amanico
[JLC Moderator]
403044
Many questions. I will try to give you some answers....
The Minute Repeater is, for me, one of the most prestigious complication. Can you imagine? A sound which gives you the time at the minute???
When I got my current, it was in 2007. Two years bafore, I had the Portuguese MR, which is aesthetically a great one, but acoustically disappointing. So, in 2007, I went for the JLC Master Minute Repeater in titanium. And it was a revolution, with its punk rocker design and stunning combination of complications ( Torquemeter and 15 days power reserve ). Acoustically, we are more in the register of The Clash than Chopin, but very pleasant to hear.
For three discontinued days, I didn't sleep.
If I use the minute repeater very often? Yes. Is it reliable? Yes. If I like the sound? Yes, after tuning it again, to get a bit less decibels and more richness.
Mine hasn't been serviced for 16 years, and it still works flawlessly. NOW, if you are after one, you should check if it has been serviced. If not, keep in mind the service costs ( around 2 K Euros at JLC ), when negociating on the price...
Best,
Nicolas
What are your experiences of Minute Reapeter?
I have never owned a minute repeater watch but always from a distance been struck by such a complex mechanical creation. I have acctually begun giving it some thinking if I should buy a minute repeater. If I did it would be a pre-owned watch and it would ...
Many questions. I will try to give you some answers....
The Minute Repeater is, for me, one of the most prestigious complication. Can you imagine? A sound which gives you the time at the minute??? When I got my current, it was in 2007. Two years bafore, I had the Portuguese MR, which is aesthetically a great o...
What a cool watch, Nico!
Wish you could post an audio recording as I’d love to hear the chiming sound this masterpiece makes!
Generally SLIDE-Activated MRs are more reliable than Button-Activated MRs.
And this specific MR that Nicolas has is known to be more reliable than the average MR. APs, PPs, and VCs are generally more reliable as well if it's an MR only mechanism with a slide activation mechanism. One more thing, Pelle, don't service these things...
Thank you kindly Patrik
Again you taught me someting I was not aware of. This time the the sliding vs the button as well as the service issue.
Thank you for some very interesting thoughts
Great that you are being clear with both advatages and disadvantages. Please permit me to ask if you wear your MR JLC for let say one week how many times do you press the MR?
The silence or rattle noise made by the governor is something to be considered. Some brands have mastered that aspect more or less for some time. From my hearing experience Patek, Chopard are very good at that. On the Full strike from Chopard I know
very well it is inexistent. VC is also on the better side. JLC on its models after the charming red gold reverso minute repeater has developed efficient governors. Whereas with Breguet it can be awfully loud which remains a mystery as they developed a spe...
Thank you for sharing your knowledge
and especially on the matter of rattle noise as well as rhythm. I have not taken a closer look at Chopard but will do it now. Many thanks
Go in person and hear them.
Don't buy them off the internet. They need to be heard in person. Not through a grainy video with a microphone placed right next to the minute repeater. Generally, MR that are more complex (with additional complications) sound worse than sole minute repea...
Excellent! Glad to read that you actually use it!
You are the exception though - and you always have been the exception!
Can't really say!
I haven't really heard it many times in a controlled quiet setting to give a solid opinion. The Zeitwerk Minute Repeater was just okay - not great. But I have a feeling that the RL Minute Repeater will be much better.
Totally agree. Plus if possible you need to listen to them in different environments before deciding
I used to own two: AP John Shaeffer, UN Jungle repeater, and still own the Cartier. Honestly, none of them souned good. I listened to all of them at the store and while they sounded ok there, at home and in the office my impression was different. You also...
Yes, movement servicing costs can be tremendous.
I think I alluded to that in my post too - that servicing costs can be high. The other thing is that after servicing, they rarely sound as good as when they first left the factory.
Thank you so much for sharing your in dept knowledge
As always when I study what you write there are several things for me to reflect on. This time I will look deeper into brands such as GP, UN and Bulgari. The importance of metal has become clearer to me know. One challange I am facing is that there are no...
To be honest...
Wearing a MR watch these days in Europe and USA is a bit dangerous - a lot of small robberies happen and I wouldn't want to be the target of a situation. Living in Singapore, Dubai, Taipei, or Tokyo might be a bit safer to wear these things. I haven't bee...
