MinuteRepeater

Grieb & Benzinger Platinum Minute Repeater Watch With Vintage Patek Philippe Movement

My favorite German watch engraver Jochen Benzinger (aka company Grieb & Benzinger) has a new creation. While Benzinger doesn't always do watches themselves, they sometimes have special items such as this. A lot of the time their special talents are called upon by others who want their watches to have the awesome styles of traditional guilloche engraving that only they can seemingly accomplish.

Here is a new creation from them that is like a sophisticated Frankenstein. The watch case is in all platinum and a larger 49mm wide (heavy at 130 grams, which is good). I like the tradition style engraving on the bezel. The shape of the case is very classic, and looks pretty interesting with the blue reptile strap.

Inside the watch is a very cool item. A vintage manually wound movement made by Patek Philippe in 1887 for Tiffany & Co. Very cool to see Benzinger restore and finish a pocket watch movement that is over 120 years old and put it into this wrist watch. The movement has been modified so that it displays the time in a regulator style format. Plus, the real draw is the minute repeater function of the movement that is operated by the slide level on the left side of the case.

Benzinger created a beautiful skeletonized dial (in their typical style) over the movement. It created a fully operational set of makers, but also allows for a good view into the movement. Such a view is good, given the extensive finishing and polishing of the movement. There is also a healthy use of blued steel all over the watch and movement. So much, that it was wise to compliment the deep blue tones with the colored strap. Overall it is a very cool watch with a mix of personalities from Benzinger, Patek Philippe, and Tiffany & Co. Not sure about the exact price, but Grieb & Benzinger minute repeater watches are between 175,000 - 250,000 euros. Not sure how many of these watches are available, or if it is a one of a kind piece.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Grieb & Benzinger Platinum Minute Repeater Watch

Tags: engraving, Greib Benzinger, GreibBenzinger, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, platinum, watch

Milus Minute Repeater TriRetrograde Limited Edition Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The TriRetrograde gets loud with a new minute repeater complication. Milus takes their Tirion TriRetrograde watch case, makes some changes, and adds a much more complicated movement for the upcoming Milus Minute Repeater TriRetrograde watch. While the original Tirion models were very nice and suitable as daily wears, the Minute Repeater goes into the collector's zone - meaning it will be much more expensive and likely a bit more delicate. Problem with minute repeaters (can be activated to "repeat" the time back to you in an audible format) is that the little 'time code' songs they play is not very loud. Sure you can hear the dance of the hammers on the gongs in a quiet room, but in public? Forget about it.

The Tirion style 46mm wide case is 14mm thick and in 18k rose gold. Inside the watch is a new movement for the brand to use (I believe). It is the hand wound caliber M08-35RM with a large 90 hours of power reserve. You can see the impressive movement through the watch caseback. Very nice look for a minute repeater with an interesting bridge design. Interestingly enough this movement has been COSC Chronometer certified, super rare among minute repeater watches.

The dial design has been changed just a bit. Notable is the centrally mounted hand for the date dial, as opposed to the previous watch that had the date at 6 o'clock (which I liked better). A bit more decoration on the dial itself for the Minute Repeater, as well as fancier movement decor through the partially open dial. Like I said, for a daily wear the much more reasonably priced automatic Tirion model makes a better choice, but the Minute Repeater will be a good collection marquee. The piece will be limited to 50 pieces.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Milus Minute Repeater TriRetrograde watch

Tags: limited edition, LimitedEdition, Milus, Minute Repeater, MinuteRepeater, TriRetrograde, Watch

DeMonaco Carre d'Or Squelette Tourbillon Minute Repeater Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Shown at the Geneva Time Exhibition, but apparently not for official release until Baselworld, here is the newest creation from DeMonaco. The parts for their watches are Swiss made and assembled in Monaco. They further have their own designed movements. The main reason for the official release later on? Because of the 8 pieces they plan to produce in the limited edition, only this one has been made, and it has already been sold.

Showing great talent for design and finishing, the new DeMonaco Carre d'Or Squelette watch comes in a 46 by 50mm square-ish case in 18k rose gold with a titanium core. Movement is the new TB-RM1 manually wound tourbillon movement with a 48 hour power reserve. The tourbillon has DeMonaco's signature sapphire crystal bridge which is very cool, and a pain to manufacture. The mainplate of the movement is seen right through the skeletonized dial of the watch, that is cut to form the art deco style Roman numerals. Check out the diamond shaped titanium hour markers that are polished and neat looking. The watch hands are solid gold. Flip the watch over to reveal a beautiful and unique manner of movement decoration. Much of the shapes are small pyramids.

Aside from the tourbillon and the time, the major complication here is the minute repeater. It is operated via the slide lever on the left side of the case. The watch comes with a large wooden amplifier as part of the case that helps the minute repeater chimes sound louder. The hand finishing all over the case is really well done and I am certainly impressed with this new brand. Price for this watch is high, I don't recall the exact amount, but it is over $100,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: DeMonaco Carre d'Or Squelette Watch

Tags: carre dor, CarreDor, Demonaco, dMc-TB-RM, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, monaco, skeleton, tourbillon, watch

Gerald Genta Arena Metasonic Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

I was blown away seeing this surprising watch from Gerald Genta. Most of the brand's watch impress me, but I this one came out of no where, and likely cost them years of development. I assume once the Arena Metasonic watch is available, there will be very few of them to go around. The watch continues the brand's obsession of watches with a musical twist. Starting in the mid 1990s hey began to great ultra complex minute repeater and striking watches. These two complications either repeat the time to you on command (either exactly or to the nearest 5 minute or quarter hour), or automatically chime at various intervals (such as at "6:00" or when each hour passes). There are many iterations the sonnerie watch, and the most complex of which embody multiple of these musical complications.

