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Almost modular<\/p>\n
Most independents \u2013 and many large brands \u2013 rely on a handful of contemporary specialists like Le Cercle des Horlogers<\/a>\u00a0or decades-old ebauche stocks<\/a> for their repeaters. As a result, most repeaters take the same, time-tested, approach with only a few exceptions. Most are integrated designs that put the repeater train, hammers, and gongs on the same level as the rest of the movement. However, the rejuvenation of mechanical matchmaking during the 1980s and 1990s brought with it demand for systems that brands could add to existing movements.<\/p>\n The movement of a Vacheron Constantin ref. 30020, representative of minute repeaters made from the late 19th-century onward.<\/p>\n Among the most famous of these is the IWC minute repeater,<\/a> which took a modular approach (and is another unusual design) allowing the same system to be used on both the Valjoux 7750 and IWC cal. 98 bases without significant changes, a concept sister brand Jaeger-LeCoultre has taken even further<\/a>.<\/p>\n The IWC Il Destriero Scafusia, the brand\u2019s most complicated watch, makes use of the IWC minute repeater module.<\/p>\n In a similar vein, F.P. Journe turned to the Chronom\u00e8tre Souverain\u2019s cal. 1304<\/a> as the base for the brand\u2019s first stand-alone minute repeater, increasing the height and width of the rose gold main plate to accommodate the repeating works of the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine. From the outside, the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine is essentially a minute repeating version of the much-loved Chronom\u00e8tre Souverain, in this case with a smoked sapphire dial that reveals the normally hidden repeater works beneath.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not simply a cal. 1304 with a repeater module. Viewed through the case back, the less airy bridge design and missing barley corn pattern give the movement a different feel from that of the Chronom\u00e8tre Souverain, setting aside the obvious presence of the strike governor.<\/p>\n The Chronom\u00e8tre Souverain.<\/p>\n The R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine.<\/p>\n Aesthetic differences aside, the cal. 1408 features the same twin-barrel architecture, up\/down indicator, eccentric small seconds and partially hidden train. F.P. Journe used the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine as a base for the Astronomic Souveraine<\/a> several years later, adding an astronomical annual calendar, tourbillon, constant-force device, and slightly larger balance; a slate of significant changes that leaves the underlying calibre barely recognisable.<\/p>\n The Astronomic Souveraine.<\/p>\n In truth, the Chronom\u00e8tre and Astronomic Souveraine share few parts directly, but it is both ironic and elegant that the brand\u2019s most and least complicated (and expensive) models are so closely related, bringing the catalogue full circle.<\/p>\n The characteristic twin barrels, inspired by early French marine chronometers, contain springs that are weaker than the average mainspring, but the arrangement helps provide more consistent torque. Together they have the power of a normal mainspring, with the benefit of a flatter torque curve as it winds down.<\/p>\n The twin barrels.<\/p>\n Unlike the self-contained minute repeater modules from IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, F.P. Journe took advantage of the generous empty real estate in the cal. 1304 to move the strike train and governor to the back, which saves space but means the system can\u2019t be easily transposed to other base movements, like the Octa automatics for example.<\/p>\n The governor carries a pair of springs mounted on articulated arms, which rub against the steel frame to regulate the striking speed. Centrifugal force (inertia) causes the arms unfurl as the governor speeds up, pushing the springs against the frame, slowing its rotation with increasing friction. This solution is quieter than traditional anchor governors<\/a>, but not as whisper-quiet as Swatch Group\u2019s magnetic governor or Seiko\u2019s air-friction only governors<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite its not-quite-modular construction, the 8.5 mm-tall R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine was briefly the thinnest minute repeater on the market when launched in 2008. It\u2019s important to clarify significantly thinner minute repeating wristwatches existed during the 1980s and 1990s \u2013 and the flattest minute repeating pocket watches were only around 5 mm \u2013 but the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine was the slimmest repeater one could buy new.<\/p>\n Sounding off<\/p>\n As with the Sonnerie Souveraine, the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine uses the brand\u2019s signature flat gongs, visible through the sapphire dial, which emit a clear, crisp note without the resonance of wire gongs. Journe claims his flat gongs are louder than traditional wire gongs, but the many confounding factors affecting sound make that claim difficult to evaluate.<\/p>\n Like the Sonnerie and Astronomic Souveraine, the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine is only officially available in stainless steel rather than the brand\u2019s usual choices of rose gold and platinum, as denser metals would dampen the sound. A matching steel bracelet is available at a modest premium, making it a minute repeater that is arguably well-suited to daily wear, especially given the 30 m water resistance rating, which remains unusual for a chiming watch even 18 years after its launch. While steel is a sensible choice for a chiming watch, part of the appeal of independent brands like F.P. Journe is the ability to have one\u2019s dreams realised, and a precious metal case (and matching bracelet) is not off the table.<\/p>\n Ups and downs<\/p>\n The dial also reveals the wind indicator mechanism, in addition to the repeater works. Nearly all of F.P. Journe\u2019s creations bearing the name Chronom\u00e8tre have an indicator that tracks hours since the last full wind, which is the historical approach. Today, however, power reserve indicators, which display the hours remaining, such as on Journe\u2019s own Octa models, are more common. This leads to confusion as most modern watches omit the customary \u201cup\/down\u201d markings, but for this watch \u201c0\u201d represents the fully wound state.