Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 3738 (3738/100J-012)

Watches with minute repeaters have always ranked among the rarest, most precious, and most elaborate timepieces. In an extremely compact space, their intricate inner life brings together hundreds of individual parts that interact and function in harmony, or move next to each other with minimal clearances, without making contact. The objective of the effort is to strike the time displayed on the dial with the best possible acoustic sonority. And so, at 3:34 for instance, the time is indicated with a dongdong-dong for the hours on a low-pitched gong, a ding-dong, ding-dong on both gongs for the quarterhours, and a ding-ding-ding-ding for the minutes on the high-pitched gong. Technical finesse that makes time so seductively audible is bound to attract the attention of women as well. Patek Philippe decided to introduce the first minute repeater in its collection of ladies' wristwatches: the Ref. 7000.
Ordinarily, minute repeaters belong to the category of large wristwatches. But here, Patek Philippe made an exception because its self-winding caliber R 27 PS is one of the thinnest movements with a striking mechanism. It not only ranks among the few repeater movements that are self-winding but thanks to the off-center minirotor in 22K gold - fully recessed in the plate - its height is a scant 5.05 mm. These are ideal assets for a watch intended to elegantly grace a feminine wrist, despite the formidable horological degrees of difficulty that it incorporates.

Romantic by all means
With its charming case in warm rose-gold framed by a convex bezel, the new Ref. 7000 is a timepiece of great beauty. The manufacture's classic Officer's-style models also inspired the straight lugs with the screwed strap bars. In place of a hinged back-cover, however, it features a screwed sapphire-crystal back that reveals the marvel of sonorous time. The slide that activates the minute repeater is perfectly integrated into the left-hand case side, juxtaposed by the fluted crown at 3 o'clock that visually emphasizes the equilibrium of the case form. The cream-colored dial with the transfer-printed maker's signature and the seconds scale in antique rose is surrounded by the mirror-polished bezel. Nine applied Breguet numerals in 18K rose gold and dainty rose-gold pearls at the periphery of the dial are placed along the hour and minute circles, accenting the easily legible, open face of the watch. It sets a sublime stage for the "Poire Stuart" hour and minute hands and the slim baton-style counterbalanced seconds hand. All hands are crafted from 18K rose gold. It is easily to overlook the fact that this poised and feminine face conceals no fewer than 342 individual parts of a highly complex movement.

The complication is feminine
For every lover of complex watches, it is always a joy to observe the ballet of the filigreed parts of a striking mechanism in action. And it is not just men who are captivated by the complexities of haute horlogerie. For instance, the number of hours, quarter-hours, and minutes displayed on the dial must be continuously updated by the system of intricately shaped cams, wheels, and snails so that they are in the right positions when the slide that triggers the minute repeater is actuated. This is because the toothed segments of the hour, quarter-hour, and minute racks must move into the positions that allow them to accurately control the number of hour, quarter-hour, and minute strikes. The rhythm of the strikes, in turn, is controlled by a small centrifugal governor, which assures that the gongs are struck in uniform succession rather than in a hurried sequence. Apart from many tiny parts, this also calls for the utmost in precision and patience in finishing, assembling, and adjusting them. For this reason, movements with minute repeaters are crafted in separate haute horlogerie ateliers at Patek Philippe, where one master watchmaker is responsible for the assembly, adjustment, and completion of each individual watch from start to finish. This work is entrusted only to the most talented watchmakers whose assets are sharp eyes and ears, a steady hand, infinite patience, and years of experience.

Sonority is a priority
At Patek Philippe, the last step in the inception of a minute repeater is an unusual process as well. After the fully cased watch has been subjected to a series of rigorous tests and its sonority analyzed with modern instrumentation, it must prove that it lives up to the demands of the human ear as well. At the workshops in Geneva, this takes place in the offices of presidents Thierry and Philippe Stern, who in their capacity as owners of the company assume personal responsibility for the quality of its timepieces. Accordingly, they personally assess the acoustics of each minute repeater before it is delivered to its owner. The typical Patek Philippe sound with its rich resonance is an inimitable brand element that characterizes all minute repeaters of the manufacture.
For this reason, every single Patek Philippe Ref. 7000 minute repeater embarks on a months-long journey in the hands of its maker and the acoustic appraisal by Patek Philippe's presidents before it is handed over to its delighted owner. From that moment on, she will be among the few women fortunate enough to revel in the reverberant sound of a Patek Philippe Ladies First Minute Repeater.