While the perpetual calendar and rattrapante chronograph remain extremely aristocratic complications, especially when they’re done using traditional construction and techniques, it’s also true that for a fraction of the price of classic versions, you can get user-friendly versions which, if not exactly mass-produced, can offer the same basic functionality as traditionally made complications at a much larger volume than classic design would allow. Over the last fifty years or so, just about every complication has been successfully industrialized. Certainly, there are other complications with history and romance to burn, and with fascinating technical stories to tell as well, but the repeater in one important sense, stands alone. chic black wooden watch box (see pics).Įverything you see in my pics is included in the package that you'll receive.Of all the complications in all the world, I don’t think there are any as charming as the minute repeater. wristwatch itselfĮxcellent condition, brand new, never worn.įull set, incl. original VDT stainless-steel Submariner bracelet luminous polished hands and hour batons 316L stainless-steel, polished/fine brushed base: ETA Valjoux 7750, the famous "workhorse"
#Frome evry wer men powerreserve otomatic. crhonographe free
My free gift: leather strap, authentic Val Du Temps (see pics). Since end of 19th century, watchmaking trade in the region has continued to develop, and original sideline became the lifeline of an entire region and established international reputation of Swiss watch industry. Val-Du-Temps sees its aim as work with experienced Swiss and international designers to create an unmistakable design language that emphasizes independence of Val-Du-Temps and gives the wearer of watches an individual sense of style.
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