<\/p>\n A planetary gear differential is the most well known approach, constantly driving the hand to the down position as the watch runs, but allowing it to rise as the watch is wound. Journe instead uses a ball differential, most commonly used in small remote control cars. It comprises a (blue) free wheel geared to the up\/down hand, with (red) ceramic ball bearings sandwiched between two coaxial wheels. The upper wheel (green) is geared to the barrel arbour and turns while winding the watch, the lower (orange) is geared to the barrel and turns very slowly in the opposite direction as the watch runs.<\/p>\n The rotation of the free-wheel (blue) is the sum of the rotation of the two inputs (green and orange), slowly driving the up\/down hand to the \u201cdown\u201d position after 56 hours as the watch runs down, and raising it back to the \u201cup\u201d position when wound.<\/p>\n Diagram of F.-P. Journe\u2019s up\/down system. Image \u2013 Application EP1760544A1<\/p>\n Usefully, since the connections within a ball differential are frictional, the three wheels can slip past each other as needed, allowing the watch to continue running even after the up\/down indicator reaches the down position and the free wheel can no longer move. This also makes it well suited to automatic movements, such as in the ETA 2897.<\/p>\n A striking anachronism<\/p>\n Despite the visual similarity of the dial-side flat gongs, the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine is unrelated to the Sonnerie Souveraine. The former is inspired by the repeaters of A.-L. Breguet, while Cesar Racine\u2019s simplified grande sonnerie design likely influenced the Sonnerie Souveraine. Repeaters were the most common complication in Breguet\u2019s time. With limited daylight in cities like London, Paris, and Amsterdam, and gas lighting still in its infancy, chiming clocks made telling the time by ear both practical and intuitive.<\/p>\n Breguet No. 3104 with minute repeater. Image \u2013 Breguet Museum<\/p>\n While Breguet made many repeating watches, and F.P. Journe was no doubt inspired by his work, the system was not exclusive to or invented by Breguet, and is generally credited to a London watchmaker named Matthew Stogden (see The Repeater by Richard Watkins). Much like the work of Breguet, the repeater works are very compact, leaving room on the dial side for additional complications, like the up\/down indicator.<\/p>\n Minute repeater mechanism Notice that the springs for each beak are integral to the racks, which is possible thanks to EDM technology, something A.-L. Breguet lacked.<\/p>\n Breguet\u2019s minute repeaters chimed the hours and quarters on the same gong, and the minutes get their own. Journe\u2019s approach is slightly different: the hours, minutes and the second of the two notes for the quarters use the same gong, while the first quarter note is on the second gong.<\/p>\n The slide connects to the hours rack, which is geared to the strike train. Pulling the slide brings the hours rack down onto the hour snail, while winding the striking train and releasing the quarters and minutes racks. The hour rack drives the quarters rack using a beak that bites in after all hours strike. The quarters rack drives the minutes rack in turn through another beak that engages after quarter striking completes.<\/p>\n Normally in repeaters, the hours rack indirectly trips the hammer though an intermediate wheel, while the minutes and quarters racks directly trip their hammers. However, the hours rack in the R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine drives an intermediate wheel, which trips the first hammer, while the quarters rack trips the second hammer directly.<\/p>\n This means that it is actually the hour rack that strikes the hours, second quarter note, and the minutes. In fact, the minutes rack isn\u2019t really a rack as it has no teeth, except the ones grabbed by the quarters rack beak. Instead, the minutes rack limits the travel of the hour rack. Notably, Le Phare, perhaps the largest single producer of repeating watch movements ever, used a similar approach in its economical minute repeaters, using the quarters rack to trip the minutes.<\/p>\n The image below highlights a wheel with two groups of teeth. The first group of 12 teeth is for the 12 hours, while the second ground of 17 is for 3 quarters and 14 minutes. The gap highlighted between the two groups creates a pause; without this gap it would be impossible to tell when the hour strikes end and the minutes begin during the first 14 minutes of every hour, since both strike on the same gong.<\/p>\n Gap in intermediate wheel.<\/p>\n As a consequence of the open dial, it is possible to tell which quarters and minutes the were last struck by examining the position of the racks, while the minutes rack will always end up in the same place, pressed against an eccentric screw. For example, the hour rack will be noticeably closer to the wind indicator after striking 1:14 than after 1:01.<\/p>\n Simple surprise<\/p>\n Since the snails continuously advance with the hands during striking, it is possible for the snails to bind against the beaks of the racks during striking, stopping the watch and possibly trapping the racks. For this reason, the highest steps on the minutes snail (corresponding to zero minutes) are cut short or removed altogether, and instead replaced by a mobile step called the surprise piece, to which the quarter snail is attached.<\/p>\n A jumper spring (highlighted in red) snaps the surprise piece forward on each new quarter to ensure accurate striking, but the jumping spring is light enough to yield if the racks block the surprise piece, preventing the system from jamming. Typically, high-grade minute repeater movements use an isolator system that only engages the jumper when needed. Journe has instead opted to use a dragging surprise piece jumper, which is simple and compact \u2013 a benefit often sought by F.P. Journe, even for the brand\u2019s most complicated creations.<\/p>\n Key facts and price<\/p>\n F.P. Journe R\u00e9p\u00e9tition Souveraine Diameter: 40 mm Movement: Cal. 1408 Strap: Crocodile with steel folding clasp<\/p>\n Limited edition: No For more, visit Fpjourne.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Vacheron-Constantin-minute-repeater-perpetual-calendar-30020-3.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n
Ref. RM<\/p>\n
Height: 8.5 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance:\u00a030 m<\/p>\n
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, wind indicator, and minute repeater
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Winding: Manual wind
Power reserve: 56 hours<\/p>\n
Availability: At F.P. Journe boutiques and retailers<\/p>\n