For so many years, it is still the pinnacle of watchmaking Ruan Yi, a poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote, “The night is longer and the sound is transmitted farther, the screens reflect and the silver cylinder is bright and extinguished.” The history records have been missing in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Time turned into the sound of water droplets, one after another, continuously. watches cheap
The sound of time from the mechanical world
After the clock appeared, the time became a regular “ticking” sound, but if we want to know the specific time, we need to read the clock to get it. Before the invention of electricity, it was still inconvenient for people to obtain time information in an environment lacking light. Therefore, the timekeeping questionnaire appeared, which can accurately tell the time for people, and the time has a moving sound like music. After the appearance of the questionnaire, after continuous development, it was not until the end of the 19th century that the first minute questionnaire was officially launched. To this day, the minute repeater still represents the highest level of watchmaking.
But we also know that watchmaking will never be satisfied with the present.
The pinnacle of complications: “Westminster Abbey” Three Questions & Activity Doll
The emergence of the “Westminster Abbey” minute-question function has made it even more difficult to tell the time. Ulysse Nardin copy
Westminster Abbey is actually talking about Westminster Abbey in England. This church on the banks of the Thames in London is adjacent to the British Parliament. The church is exquisite and magnificent. Through the rise and fall of history and the changes of time, it rings its bells day after day. Listen carefully, and its bells can be struck. Four different scales: Mi, Do, Re, So.
The “Westminster” Minute Repeater is just like the clock sound of Westminster Abbey. It is different from the traditional Minute Repeater (two hammers and two reeds). The “Westminster” Minute Repeater uses four hammers and four reeds, which can just show up. Four notes in the bell of Westminster Abbey. Looking at the entire watchmaking industry, there are currently only a few brands that can make “Westminster” minute repeater watches, such as Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Girard Perregaux, Bulgari, and Athens watches.
San Marco Event Doll Minute Repeater Timetable
In the “Westminster Abbey” three-question function field, the Ulysse Nardin watch is undoubtedly one of the best. In 1983, after Mr. Rolf W. Schnyder joined Ulysse Nardin watch, he began to vigorously revive the traditional complication of the Minute Repeater; in 1989, Ulysse Nardin released the first super model with both the Minute Repeater function of “Westminster Abbey” and the activity figure. Highly complex watch: the minute repeater of the San Marco activity doll. This watch is not only able to strike beautiful and different scales of the time, but also the dolls on the dial will follow the time to perform activities, which reminds people of the “bell ringer” on the ancient clock tower.
Ulysse Nardin watch Venice Carnival Minute Repeater
Ulysse Nardin watch jazz minute repeater
After the minute repeater of the San Marco event doll in San Marco, Ulysse Nardin showed the “Westminster Abbey” minute repeater of event dolls with different themes, such as “Venice Carnival”, “Circus”, and “The Circus”. “Jazz”, among which the activity doll “Westminster” Minute Questions List with the theme of historical figures is more familiar, and the “Hannibal”, “Alexander” and “Genghis Khan” activity dolls Westminster Minute Questions List, presumably everyone All heard.
“Hannibal” event doll Westminster Minute Questions List
“Genghis Khan” activity doll Westminster Minute Questions List
“Hannibal”, “Alexander”, “Genghis Khan” activity figures Westminster Minute Repeater is actually even more complicated, all added a tourbillon device, it can be seen that they are not only powerful, but also very popular, and they will be amazing when they appear. Four seats. Take the “Genghis Khan” activity doll Westminster Minute Questions Watch (released in 2002) as an example. When the Minute Questions device is activated, the Mongolian soldiers on the dial will follow the time chime.
The time signal is Sol, and the two fighting puppets on the face plate will swing their knives and stab each other; the sound of the signal has different scales, one moment is Mi-Do-Re-Sol, two moments are Mi-Do-Re-Sol -Sol-Re-Mi-Do, then three quarters will be Mi-Do-Re-Sol-Sol-Re-Mi-Do-Mi-Do-Re-Sol, the dolls on the dial will be active; the voice of the score It’s Mi. At this time, the cavalry on the right side of the face doll will hit the spear against the hanging ring. If it is two to three quarters and fives, the sound of telling the time is: Sol-Sol, Mi-Do-Re-Sol-Sol-Re-Mi-Do-Mi-Do-Re-Sol, Mi- Mi- Mi- Mi -Mi.
Here is a little talk about the tourbillon at 6 o’clock. It is very delicate and beautiful. The bridge of the tourbillon has the same shape as the one made by James Pellaton in the 20th century for the Ulysse Nardin. The smooth curve makes the machine more flexible and rigid. It feels that the middle endstone replaced our common ruby with sapphire.
The moving doll of Ulysse Nardin watch Westminster Minute Repeater is not only the pinnacle of “Westminster” Minute Repeater, but also the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking.
In addition to the activity doll Westminster Minute Repeater, Athens Watch has also produced an activity doll individual questionnaire, which is different from the Minute Repeater watch mentioned above. Report the time on the hour or half hour, such as the “Samurai”, “Twin Tiger”, “Dancer” and other activities of the Athens Watch.
The innovation of complex functions: the “black technology” of the question table
If the “Westminster” Minute Repeater is an “upgraded version” of the minute repeater complication, then the gilt series Phantom Phantom Single Repeater Divale Limited Edition of the Athens Watch is a brand’s innovation in another dimension.
The gilt series Phantom Single Question Time Deware Limited Edition
Although the limited edition of the gilt series Phantom single-question Deware does not use active figures, it has a very powerful sound quality: the sound reaches 85 decibels at a distance of 100 mm.
How to make the timekeeping sound of the watch brighter and higher in decibels? Let’s take a look at the traditional questioning watch. When the hammer strikes the gong, the gong vibrates. The sound wave will be affected by the case, movement parts, etc. during the sound wave transmission, and the sound will become weaker in this process. So Ulysse Nardin adopted a specially designed torsion arm system to connect the bottom of the gong to the membrane. When the gong vibrates, the force is transmitted to the membrane through the torsion arm system. The membrane area is large and can replace a large amount of air after receiving the force. So as to increase the volume. This is the first step.
Then, the sound needs to be transmitted from the movement. Below the film, there are eight sound transmission openings surrounding the UN-610 automatic movement, and the titanium case is further enhanced.
BLAST single-question timekeeping watch
This year Ulysse Nardin’s new BLAST single-question timepiece also uses this special design. However, it is more difficult and more playable than the gilt series Phantom single-question timekeeping Deware limited edition is the brand new BLAST timepiece. The timekeeping watch has been hollowed out, revealing both the movement and the timekeeping mechanism.
The timekeeping function is the music sung by the watch and the mechanical dance music. Every time I talk about watches with such complicated functions, I am actually a little worried. In my daily life, these complicated watches are undoubtedly the existence of “spring and white snow”, and they have turned from practicality to ornamental; nevertheless. Ulysse Nardin still spares no effort to delve into the road of complex machinery, because complex timepieces have surpassed our definition of timepieces. It is the inheritance and continuation of the brand’s watchmaking history and the embodiment of the strength of top brands. Shaped a pure craft world, so we can not help but indulge in it.
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