Minute Repeater — Time You Can Hear

The most complex standard complication. Push a slide, and tiny hammers strike gongs to audibly chime the time.

🔔 THE SOUND

• Low tone: Hours
• Double strike (low-high): Quarter hours
• High tone: Minutes past the quarter

Example: 10:37 → 10 low chimes + 2 double strikes + 7 high chimes

⚙️ ENGINEERING MARVEL

• 200-500+ additional parts
• Only a handful of watchmakers in the world can build and regulate a repeater
• The case acts as an acoustic chamber

💰 Starting around $200,000. Patek Philippe repeaters start at ~$350,000.

💡 Invented before electric lighting — a gentleman could check the time in the dark.