The Sounds Of Time, with 7 of Today’s Finest Repeater Watches

Think back to a time without electricity or street lights, and you immediately understand the concept of a minute repeater, or any other kind of chiming watch for that matter. Breaking the silence of the dead of night must have been an almost magical experience back then. Even today, a carefully crafted system of hammers and gongs orchestrated to sound the time on demand, and possibly a bit more than that, is regarded as the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking. And while they are quite rare and often highly complex, we have been treated to a fair number of exquisite repeater watches over the past year or so. And with that in mind, we take a look at seven of the finest around. Oh, and be warned, this is an expensive list!

Girard-Perregaux minute repeater flying bridges

Showcasing its technical and aesthetic capabilities, Girard-Perregaux pulled out all the stops with the Minute Repeater Flying Bridges. Using the brand’s iconic three-bridge architecture, this one puts together a tourbillon escapement, micro-rotor winding system and minute repeater for all to see. The slider on the left side of the monobloc gold case activates the mechanism, which has been optimised to sound as loud and clear as possible. Constructed out of 475 individual and impeccably finished components, the movement is really something else. Presented on a textured black rubber strap with a solid gold triple folding clasp, it’s priced at CHF 564,000.

For more information, please visit Girard-Perregaux.com.

Quick Facts – 46mm x 17.90mm – 18k pink gold case – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – openworked movement & dial – gold flange with applied hour markers – openworked hour & minute hands – tourbillon with small seconds indication – calibre GP9530-2198, in-house – micro-rotor automatic – 475 components – 21,600vph – 60+ hour power reserve – black rubber strap with gold triple folding clasp – CHF 564,000

Chopard L.U.C Grand Strike

Chopard has gone above and beyond with the L.U.C Grand Strike, as it’s not only the brand’s most complex watch to date, but also a repeater watch that incorporates a Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie and Minute Repeater in a single movement. Using the brand’s unique sapphire monobloc crystal and gong system, the sound is quite literally crystal clear. It’s also regulated by a tourbillon escapement, has a mode selector and a double barrel system. With no less than 11,000 hours of R&D and ten technical patents put into the watch, it truly is a masterpiece all around. Limited to a production capacity of just two pieces per year, the L.U.C Grand Strike has a price of CHF 780,000.

For more information, please visit Chopard.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 14.08mm – 18k ethical white gold case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – crown with integrated pusher & sliding mode selector – openworked dial & movement – white gold hands – calibre L.U.C. 08.03-L, in-house – manual winding – 686 parts – 28,800vph – 70h power reserve for runnign mode, 12h for strikework – COSC chronometer & Poinçon de Genève certified – 10 patents – grey or dark blue alligator leather straps with white gold folding clasp – limited to 2 pieces per year – CHF 780,000

Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition

The Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition brings together two of Armin Strom’s most emblematic complications, the resonance mechanism and the on-demand striking of the time. But that’s not all, as it packs four hammers and gongs for the Westminster Chime, a selectable striking mode and a flying governor at noon. All this is set in a case that’s smaller and more refined than the Masterpiece Minute Repeater Resonance from 2019, with the hands now at the heart of the watch. The slider doesn’t just trigger the chime; it also lets you switch modes, with the 12:59 sequence rounding out the longest possible chime: 12 hours and 59 minutes. Only 25 of these First Editions will be made, for a price of CHF 390,000.

For more information, please visit ArminStrom.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 11.70mm – titanium case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – multi-functional repeater slider – openworked dial & movement – central hour & minute hands – calibre ARR25, in-house – manual winding – 506 components – 25,200vph – 40h power reserve – dual resonance regulating system with clutch spring – minute repeater with Westminster Chime – dual striking modes (current time/12.59 sequence) – grey alligator leather strap – limited to 25 pieces – CHF 390,000

Bulgari Octo Finissimo 37 Minute Repeater

If you want something a bit more understated, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo 37 Minute Repeater is the one for you. Launched at Watches & Wonders this year, it’s a smaller version of what remains the world’s thinnest minute repeater watch. Coming in at a wafer-thin 6.85mm, and now down to an obvious 37mm diameter, it’s remarkable what Bulgari has been able to pack into such a small case. The pusher on the left activates the repeater mechanism, which can be seen through the caseback. Cutouts in the dial allow the sound to travel to the front and resonate clearly. Fitted to a titanium bracelet with an integrated folding clasp, it is limited to 20 pieces and retails for EUR 195,000.

