repeater Archives - Haute Time

Red Alert For The Best Sounding Alarm Watches!

Watches that make a sound, other than the ticking of their movement, are among the most desired in the watch world. There is simply something about a watch that indicates either the time or that a certain preset time is reached, with an acoustic signal, coming to life exclusively by means of mechanical parts. Among them, alarm watches are usually the most affordable, because generally speaking, they are the least complex. Yes, generally speaking, because not all alarm watches are created equal. Some take it to the next level, by the complexity of their movement, and the clarity of their sound and these three excel in both!

By Martin Green

What Makes The Sound Of A Minute Repeater So Magical?

The history of the minute repeater goes back to a time before electric light. As lighting an oil lamp was quite some work, watchmakers build repeating mechanisms in pocket watches so that they could sound the time on demand. The invention of the minute repeater was claimed by both Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare, but it was Quare who obtained a patent for it in 1687. Initially, watches equipped with a repeating mechanism used bells to chime the time, later to be replaced with wire gong, which took up less space. These weren't minute repeaters, at first, but quarter repeaters, chiming the time to the closest quarter.