Habring2 Felix 5-Minute Repeater Overview

It's sometimes the small(er) complications which carry with them all the charm you probably never asked for, and this here is just another case in point: The Habring2 Felix 5-Minute Repeater, the Horological Couple's newest baby:



So, a 5-minute repeater? The unloved stepchild of an aristocratic grande sonnerie manufacture lady which somehow ended up with much more than a hand shake from that latin gigolo in module alley: it's often sneezed at as being not the full monty; a wannabe complication; music for the masses; perhaps.

But then: it provides fun, actually a lot of pleasure, and given the enormous price differential between the two, I reckon one would be stupid not to risk a closer look. The Austrian independent watchmakers Maria and Richard Habring have now presented their own take on a 5-minute repeater, and with it marrying their inhouse movement A11 with Dubios-Depraz' D90 module.

I had the immense pleasure of spending a weekend with the two, and got some quality time with this piece. All images shown here in this article are thosefr a close-to-production prototype, with only a few aesthetic tweaks which differ from the final watch. Here is what I still remember from that night (more about this at the end...):



In terms of appearance, the Felix Repeater is a 42mm titanium/titanium watch (Grade 2 for the middle part and Grade 5 for caseback and polished bezel). In stark contrast to many repeater watches, this one is waterproof to the depth equivalent of 30 metres thanks to a pusher at ten o'clock (rather than a slide) to trigger the repeater mechanism.

The 5-minute-repeater module D90 (measuring 36 mm in diameter and 3.75 mm in height) chimes the full hours ("ding") and a maximum of eleven full 5-minute intervals ("ding-dong"). In other words, which makes this module so accessible is the entire lack of a minute gauging and chiming train, which would add a lot of complexity (and dare I say cost!) to the mechanism, down to a spring which would have to provide sufficient power.

The DD module makes up for its lack of the certainly very engaging minute tunes by a finer partition of the hour, instead of a minute repeater's quarter chimes, totalling to a maximum of 3 instances, the module chimes in 5-minute intervals, i.e. 11 times an hour. This offers liveliness at resonable cost.



Of course, its sound is quite crisp, and clear, with full-bodied gongs. the following video gives you a good impression:



Of course, Maria and Richard have applied their own aesthetic personality to the module, which includes fine circular brushed finishing as well as nice and bold anglage. Time is read from a very reduced bezel around the movement with - very consistent! - 5 minute rims. The leaf-shaped and quite substantial heat-blued hands are simply adorable:



The driving force behind the module, quite literally, is the Austria's first entirely locally manufactured movement Habring2 A11B, their hand-wound engine with 48h power reserve and an anti-magnetic escapement with a Carl Haas hairspring in chronometer quality:



The finishing again is down to earth (and price point), and overall complementing its appearance as a brick (here in the obsolescent meaning of the word...think along the lines of a buddy... ;-)):



Again, the Haas-powered escapement, Triovis regulator, KIF shock absorber and a hand engraved balance cock:



Circular brushing and the maker's engraving:



Anglage is generous and glossy, and offers a balanced complement to the rather coarse, brushed finish of the mainplate:



Essentially: from Austria with pride!



It is a very attractive pleasure to wear (and operate) such a watch. A truly charming (and with its relative quirkyness quite strongly so), emotional yet practical and safely wearable piece. Its reduced repeater mechanism makes this watch a tempting proposal for those who want to get their feet wet with musical timepieces, but also a considered choice for the seasoned collector alike.



One might remark that the way the open-worked mechanism is presented in the dial gives the passing impression of a handmade prototype. That is not even entirely wrong, as the Habrings indeed rely more than others on handwork. I see however the point, and as a lover of closed dials I probably would opt for a different design.

But this one makes perfectly sense as a talking piece to showcase a complication which is very, very rare, at this price (or even in absolute terms).



For more on the watch, you might visit Habring2's website .



And if I would have a suggestion: Dear Richard and Maria, when I look at your collection, one thought passes my mind... two words only: Repeater COS anybody?



After all, you are serial awardees of the prestigious GPHG...



... and have all the genetic setup needed to deliver?



After that, we are still not complete with the report. At Habring2, hospitality is written in capital letters - always! Thus no suprise that very soon after we discussed watches, we found ourselves, glasses at the ready, in the kitchen for a joint cooking session.



All locally produced, a chanterelle risotto whiskered us resolutely away into gourmet heaven, ...



... followed by grilled salmon on vegetables.



There was more to come, but the bottles of wine we enjoyed reached an obscene number which, at next morning, we decided to conceal forever...



Interesting epicurean choices, not to the deilght of every attendee...



... but all of us saw the light of a peaceful morning next day.



For some reason, watch-dog Mickey was the only one who anxiously made sure the guests would leave- for good... ;-) Sorry, poor fellow!



Please excuse my self-indulgent reporting this time...

Best,
Magnus