Patek Philippe

The repeater is one of the most revered and desirable complications in watchmaking. English inventors and clockmakers Reverend Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare both claimed to have invented the repeating mechanism, and both applied for a patent on it just before 1700, which was ultimately awarded to Quare in 1687.

What made the repeating function so groundbreaking was its ability to chime the hours, and sometimes quarters or even minutes, on demand. Invented during a time period before widespread and reliable artificial illumination, it allowed the time to be determined in the dark and by the visually impaired. A technological marvel, repeaters are beloved today as a testament to engineering ingenuity. 

Of all repeaters, the minute repeater which strikes the hour, quarters, and number of minutes from the last quarter, is the most complicated and sought after. The present timepiece further incorporates a rare mechanism for activating its repeating function with a button instead of requiring the repeating train to be wound via a slide.

The tandem winding system ensures that the repeating train’s power is stored in its own spring barrel, with the repeat mechanism released by depression of the winding crown, which here also acts as a button.