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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watches · Complication

Minute Repeater Watches

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Repeating watches capable of striking hours, quarters and individual minutes elapsed since the last quarter, the most demanding classical striking complication.

Mechanism

Operating the slide simultaneously sets three racks against cams tied to the hour, quarter and minute wheels; hammers strike tuned gongs in sequence, with a centrifugal governor keeping the tempo even regardless of how quickly the slide is worked.

Typical characteristics

  • Three racks and snails (hour, quarter, minute)
  • Governor to regulate striking speed
  • All-or-nothing piece preventing an incomplete strike sequence

Identification characteristics

  • Three-part strike sequence (hours, quarters, minutes)
  • Complex movement architecture visible on the reverse of the dial side

Collector significance

Among the most technically demanding and highly valued of all mechanical complications.

Known variations

  • Minute repeater
  • Grande sonnerie repeater
  • Carillon (three-gong) repeater

Photographs

E. Mathey-Tissot minute-repeater, c. 1909
E. Mathey-Tissot minute-repeater, c. 1909 — Mathey-Tissot, CC BY-SA 2.5. Wikimedia Commons file page
Gallet minute repeater
Gallet minute repeater — Time Maven at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. Chamberlain, P. M., It's About Time

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.