277:, and then the number of hours since the last hour on a second gong. For instance, in a 3 weight Vienna regulator wall clock, at 6:15 it would strike once on a high pitched gong, then strike six times on a lower pitched gong. At 6:30 it would strike twice on the high pitched gong, then six times on the lower pitched gong. At 6:45 three times on the high pitched gong, then six times on the lower pitched gong, and at 7:00 it would strike four times on the high pitched gong, then seven times on the lower pitched gong. The exact time every fifteen minutes will always be known by listening to the striking. These types of striking clocks are mostly found as French Carriage Clocks, or German three weight Vienna regulators. In addition they can strike the quarters and hours on demand, by activating a repeating mechanism at the push of a button, or the pull of a string. The term is sometimes used erroneously for a mere quarter striking mechanism.
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chime the hours first, the quarters, like most repeaters, and will have a way to activate the repeater on demand. It is more complex than the petite sonnerie, which is not built around a repeater mechanism, and will strike the hours on the hour and the quarter hours on the quarter, with no repeater function. In some examples it can strike the hours at the push of a button.
240:
by a low tone, the quarters are signaled by a sequence of two tones ("ding-dong"), and the minutes by a high tone. For example, if the time is 2:49 then the minute repeater will sound 2 low tones representing 2 hours, 3 sequence tones representing 45 minutes, and 4 high tones representing 4 minutes: "dong, dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding, ding, ding, ding".
83:
a cord whereupon it would strike the hours and quarters, or even the hours and five-minute divisions (five minutes repeating). During the nineteenth century such clocks gradually went out of use. Due to cheap imports from France, Germany and
America English clockmaking went into decline and with the advent of gas lighting repeating clocks became an unnecessary luxury.
174:
and minutes in the striking sequence. Since it is difficult to fit three bulky wire gongs into a watch movement, virtually all repeaters use two gongs, made from the two ends of a single length of wire supported in the middle, and if a third sound is needed it is made by striking the two gongs rapidly in sequence, first the high tone and then the low: "ding-dong".
82:
striking mechanism, which could be made to repeat easily and became the standard mechanism used in both clock and watch repeaters ever since. The best kind of repeating clocks were expensive to make; a separate train of wheels had to be added to the striking mechanism, and to activate it one pulled
285:
Used by the visually impaired and to tell the time quietly in meetings and concerts, 'dumb' repeater watches did not chime audibly, but instead produced vibrations. Instead of a gong, the hammer struck the hours on a solid metal block attached to the case, producing a dull 'thud' that could be felt
265:
A grand sonnerie acts as a repeating watch that triggers itself on the quarters (acting the same way a minute or quarter repeater would act if it was triggered manually by the user at the same time) and has its own power source (often a second barrel). This also means that grand sonneries will often
257:
Grande sonnerie (French, meaning 'grand strike') is a quarter (or minute) striking mechanism combined with a repeater. On each quarter hour, it chimes the current hours and quarters past the hour. Depending on the design of the sonnerie either the hours, or quarters can be sounded first. The chiming
239:
The minute repeater works like the quarter repeater, with the addition that, after the hours and quarter hours are sounded, the number of minutes since the last quarter hour are sounded. This requires three different sounds to distinguish hours, quarters, and minutes. Often the hours are signaled
218:
minutes. It strikes hours and then quarter hours, like the quarter repeater, then it uses a single tone in order to signal if more than half of the current quarter hour has passed. For example, if the time is 3:41 the mechanism will strike 3 low tones ("dong") to represent 3 hours, then 2 sequence
195:
The quarter repeater strikes the number of hours, and then the number of quarter hours since the last hour. The mechanism uses 2 chimes of different tones. The low tone usually signals the hours, and the high tone the quarter hours. As an example, if the time is 2:45, the quarter repeater sounds 2
173:
made of long hardened steel wires that are coiled inside the watch case. Tiny hammers actuated by the repeater mechanism strike them to make the chiming sounds. Some of the complex repeaters, such as the minute repeater, need to produce three different sounds, to distinguish hours, quarter hours,
103:
Generally, repeating watches strike the hours and quarters, although the best London made eighteenth century repeating mechanisms (motions) were made using the
Stockten system, named after the original inventor Matthew Stockten (known also as Stockton, Stockdon or Stogden) who worked for the famous
248:
The decimal repeater works like the minute repeater, but instead of chiming the quarter hours followed by minutes, it sounds the number of ten-minute intervals after the last hour and then the minutes. For example, if the time is 2:49 then the decimal repeater will sound 2 low tones representing 2
156:
Early watch repeater mechanisms were actuated by pushing and depressing the pendant (the top) of the watch. Later ones are activated by pushing a slide along the side of the case. This winds a separate spring to power the repeater. Releasing the slide releases the spring, and its force as it
99:
Whereas repeating watches made in the eighteenth century struck a bell mounted in the back of the case, during the nineteenth century wire gongs were invariably employed as they took up less space. These appear to have been invented by the Swiss around 1800. Another type of repeating watch made
269:
Modern sonnerie watches merge both types of sonnerie, making grand and petite sonnerie selectable modes that the user can choose between, as well as having an optional minute or quarter repeater. These watches will either have a distinctive double barrel setup, one wound by turning the clock
249:
hours, 4 sequence tones representing 40 minutes, and 9 high tones representing 9 minutes: "dong, dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding". These repeaters, although first made more than 250 years ago, are very rare.
