Horological Meandering

Thank you for your kind words!  We have many MR owners here on WPS and there's a lot of first-hand experience to be shared here.  

Again, to reiterate, my biggest concern about minute repeater ownership is servicing.  The costs (is it going to cost me 10.000 Euros every service), the frequency (I don't want to service this thing more than once every 10 years), the reliability of the watch (it should be a reliable design), and the result of the service (will the watch come back to me sounding the same?  What if the watch comes back to me and sounds bad?) is a huge concern to me.  Some brands like Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe have formal programs where they archive recordings of their MRs and when they get the watch in for servicing, they try to recreate the sound in the archive so that there's some consistency.  But many brands don't have these formal programs.  

Amanico's minute repeater is like a super fantastic scenario - he uses it often - the watch has been reliable, he hasn't needed to service it in 10 years, and the minute repeater still works.  Furthermore, it sounds loudly (I like them loud), the design is quite modern - not too stoic, the pricing is "reasonable" for what you get, tonality is good (they vary a bit), the watch is a little big, but the lugs aren't too far out, speed is okay (could be a tiny bit faster).  But overall, this is a great one to target if you like the size.  

Another good deal is the Breguet 3637 or other models that are minute repeater only.  Not all of these sound great though.  They're a little quiet.  I've said many times to many people, Breguet minute repeaters are a little lackluster considering it's a top level brand.  And absolutely avoid the Breguet minute repeaters with other complications attached - the models with the perpetual calendar sound even worse!  

The GP is another minute repeater I like.  The 99650 would be a nice model to consider.  It has a beautiful movement.  Lots of 3 dimensionality and depth to the movement.  But sometimes it has a quiet sound.  It's got good speed.  Even good tonality.  But it's a little quiet.  42mm.  Rose gold case.  I think enamel dial if I recall correctly.  Wears small for a 42mm because lugs don't stick out too much.  

The Bulgari can be a good choice too.  The Octo Finissimo is very impressive.  But I often feel that the last chimes, the last minute chimes, seem to be thunking.  Maybe the hammers aren't hitting the gongs correctly.  Maybe the hammers don't retract fast enough after hitting the gongs.  Maybe the hammers aren't hitting the gongs hard enough?  I've felt this on two occasions on two different Octo Finissimos.  The MRs are made in the Gerald Genta factory which has a STRONG HISTORY in minute repeater production.  But even with great experience, getting everything right is difficult.  Also, let's say you tune the hammers to strike harder - it may change something else which makes the sound worse in a different area.  Who knows...  

And then once you're in the VC, AP, PP territory, you do get an elevated experience, the sound is better, the tonality is better, and most of them are a lot louder.  But that's why I keep on going back to the JLC - the JLC is loud because the gongs are glued to the sapphire crystal.  

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