Speake Marin unveils its latest horological masterpiece, ‘The Minute Repeater Carillon,’ a symphony of innovation and precision in the realm of watchmaking. This creation represents a significant milestone in our expertise, as it is the very first Minute Repeater Carillon watch crafted by our workshop, “Le Cercle des Horlogers.”
This timepiece is a testament to watchmaking excellence at SPEAKE MARIN. In the past, the sound signal complication was developed to tell the time despite the darkness of the streets in the 17th century.
The ‘Minute Repeater Carillon’ watch demonstrates Speake Marin’s unwavering commitment to Haute Horlogerie. The ‘Piccadilly’ case consists of three main parts. The bezel is crafted in platinum, the side case in titanium (Grade 5) and the caseback is either entirely in sapphire, or in platinum with a sapphire glass. The case construction is particularly fascinating, as its material influences the note of the minute repeater chime. The 60-second flying tourbillon is visible at 6 o’clock which balance the design of the dial movement as no dial / or watch. As for all Speake Marin tourbillon cage, the upper bridge has the topping tool shape.
Once activated by the sliders, the Minute Repeater Carillon mechanism comes alive and is fully visible at 12 o’clock. The structure of the movement is very appealing as it counterbalances the tourbillon at 6 o’clock and enhance the multiple required components of a carillon minute repeater watch.
It is essential to emphasize the animation of the 12-hour markers collapsing during chiming. This does not impact the timekeeping of the watch, as the energy is delivered by a separate spring. This independent movement architecture enables the watch to chime the time up to 3 times per minute.
This automaton represents Speake Marin’s interpretation, aligning this contemporary timepiece with the original purpose dating back to the 17th century and improved by A. Louis Breguet himself using gong and adjust the sound
of each hammer to chime instead of bell.
The minute repeater features the in-house manual winding calibre SMAHH-02 developed and assembled by our atelier Le Cercle des Horlogers based near to La Chaux-de-Fonds. It requires around a month to assemble 536 components, decorate and set this calibre by a master watchmaker. There is the setting related to the time keeping of the watch but not only. In a minute repeater, it is important to also adjust the chiming rhythm. At Speake Marin, it is set at 18 seconds for 12H59, which is the perfect rhythm, respecting the resonance of the complication in a dynamic way.
To enhance as much as possible, the setting of the minute repeater regulation is done through regulator arms which are extremely quiet and does not affect the marvelous resonance of the watch.
The rhythm of the minute repeater is set through this component by adjusting the extension of the arms (tight low resistance (fast chiming) – high extension higher resistance (lower chiming).
The three hammers are connected to a block in order to convey the vibrations created by the three hammers into chimes. The chimes tone depends on the material and most specifically by its hardness. The use of sapphire is optimal due to its exceptional hardness, scoring 9 out of 10 on the Mohs scale.
The Minute Repeater Carillon complication indicates the time by means of three hammers: one for the hours, all three simultaneously for the quarters and one for the minutes.
From a technical point of view, it is worth noting that there are three safety modules. The aim is to preserve the calibre from breaking due to a wrong manipulation such as:
1- Securing the crown while the watch is chiming
2- Securing the slider with a non-engaged crown
3- A disengaging slider when the minute repeater spring is already powering the complication
In terms of decoration, the caliber is traditionally adorned at its highest level. The hammers, the tourbillon cages, minute repeater regulator bridge and movement steel components such as the screw heads are black polished by hand to obtain sharp angles. The bridges are decorated with Côtes de Geneve (1.5mm) and hand beveled at 45°, the gears are circularly satin finish, the movement components vertically satin finished and the main plate hand circular grained using multiple dimensions to cover the entire surface.
This Minute Repeater Carillon will captivate the eye of even the most discerning collectors, offering exceptional aesthetics and unparalleled craftsmanship.
The Minute Repeater Carillon is available at CHF 360 000 (excluding taxes)
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
MINUTE REPEATER CARILLON
Movement
Calibre SMAHH-02 manual movement, 60-second flying tourbillon. Carillon minute repeater.
Total components: 536
Frequency: 21,600 v.p.h / 3hz
Rubis: 51
Power reserve: 72 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes and seconds. Flying tourbillon and collapsing animation of the numeral 12.
Case
Piccadilly” case. Central case in grey PVD titanium (Grade 5) with lugs, platinum bezel and back case with anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating on dial and case back.
Water-resistance: 3 ATM (30 meters)
Dial
Openworked dial with collapsing red 12 o’clock hour marker (hand-painted).
Hands
Heart shaped blued hands
Bracelet
Leather strap with folding or pin buckle (based on preference).
Price
The Minute Repeater Carillon’ is available at CHF 360 000 (excluding taxes).