90:
claimed the invention of the repeating watch, just before 1700. Both applied for a patent on it, which was decided in favor of Quare in 1687. Repeater watches were much harder to make than repeater clocks; fitting the bells, wire gongs and complicated striking works into a
231:, the five-minute repeater strikes the hours and then the number of five-minute periods since the hour. The mechanism uses a low tone for the hours and a high tone for the minutes. For example, 2:25 would be struck as: "dong, dong, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding".
164:
invented a reliable 'all-or-nothing' mechanism that prevented this, making watch repeaters considerably more reliable and popular. The first repeaters had a single bell mounted in the back of the case, on which 2 hammers would strike. This bell was made of
764:. A compilation of repeaters and clock watches found in auction catalogs over the years. 170 pages. A picture and a description of each watch is given. The watches are sorted by functions and brands. The Book 2 has not been released yet.
57:
which chimes the time down to the minute, using separate tones for hours, quarter hours, and minutes. They originated before widespread artificial illumination, to allow the time to be determined in the dark, and were also used by the
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270:
clockwise, the other counter clockwise, or will use a single barrel for both timekeeping, and chiming. The number of strikes that a sonnerie can produce on a full wind depends on the striking mechanism and spring.
177:
The repeaters have a mechanism that allows the pace of the repeater strikes to be changed. The owner of a repeater watch can ask a watchmaker to change the pace, making it faster or slower. According to the book
95:
movement was a feat of fine watchmaking. So repeating watches were expensive luxuries and status symbols; as such they survived the introduction of artificial illumination and a few are still made today.
100:
during the period 1750–1820 was the dumb repeating watch. These had two hammers for hours and quarters, striking blocks within the case which made a dull sounding thud which could be felt in the hand.
196:
low tones and after a short pause 3 high ones: "dong, dong, ding, ding, ding". Alternatively, some use a pair of tones to distinguish the quarter hours: "dong, dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong"
160:
A problem with very early repeaters was that the slide could be released before it was fully cocked, causing the repeater to only chime part of its sequence. Around 1820 French watchmaker
579:
182:" by John Huguenin (page 39 of the original edition), "a minute repeater with an average speed takes about twenty seconds to strike 12 hours, three quarters and fourteen minutes".
149:
article. Repeater clocks often had a cord with a button on the end protruding from the side of the clock. Pulling the cord actuated the repeater mechanism. This was called a
53:
that chimes the hours and often minutes at the press of a button. There are many types of repeater, from the simple repeater which merely strikes the number of hours, to the
258:
is usually done on two or more chimes (with two or more hammers), the quarter chimes can be a simple combination of high and low notes, or elaborate melodies, such as
899:
549:
519:
373:
129:
minutes). From around 1750 watches this system was modified to repeat the hours, quarters and minutes (the minute repeater), the famous London maker
909:
For each watch, there are 2 recording conditions (repeater on the wrist or on a table), and 2 recording quality (MP3 and
Lossless). The watches are
774:, Audemars Piguet edition. 70 pages with many repeater watches (pocket and wristwatches) made by Audemars Piguet. This is not a commercial catalog.
