Millenary Minute Repeater

Caracteristics

Description

The Millenary Minute Repeateris a concentrated blend of expertise, technical sophistication and innovative materials. Its titanium oval case provides an atypical stage-setting for a truly magnificent sight featuring offset gold subdials inviting the observer to plunge into the mechanism’s deepest secrets. The AP escapement, the double balance-spring, as well as the hammers and the striking gongs, all become the key players of a truly three-dimensional creation.

thereby succeeded in reducing the energy losses and in eliminating the need to lubricate the pallet-stones. This groundbreaking technical development in turn enhanced rating accuracy, long-term stability and shock-resistance.

Conceived, developed and produced by Audemars Piguet, the new hand-wound Calibre 2910 driving the Millenary Minute Repeater is also distinguished by the atypical construction of the regulating organ. The latter is composed, not of one balance-spring, but of two balance-springs placed top to tail. This flat opposite-facing double balance-spring system boasts numerous advantages: it ensures automatic compensation for potential poising flaws; eliminates the need for the “overcoil” terminal curves of so-called “Breguet-type” balance-springs, which are always very tricky to make; and also does away with the imprecision resulting from the vertical position of the watch without needing to resort to such a sophisticated device as the tourbillon. All these special features serve to ensure finer adjustment of the balance-and-spring assembly oscillating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.

The two movement barrels guarantee an exceptional seven-day power reserve. A third barrel dedicated to the striking mechanism is two and a half times larger than normal, and enhances the regularity of the note. Finally, in terms of security, the Millenary Minute Repeater is equipped with a balance-stop system designed to ensuring time-setting that is accurate to the nearest second. The new winding system also features a security device that prevents time-setting while the striking mechanism is in operation, thus avoiding any risk of inappropriate handling. 

Particular care has been lavished on the hand-polished bevelling, on the interior angles and on the concentric circular-grained motif. The movement is also adorned by a horizontal Côtes de Genève. This wealth of details is visible both from the top and through the transparent caseback, which together serve to highlight a particularly dynamic three-dimensional architecture.