For MR shopping, you really need to go to the boutiques in bigger cities...
London, Paris, Geneva, are your best bets. Even Zurich might not have a large assortment of minute repeaters for you to view. 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. A...
WPS
Agree, this is really a fantastic site when you want to learn something about watches. Today I read all the answers I got on my question and took notes on a paper. Looking at my notes it is easy to say that the value for me is huge and once again I like t...
The Bulgari MR is nice, but since it's newer, there aren't many on the market.
There's one at Sotheby's coming up. Don't know what it'll go for! Maybe it'll go for a reasonable price! But yes, value is very important. And the next most important parts are sound quality, reliability, and how that sound quality will be preserved after...
thanks for this great reply, Patrick.
Very interesting, open and informative! BTW, recently I've been in a similar situation thinking that may be I need an MR in my small collection. However, after listening to several, decided to stay away. The key problem appeared to be that administrative ...
When you decide to try again...
When you decide inevitably to try again... Let me know... I'll point you to some where I think you'll be okay - less administrative noises. So... Don't give up!
Three additions to a great summary
Dear Patrick, great summary to which I have three comments. A) Similar to Nicolas I also use my MRs a lot. There is nothing nicer that to listen to the time in morning and turn around for another 15 min. Just like listening to the birds in the morning. B)...
Thank you for your elegant reply - much appreciated
The watch you are wearing on the picture is so beautiful and it fits you like a glove!
That's amazing!
Seems like we both started with IWC MRs! Mine had big governor noises and was VERY SLOW. Mine took 25-27 seconds to do the 12:59 sequence. I'm so glad that you actually use your MRs. The 5078 remains one of my favorites. It's very clear, great tonality, a...
I have never owned a MR and will never will.....
They are definitely the highest order of watch making and superb engineering, but my practical and logical mind first think about the maintenance and repair cost P I know that means I don't have enough funds sob sob...but there is also a variable of each ...
Never say never!
I say you should save up for a minute repeater! Don't buy anything for two years and you'll have enough!
Keep in mind the vast majority have NO water resistance at all.
So, wearability in a tropical climate is an issue over time. Definitely hear it and have a watchmaker that can work on them (rare!). I tried on a MR with my fiancee who has perfect pitch. She said the two gongs made a minor third and she would prefer a ma...
Absolutely!
Can't wear these things in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Maldives, Taipei, KL, or any places where the weather is not good.
Hey, have you heard one of the Breguet MRs with their new gold gongs?
I think you'll like them!
Hmm. I haven't.
I haven't heard the latest one they launched a couple months ago. The other thing is that each brand needs to have a program where the original sound is recorded in a very rich, high quality format, in a recording studio, and then when the watch is servic...
No not live yet. An online recording. If I recall
correctly the sound of the gong was nice but there was again the rattle of the governor I cannot stand😁
I would hear it in person! Call ahead and visit a boutique!
I gave a feeling the governor will be less problem in real life. The AP supersonnerie MRs eliminate the governor sound but are 3x the price. Iirc, they do offer mild water resistance and may be good daily wear MRs, but I can't confirm that from experience...
I never owned a MR yet but its high on my wish list for sure 👍🏻
I have listened to a few and that’s something you need to do before getting one . There is so much difference between these watches and brands imho . Do a lot of research and learn.
Research is the name of the game!
Also if a MR watch would bring me great pleasure for a long time to come is a key factor if to buy one or not. From raising this question I learned many things. One is that you might not get the sound from a service that you had anticipated. Expensive ser...
I’ve owned two and out of the two the JLC was the best
Ap Grand sonneire was a bit of a disappointment however JLC was great in all terms except resale .. ...
This is a highly intersting post and i really enjoyed reading all of the answers! thank you for this!
Has any tried the MR of JLC reverso? How is it? How does it compare to round cases, vs square? Thanks feedback. A.
Exactly!
And the fact that several of the posts here talk about getting the watch back from service with a sound that you had antipated and payed for has mad at least me reluctant to buy myself a MR.
Such an informative thread!
Ultimately it boils down to budget. The IWC seems to be the most attainable despite its various flaws
Challenging because...
It is too soft, takes too long, noisy or not melodious? Or all the above? 😂