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Movement Complications (video) and Interview from PIAGET: part 5 – Minute Repeater

Piaget Complicated Movements: part 5 – Minute Repeater

Designer and Watchmaker Interview follows below.

Piaget is one of the rare fully integrated Haute Horlogerie manufacturers. In-house, Piaget has created 35 movements, including 11 complications in the last 14 years. Piaget has mastered 4 of the 5 classic major complications – Automatic Tourbillon, Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar and Minute Repeater – with the added complication of being ultra-thin.

This series of articles will trace the Piaget Path through Complicated Movements.

Minute Repeater 1290P Video:

Since 1957, Piaget has been refining their expertise with ultra-thin watch movements. The latest composition demonstrates Piaget’s virtuosity in this field of few peers.

Piaget Emperador Coussin Automatic Minute Repeater sets another double record for slenderness in its category: 4.8 mm for the movement, and 9.4 mm for the case.

This exceptional timepiece is entirely crafted in-house, thanks to the twin expertise of the two Manufactures Piaget: La Côte-aux-Fées for the movement, and Plan-les-Ouates for the case.

Since the exceptional is always found in the company of perfection, the new 1290P calibre is adorned with the highest level of hand-crafted finishing. Only the best grade of Piaget watches can carry this motto: "Toujours faire mieux que necessaire" (Always do better than is necessary)

A Conversation with Piaget Designers and Watchmakers

How was the 1290P developed?
Did you gather internal experts hired from other brands with expertise in minute repeater (MR)?
Did you consult external experts for specialist problems?

At all stages of the construction of this movement (from 3-D design in the prototype stage) we obtained critique from external consultants but still kept the decision-making lead for internal development of this know-how.

They analysed the sounds generated by our construction and we tried to improve our performance following their feedback. It was all the more interesting in that they were not movement engineering experts and we were not musical or sonic experts. There was a very free scientific exchange.

What problems were there for Piaget having no history of striking mechanism?

We need to explain that we learnt from a zero base; we had no historical plans and no human experience!  Our starting point was the 1208P movement rather than the usual habit of copying the construction of previous minute repeaters. All parts were re-developed by Piaget because we started with the base of the 1208 P and therefore a completely new movement was developed. We did not use any existing minute repeater components.

How were the musical notes chosen?

For that objective, you can tell that the intensity was limited so as not to lose richness. We chose treble notes to reinforce the perception of this intensity. A bass sound would have given the impression of being less strong...

Did you use traditional MR set of notes or are they specific to Piaget?

Each Manufacture has chosen notes or lets its watchmakers choose. It is neither more nor less difficult to adjust the notes to our specifications.

On the technical side, do you have stories like Brand A whose vintage minute repeater gongs were allegedly quenched in urine of pregnant horse during the heat annealing process of the steel gongs?!

We do not have the habit of urinating on our movements. Technical development is more rational.
There are no secrets for the manufacture of gongs except for necessary precision. Here is the method used:
- Our watchmakers start from a large block of steel that is machined with two external diameters.
- These two diameters are stretched and hardened to obtain the correct diameter and length of gong.
- It is then heated and bent until it is placed in a template fixture with precise accurate diameter.
- Lastly, it is quenched and tempered in the fixture to keep the correct diameter.
- Then, there is a lot of polishing….

A Piaget watchmaker could cut the correct length and bend them for adjustment but the forging of the steel wire alloy and annealing are very specialist jobs; how did you do this?

Yes, there is a watchmaker who cuts the gongs to roughly close to the final frequency.
Then, he files the gongs at their base to arrive at the final frequency (within a range of tolerances).
The watch then passes into our acoustic test chamber to assess that the notes are good.

On another topic, some readers have commented that the flying tourbillon 600P movement looks similar to a Blancpain movement. Can you tell us if there is any industrial relationship for either tourbillon movement?

In a market such as watch-making, certain movements are similar. Especially in the tourbillon segment, where there were many developments in parallel.

Actually, the Blancpain tourbillion cage is also made from titanium and their calibre also has a flying tourbillon. Blancpain is a player in the ultra-flat and therefore offers thin movements. When the goal of optimized movement thickness is the same, it is normal to find similarities between some calibres.

However, the Piaget 600 P was based on our manual wind 430 P (barrel, cog, escapement...), so it is totally specific in essence to Piaget. In addition, it is a unique tonneau-shaped movement.

Emperador Coussin Automatic Minute Repeater Gem-Set

As if the complication and complexity of the world's thinnest automatic minute repeater movement and case was not enough, the wizards at Hogwarts....er....Piaget decided to make the ultimate version.

It is, of course, the thinnest example of its type in the world......

In "real" life, this watch is simply and blindingly amazing !

It looks hewn from a block of diamond and yet is remarkably light  -  both in mass and in transparency.

The baguette diamonds give a different glow than from solitaire-cut stones. It is an ephemeral sparkle with no obvious source.

I'm not a musical expert but certainly to these ears, there was no diminution of intensity, clarity and tonality between the regular and "real carbon coated " Piaget minute repeaters.   (Not DLC or diamond-like carbon)

PIAGET Path through Complicated Movements series   

Piaget Complicated Movements: part 1 – Tourbillon hand wind (Click the following URL link):
piaget.watchprosite.com

Piaget Complicated Movements: part 2 – Tourbillon automatic (Click the following URL link): 
piaget.watchprosite.com

Piaget Complicated Movements: part 3 – Chronograph (Click the following URL link): 
piaget.watchprosite.com

Piaget Complicated Movements: part 4 – Perpetual Calendar (Click the following URL link):
piaget.watchprosite.com

Piaget Complicated Movements: part 5 – Minute Repeater (Click the following URL link):

piaget.watchprosite.com

Dr M. Teillol-Foo (2013)