For more information, please visit Bulgari.com.

Quick Facts – 37mm x 6.85mm – sandblasted titanium case – sapphire crystal front & back – screw-down crown – minute repeater pusher – titanium dial with cutouts – openworked hour & minute hands – small seconds subdial – calibre BVL 362, in-house – manual winding – 28.5mm x 3.12mm – 21,600vph – 42h power reserve – sandblasted titanium bracelet with integrated folding clasp – limited to just 20 pieces – EUR 195,000

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour minute repeater cylindrical tourbillon skeleton

Never short of a bit of spectacle, the Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton is one of H. Moser & Cie.’s most complex watches ever made. As its name suggests, it features a fully openworked movement with a cylindrical tourbillon escapement, a rarity in today’s watchmaking. Add to that a dial-side-mounted hammer and gong system for the minute repeater, and things only get better. Time is read on an offset domed fumé dial, and all 415 individual components are beautifully finished, as you’d expect. Worn on a grey Nubuck leather strap with titanium pin buckle, this one will set you back CHF 330,000.

For more information, please visit H-Moser.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 14.40mm – titanium case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal front & back – repeater slider with Teflon runner – openworked construction – offset fumé hour & minute dial – valibre HMC 909, in-house – manually wound – 415 parts – 21,600vph – 90h power reserve – minute repeater with hour, quarter-hour and minute chimes, on demand – tourbillon escapement with cylindrical hairspring, made in-house – grey Nubuck leather strap with titanium pin buckle – CHF 330,000

Blancpain Grand double sonnerie

All good things come in threes, but in the case of the Blancpain Grand Double Sonnerie, it comes down to a Grande Sonnerie, a perpetual calendar and a flying tourbillon escapement. While that’s already quite incredible, Blancpain doubles down on the Sonnerie mechanism, which can switch between two different melodies. The slider in the caseband sets the watch to Grand Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie or silent mode, with the pusher at 8 o’clock setting the mechanism to either a traditional Westminster Chime or an original melody composed by musician Eric Singer (Kiss). The pusher at 10 o’clock is used to activate the repeater mechanism on demand. The clever bit is that two quarter racks are stacked on top of each other, with a column-wheel mechanism to engage and disengage them. Only two per year will be made at an eye-watering CHF 1,700,000 each.

For more information, please visit Blancpain.com.

Quick Facts – 47mm x 14.5mm – white or red fold case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – mode selector with pushers – openworked dial & movement – central hour & minute hands – calibre 15GSQ, in-house – manually wound – 1,053 parts – 96h power reserve for the time, 12-14h for the strikework – 28,800vph – grande & petite sonnerie – perpetual calendar – tourbillon – alligator leather strap with gold folding clasp – limited to a production capacity of 2 per year – CHF 1,700,000 (incl. VAT)

L. Leroy Osmior Bal Du Temps

The Osmior Bal du Temps by L.Leroy takes us back to the soirées of the court of Louis XVI, while at the same time returning a centuries-old name to the limelight. Performing its rhythmic chime and dance on an openworked dial, the Osmior Bal du Temps uses just a single hand to tell time. However, the repeater mechanism sounds the time in hours, quarters and minutes on demand via the slider on the left flank of the titanium, platinum or rose gold case. And if the charm, or rather chime, of a repeater mechanism wasn’t enough, it’s also regulated by a flying tourbillon escapement with a double-L-shaped cage. Worn on a black alligator leather strap with a case-matching pin buckle, the Osmior Bal du Temps starts at EUR 250,000 in titanium.

For more information, please visit Montres-Leroy.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 13.6mm – titanium, rose gold or platinum case – sapphire crystal front & back – minute repeater slider – openworked dial with hour flange & single hand – calibre L601SQ, made exclusively for L. Leroy – 321 parts – 21,600vph – 90h power reserve – 1-minute flying tourbillon escapement with double-L-shaped cage – black alligator leather strap with case-matching folding clasp – starting price of EUR 250,000 in titanium