This new Arena Metasonic starts with a 46mm wide case made of titanium and other special metal alloys designed to enhance the sound coming from within. One of the hardest parts of making watches such as this is designing the case to carry the sounds as well as possible. There is also the highly stylized construction and technical looking pushers and levers. The manually wound movement is ultra complex, being visible through the dial and caseback behind sapphire crystals. The front displays the off-centered time, tourbillon escapement, and in the lower left hand side you can see the hammers that beat playfully when the sonnerie is activated.

The rear of the watch has more of the fascinating movement and dual power reserves (for the watch and the minute repeater). I have a feeling that you'll need to be winding this watch often. The various sonnerie functions also include a silence mode (no striking unless you want to hear it), and a grande and petite sonnerie option. This chooses between louder or more soft strikes. More details will be released sooner to when the watch is made available. ~~No word on pricing yet~~. UPDATE. Price has been announced to be about $900,000.

Gerald Genta has however discussed the wild box that will come with the watch. First, it is all automatic and electronic. Gaze inside as a light goes on and the watch comes out of the nether to greet you. To access the watch, you'll need to place your finger on the biometric reader on the box, as this watch is meant for your wrist only. Crazy stuff, crazy unnecessary, and crazy fun.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Gerald Genta Arena Metasonic Watch

Tags: arena metasonic, ArenaMetasonic, gerald genta, GeraldGenta, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, sonnerie, watch

Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Tourbillon Platinum Watch To Be Up For Auction

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Patek Philippe minute repeater tourbillon

Antiquorum's catalog of watches and clocks to be auctioned off in September is over 300 pages long, and there are some cool ones this time around. Nevertheless, Patek Philippe is bound to be the most desirable brand if past auctions this year have been any indicator. Going for an estimated $400,000 - $600,000 this Patek Philippe Ref. 3939HP watch might be the star of the auction. These conservative estimates will likely be beat.

This watch was uniquely made per a customer request to have a black dial, and a silver dial is also included (not exactly user changeable). The platinum cased watch hides the most desirable elements which are a tourbillon based movement as well as a minute repeater complication (operated with the lever on the left side of the watch). Aside from that the dial is very simple, with elegant Arabic numerals and pomme hands. The subsidiary seconds dial tells most of the story. The watch was originally sold in the year 2000. We will wait until next month to see what the final bid will be for this collectible Patek Philippe.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 3939, 3939hp, antiquorum, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe, tourbillon, watch

Robb Report Loves The F.P. Journe Répétion Souveraine Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Readers of the Robb Report know that they like luxury watches and tend to include more mainstream and independent luxury brands in their frequent timepiece discussions. As such, in Robb Report's recent "Best of the Best" awards for 2009, they have selected a number of products and services that together make up the ultimate items for the luxury lifestyle. In the category of "Men's Watches" there were five "Best of the Best" winners including this F.P. Journe Répétion Souveraine watch. F.P. Journe certainly falls in the independent category of watch makers in comparison to other winners which include brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin (each part of the Richemont Group). Other winning brands included Patek Philippe and De Benthune.

The Répétion Souveraine watch is unique as being an extremely thin minute repeater watch - with the manually wound movement being about 4mm thick. The watch includes this minute repeater complication as well as the time with subsidiary seconds and a power reserve indicator - all on a very typically styled F.P. Journe watch dial. The level of finish and subtle decoration is what collectors and enthusiasts come to expect from the brand the relishes in its French style while being made in Switzerland. The whole watch is about 8mm thick, which is really a triumph for any sonnerie type of watch requiring space for the gongs and hammers inside of the movement. This winning "Best of the Best" watch goes for about $165,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: best of the best, BestOfTheBest, f.p. journe, F.p.Journe, luxury, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, robb report, RobbReport, Rption Souveraine, RptionSouveraine, watch

Audemars Piguet Tradition Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Each year's new releases from Audemars Piguet reveal how dynamic the watch maker is. From ultra modern, to ultra subdued, there is no limit to how varied their timepieces can be. In stark contrast to some of the more bold offerings this year, the Audemars Piguet Tradition line - with its attractive 39.5mm wide cushion case - adds a new level of ' complication smoothness' to the classically-styled line.

Greatest in this year's Audemars Piguet Tradition line is this Perpetual Calendar with Minute Repeater watch that is actually a very complex timepiece given the sheer number complications inside. The hand-wound Calibre AP 2855 movement powers the perpetual calendar with a moonphase. There is also the lever on the left side of the case for the gongs of the minute repeater. Pull it down, then active it, and you get a little harmony of gongs and bells that tell you the time if read (listened to) properly.

The case is done in either 18k white gold or platinum, with a variety of finishes on the case. The sides are polished, while the bezel is brushed and the dial is satin finished. The cathedral style hands and hour markers are in rose gold. One of the best features is the font style of the number markers which looks classic at first, but has a unique modern flair if you observe them carefully. Nice to know Audemars Piguet is not exclusively about the Royal Oak line, nice work AP.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 26052BC.00.D092CR.01, ap 2855, Ap2855, audemars piguet, AudemarsPiguet, minute repeater, MinuteRepeater, perpetual calendar, PerpetualCalendar, timepiece, tradition, watch