219:
tones ("ding-dong") to represent 2 quarter hours, then one high tone ("ding") to indicate that more than half of the third quarter hour has passed.
699:, Librairie Stapelmohr. 99 pages, 59 drawings. An advertisement for this book appeared on 4 February 1900 issue of the bi-weekly Swiss journal
587:
948:
857:
137:, the minute repeating mechanism became much more common but still to be found only in the best watches as it was expensive to make.
345:
321:
610:
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appears to have been the first to produce these in numbers. During the nineteenth century following the improvements made by
273:
The sonnerie is implemented differently in clocks. On every quarter-hour it strikes the number of quarter hours audibly on a
62:. Now they are mostly valued as expensive novelties by watch and clock enthusiasts. Repeaters should not be confused with
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448:
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Close-up of a minute repeating pocket watch movement showing placement of the gong and hammers, manufactured by the
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963:
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527:
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A student of the Ecole
Technique de la Vallée de Joux created a mechanical ten minute repeater in the 1930s.
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887:
746:
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745:, Edition Stemmle. 240 pages. Pages 142-176 and 194-201 are about the minute repeater mechanism of the
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738:, Offprint from Antiquarian Horology (originally published in parts from September 1965 to June 1966).
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42:
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805:, Vanity Fair (May 2009). 4 Pages. An audiophile comparison between 8 modern minute repeaters.
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8:
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29:(1892) was the first wristwatch with a minute repeater. The movement was manufactured by
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The rack and snail striking mechanism used in repeaters is described in detail in the
757:
444:
59:
852:
Explanation of terminology of repeaters, Sonneries, and clockwatches, as used today.
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930:
782:
46:
839:
814:. 100 Pages. A detailed, technical study of repeaters and grande sonnerie watches.
910:
767:
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364:
161:
30:
21:
692:, Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie. 48 pages. No drawing. Reprinted 2011 by Origami.
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or watches, which do not strike on demand, but merely at regular intervals.
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The repeating clock was invented by the
English cleric and inventor, the
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The half-quarter repeater can sound the time to half a quarter hour, or
153:. Repeating carriage clocks have a button on the top to activate them.
166:
312:
934:
785:'s minute repeater, International Watch (May 2006): pp. 136–140.
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Closeup of a quarter repeater movement, dial side (with dial removed)
157:
unwinds moves the repeater mechanism through its chiming sequence.
888:
Disassembly, cleaning, repair and reassembly of a quarter repeater
914:
115:
These were made to strike the hours, quarters and half quarters (
907:
High quality audio files of 8 modern minute repeaters watches.
900:"Monochrome-Watches A technical perspective the sound of time"
50:
169:", a mixture of copper and tin. Later repeating watches use
793:
274:
170:
681:, also reprinted in 2011 by Origami. English translation:
715:
L'horloger. tome. II., sonneries d'horloges et de montres
729:
A Guide to
Complicated Watches (Les Montres Compliquées)
710:, Hazlitt & Walker, Chicago. 26 pages, 11 drawings.
677:, JJ Paschoud, Geneva. Available on Google books at
351:
Gong support point, showing hollowing to lower tone.
586:. Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie. Archived from
556:. Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie. Archived from
526:. Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie. Archived from
472:Antique pocket watch collecting for fun and profit
690:Etablissage et Repassage des Montres à Répétition
180:Etablissage et Repassage des Montres à Répétition
955:
720:Emanuel Seibel and Orville R. Hagans Ed. (1945)
754:European Repeaters & Clock Watches, Book 1
724:, The Roberts Publishing Co., Denver Colorado.
679:https://books.google.com/books?id=PLU-AAAAcAAJ
611:"François-Paul Journe, sovereign timekeeping"
252:
825:Quarter, Minute and Decimal Repeater Videos
16:Complication in a mechanical watch or clock
403:
339:Minute repeater gong, about 2 in. diameter
434:
432:
608:
468:"The History of the Repeater Wristwatch"
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20:
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222:
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897:
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796:editions. Duration : 1 hour 30'.
731:, A. Simonin, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
703:(page 60). Reprinted 2011 by Origami.
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25:The 13 in (33 cm) watch by
500:. Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie
243:
190:
13:
941:. The recordings were made in an
675:Essai sur les montres a répétition
651:. Old and Sold Antique Marketplace
609:Maillard, Pierre (13 April 2006).
