Pocket watches · Complication
Repeater Pocket Watches
Partially verifiedWatches that sound the time on demand, striking hours and subdivisions on a bell or gongs when a slide or pusher is operated.
Mechanism
Operating the slide winds a dedicated striking train; a snail cam read by a rack determines how many hour blows are released, with a quarter or minute rack governing subdivisions.
Typical characteristics
- Case slide or plunger charging the striking train
- Racks, snails and hammers occupying much of the movement space
- Audible through pierced case backs on earlier examples, or gongs on later ones
Identification characteristics
- Slide in the case band or a pusher in the pendant
- Two mainsprings or barrels in many designs
- Hammers and gongs visible on the movement's dial side or under a cover plate
Collector significance
Before reliable artificial light, repeating work was practical rather than decorative; today among the most sought-after complications.
Known variations
- Quarter repeater
- Five-minute repeater
- Minute repeater
- Grande sonnerie
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Chamberlain, P. M., It's About Time
- Attribution of the earliest repeating work remains disputed in the literature.
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.