Description
A rare and beautiful work of horological art – the one-of-a-kind, hand ennobled, 5-Minute Repeater BLUE
We are proud to introduce a stunning timepiece created from the collaboration between two of the world’s most renowned names in independent watchmaking and ennobling.
Without a doubt, a Repeater is a special and intriguing horological complication, coveted by watch enthusiasts and collectors alike. This special one-off piece created by Habring2 and Jochen Benzinger offers a watch connoisseur the chance to own not only a piece of watchmaking excellence but also a moment in history.
The contributors
Maria and Richard Habring, are absolute purists when it comes to the requirements and technical functionality of a watch. Clear lines and exceptional precision underlie each timepiece produced by the awarded independent manufactory in Austria. Habring2’s contribution to this one-off masterpiece lies at the heart of the 5 Minute Repeater, namely the calibre, customised to incorporate the Dubois Depraz repeater.’
Jochen Benzinger, world-renowned watch ennobler, has worked for some of the world’s leading brands including the remarkable House of Fabergé. As such, his reputation, skill and creativity precede him. Jochen’s ennobling work is painstakingly produced by hand on vintage machines that facilitate the creation of his highly bespoke designs. Each piece Benzinger creates is unique and truly hand-made, no CAD, no laser-cutters just artistic genius and hand-drawn sketches. Whether he is refining a 100 year old Piaget or creating an exclusive Grieb & Benzinger ($500,000+) Jochen devotes months to each project to ensure the end result is as aesthetically perfect and balanced as it is functional. The 5 Minute Repeater BLUE showcases Jochen’s stunning craftsmanship in the hand-skeletonizing, hand-engraving and hand-guilloching to make this piece so unique and valuable.
Ultimately a philosophy of excellence unites the two houses and makes for a very exciting high-end timepiece. Such collaborations between independent watchmakers are not common and do rank themselves worthy of mention in the world of Horology, ensuring such pieces retain their integrity and increase in value over time.
Define Watches take great pleasure in presenting the Benzinger Five Minute Repeater BLUE featuring Habring2’s in-house movement with Dubois Depraz repeater module. This is a piece designed and built for a true connoisseur of instruments of time.
Repeater
A contemporary interpretation of a classic – sound good?
That’s because it is! Boutique Austrian watchmaker Habring2 has developed a special musical brother to join the collection. The Felix Five Minute Repeater is bound to impress those who love the engineering behind fine watchmaking. It’s clean surfaces and matt finishes complement the modern treatment Habring2 gives this special calibre which is a blend of Habring2’s in-house A11 calibre and a Dubois-Depraz D90 Five-Minute Repeater module. However, the sleek finish and attractive aesthetic are not the only special aspects of this piece. It’s defining feature is the crystal clear chime of the repeater which occurs as a result of the titanium case in which it is housed. Another enhancement from the team at Habring2 is the water resistance of 3ATM making it water tight against splashes and accidental brief contact with water in a class of watches that normally do not offer this feature. Habring2’s Repeater proves that fine watchmaking, contemporary design and technical precision can go hand in hand for a resounding success.
This is a unique piece of horological design and superb craftmanship from the much-loved, Austrian watchmaking duo Maria and Richard Habring.
Technical Details
Collection: 5 Minute Repeater – BLUE Top grade titanium case, 5 ATM (rare for a repeater
Edition: BLUE one-off Movement: Habring2 manual calibre A11 and a Dubois Depraz Repeater Module
Ennobling: Hand-skeletonized, hand-engraved and hand-guilloched by Jochen Benzinger featuring an elegant flourished design, midnight blue chapter ring, gold plated movement parts for optimal effect.
Case: Grade 5 Titanium, matt finished case, polished bezel, 5 bar water resistance (unusual for a repeater!). 42mm diameter. Specially designed & manufactured pusher and crown
Hands: Manually flame-blued and assembled
Band: Genuine ostrich strap with titanium folding clasp – other options available.
Engraving (initials) on clasp is available as a customisation option upgrade.
Features: Due to the hardness and quality of the titanium case the tone of the repeater is crisp and clear enough to allow the case to be sealed (normally cases must be left unsealed to allow the tone to resonate). This has allowed Habring2 to seal the case and provide a 5 bar water resistance – unusual for a Repeater and another point of excellence and note.
What is a 5-Minute Repeater?
A Repeater is a complication in a mechanical watch or clock that chimes the hours and, in the case of a 5 Minute Repeater, also the 5 minute intervals by using different paced tones to separate the intervals. Repeaters, which can strike on demand to provide the current time at any point, should not be confused with striking clocks or watches that merely strike at regular intervals.
Repeaters originated in the late 1600s before widespread artificial lighting to allow the time to be determined in the dark by simply pressing a button or pulling a cord to activate the chimes. Interestingly, they were also used by the visually impaired for timekeeping. Because Repeaters are difficult to manufacture, they are valued as expensive and collectible complications by watch and clock enthusiasts. Similarly, Repeater Watches are much harder to make than Repeater Clocks because fitting the components such as bells, wire gongs and complicated striking works into a smaller movement is a feat of fine watchmaking. As a consequence of the skill required to create a Repeater, these watches were regarded as expensive luxuries and status symbols and they have survived in this form to the current day with their allure as strong as ever.
First created by Samuel Watson in 1710, the 5-Minute Repeater strikes the hours and then the number of five-minute periods after the hour. The mechanism uses low tones for the hours and high tones for the minute components. For example, 3:15 would be struck as: “dong, dong, dong, ding, ding, ding”.
