L.Leroy presented the Minute Repeater for Only Watch, a unique piece in support of the 2023 edition of the Only Watch charity auction.
Leroy, or Le Roy as they were originally spelled, timepieces hold a significant place in the history of watchmaking and chronometry since the 18th century when Julien (1686-1759) and Pierre Le Roy (1717-1785) made a name for themselves as master watchmakers, both even being appointed as Watchmakers to the King. Leroy timepieces have adorned the wrists of renowned figures like Marie-Antoinette, Proust, Matisse, Napoleon, Queen Victoria, Roosevelt, Chopin, Nobel, Bugatti, as well as aviation pioneers Charles Lindbergh and Santos-Dumont. Leroy's remarkable achievements include an impressive record of 384 gold medals won in chronometry competitions.
In line with its extraordinary watchmaking heritage, L.Leroy is presenting a truly unique piece in support of the 10th edition of the Only Watch charity auction. This event funds research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy and will take place on November 5th at the Palexpo in Geneva, simultaneously taking place online.
The L.Leroy Minute Repeater for Only Watch takes inspiration from a rare ancient pendant tact watch made by Leroy around 1810 for the Prince Emil Maximilian Leopold August of Hesse and that today is part of the prestigious collection of the Patek Philippe Museum. At that period, when electricity was unknown and luminous hands were not yet invented, this type of watch allowed for time reading in the dark. By touching the hand that moved towards twelve diamonds placed as indices along the case's periphery, the wearer could tactfully discern the hour.
The exceptional "tact" medallion watch in gold No. 1391 inscribed with the signature "Le Roy Watchmaker to HM the King and R. Madame, Paris", circa 1810
Courtesy of the Patek Philippe Museum
Courtesy of the Patek Philippe Museum
Featuring a flying tourbillon and a minute repeater mechanism, this modern reinterpretation created by L. Leroy is a wristwatch of great complexity which required the highly qualified skills of watchmaking technicians for the development and assembly of its manual winding movement but also the craftsmanships of master engravers and the specialists in top-level finishing.
The reinterpretation by L. Leroy showcases a wristwatch of remarkable intricacy, incorporating a flying tourbillon and a minute repeater mechanism. The development and assembly of its manual winding movement demanded the expertise of highly skilled watchmaking technicians, alongside the craftsmanship of master engravers and specialists in top-level finishing.
The case, 43 mm in diameter with a thickness of 13.95 mm, is made of grade 5 titanium, an extremely light material making it comfortable on the wrist. The hand-engravings representing floral motifs alone required no less than 120 hours of work by master engravers.
The rotating dial boasts a superb flinqué soleil decoration with a translucent aquamarine varnish finish. This pattern emanates from a point near the perimeter, where the rhodium-plated, arrow-shaped, hand-engraved hour hand is fixed and extends its rays around the circumference of the display.
When the dial rotates, the arrow-shaped hand points towards the diamond markers set on the hand-engraved bezel and indicates the hour. There are 24 diamonds totalling 1.35 carats, the larger ones mark the hours while the smaller ones indicate the half-hour.
To know the precise time, the minute repeater comes into action. This sophisticated mechanism is developed on a hand-wound movement, which is also equipped with a flying tourbillon that improves its chronometric performance.
Once the repeater slide, positioned between 8:30 and 9:30, is activated, the time will be indicated acoustically thanks to the finely tuned chiming mechanism. The design of the case has been meticulously studied and developed to amplify the different tones of the sound indicating the hours, quarters and minutes emitted by the two gongs struck by the two hammers, visible on the case back.
The hand-wound in-house calibre is composed of 321 parts and beats at a frequency of 3 Hz (21.600 vibrations per hour), and comprising the minute repeater mechanism on two gongs, a single barrel guaranteeing a 90-hour power reserve and the flying tourbillon which performs a complete rotation in one minute.
The movement and its single bridge, finely hand-engraved with hand-bevelled edges, can be admired by opening the case back cover using the discreet push-button at 4 o'clock.
To commemorate the charity auction, the inscription 'L.Leroy Only Watch 2023' is engraved on the inside of the back cover. montres-leroy.com
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