457:
417:. Old and Sold Antique Marketplace
327:Minute Repeater Ebauche, back side
234:
14:
975:
893:Minute-Repeater Watches in detail
830:Perez, Carlos (31 January 2001).
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78:in 1676. His innovation was the
882:How Minute-Repeater Watches work
734:J. H. Francis Wadsworth (1965)
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864:. TimeZone.com. Archived from
838:. TimeZone.com. Archived from
736:A History of Repeating Watches
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602:
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512:
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1:
802:The Sound of Minute Repeaters
685:, Richard Watkins, Australia.
858:"A Minute Repeater Tutorial"
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7:
727:François Lecoultre (1952),
708:Repairing Repeating Watches
384:
297:
10:
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949:What is a Minute Repeater?
856:DeCorte, Ron (June 2004).
756:, Heart of America Press.
749:Grande Complication watch.
439:Milham, Willis I. (1945).
69:
777:Curtis D. Thomson (2006)
683:Essay on Repeater Watches
391:Repeater (disambiguation)
253:Grand and petite sonnerie
649:Encyclopedia of Antiques
415:Encyclopedia of Antiques
185:
808:Richard Watkins (2017)
743:IWC Grande Complication
706:C. T. Etchells (1917)
701:La Fédération Horlogère
673:Francois Crespe (1804)
443:. New York: MacMillan.
86:Both Edward Barlow and
964:Timekeeping components
898:Markl, Xavier (2016).
862:Ron DeCorte's Notebook
790:Exploring the Repeater
634:Milham 1945, p.246-247
474:. Antique Pocket Watch
227:First made in 1710 by
76:Reverend Edward Barlow
34:
741:Manfred Fritz (1991)
688:John Huguenin (1897)
200:Half-quarter repeater
24:
772:Les Heures Musicales
752:Roy Ehrhardt (1993)
697:Traité des Sonneries
441:Time and Timekeepers
223:Five-minute repeater
939:Vacheron Constantin
788:Ron DeCorte (2007)
781:, an article about
722:Complicated Watches
695:Emile James (1899)
290:Ten Minute Repeater
842:on 4 February 2013
799:Bob Stuart (2009)
713:Ch. Poncet (1938)
580:"Striking watches"
260:Westminster Chimes
35:
868:on 31 August 2004
832:"Hammer and Gong"
550:"Grande Sonnerie"
520:"Grande Sonnerie"
494:"Petite Sonnerie"
60:visually impaired
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943:anechoic chamber
931:Jaeger LeCoultre
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244:Decimal repeater
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191:Quarter repeater
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47:mechanical watch
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911:Audemars Piguet
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836:Carlos' Journal
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792:(DVD and VHS),
768:Audemars Piguet
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645:"Dumb Repeater"
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64:striking clocks
55:minute repeater
31:Audemars Piguet
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281:Dumb repeater
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151:pull repeater
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141:How they work
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110:George Graham
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870:. Retrieved
866:the original
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844:. Retrieved
840:the original
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811:The Repeater
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717:. 224 pages.
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668:Bibliography
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618:. Retrieved
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588:the original
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558:the original
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532:. Retrieved
528:the original
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106:Daniel Quare
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43:complication
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27:Louis Brandt
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615:Europa Star
93:pocketwatch
167:Bell metal
397:Footnotes
958:Category
846:22 April
620:20 April
594:20 April
564:20 April
554:Glossary
534:20 April
524:Glossary
504:20 April
498:Glossary
421:20 April
385:See also
298:Pictures
39:repeater
915:Bvlgari
313:Ébauche
213:⁄
124:⁄
104:makers
70:History
935:Piaget
872:9 July
760:
655:31 May
478:9 July
447:
365:Gallet
919:Corum
886:(fr)
880:(fr)
186:Types
171:gongs
51:clock
45:in a
41:is a
937:and
874:2008
848:2008
794:AWCI
758:ISBN
657:2008
622:2008
596:2008
566:2008
536:2008
506:2008
480:2008
445:ISBN
423:2008
275:gong
108:and
927:IWC
747:IWC
49:or
960::
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929:,
925:,
921:,
917:,
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117:7
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