The watch that tells the time in the dark
A minute repeater builds a complete time from two notes. We follow how the movement reads the hands and turns a wristwatch into a tiny musical instrument.
On the editor’s desk
In Hand /
The pilot's watch named after a year
A red star, blue hands and a Chinese chronograph with Swiss ancestry. The Sea-Gull 1963 has a more interesting story than its price tag suggests.
Read the story01 / In Hand10 min
The president's watch that was not designed for a president
Eisenhower wore a gold Rolex, but it was not a Day-Date. Lyndon B. Johnson, a distinctive bracelet and carefully framed advertising turned the model into the President.
Behind the dial
Workshop
The minute repeater at work
Set a time, then hear and follow how hours become low notes, quarters become pairs, and the remaining minutes become high notes.
Read the full piece The model loads only when you start it.
The two polished hammers are visible on the left of the dial. Only slender arcs of the surrounding gongs can be seen, yet they produce the watch's two voices. Photograph: Patek Philippe .
INDEX / LUME
Where shall we start?
You don’t need a reference number.