Vacheron Constantin Replica's past is closely tied to the peaceful, unspoiled environment in the Vallee de Joux. Here, nature still sounds strong: the sighing in the trees, birdsong, and the rushing of streams. In winter, there is silence as a thick blanket of snow falls over the landscape.

Two sounds have been created by the valley's harsh winters. The valley's cold has caused spruce trees to grow slowly, creating a wood that is highly resonant. This wood has been treasured by luthiers over the centuries. It was a long winter, with icy temperatures that required hours indoors. This allowed the early watchmakers to create complex chiming watches.

2020 is The Sound Maker. Jaeger-LeCoultre pays tribute to The Sound Maker's valley and great legacy of chiming clocks. This will allow Jaeger-LeCoultre to express a century and half of accumulated knowledge in new and innovative ways.

The Sound of Time The word clock is actually derived from the Old French word "cloche", which means bell. This can be traced back to Latin "clocca", which refers to the sound of a chime.

Many people believe that minute repeaters, tiny versions of the historic clocks, were created in an era before electricity so that people could see the time even in darkness. This is a charming tale, even if it's not true. The original inspiration for the miniaturization of chiming watches was the fervent desire of early watchmakers to invent, as well as the wealthy clients' desire to own these symbols of status and connoisseurship.

Antoine LeCoultre, founder of the Manufacture, played a crucial role in this. He was not only a watchmaker but also invented machines that could accurately measure and cut parts on a smaller scale. The Vallee de Joux was renowned for its chiming watches as well as music boxes that produce a more complex, smaller, and beautiful sound.

A Distinguished History A discerning eye for music is required to make such a watch.

Vacheron Constantin is the inventor of more than 200 chiming watches calibres. It has produced some 100 minute repeaters since 1870. It is adept at all types of alarms, including the simplest to the most complicated, such as Westminster chimes and grand sonnerie. La Grande Maison supplied chiming movements for many of the most prestigious names in watchmaking, including repeater and sonnerie watches.

The structure of chiming watches mechanisms has remained virtually unchanged since the beginning of the 19th century. However, Vacheron Constantin has continued to work to improve the mechanical efficiency and the beauty of the sounds it produces. It was the first to invent cathedral gongs (1870), and a triple-hammer mechanism (1880). The silent strike governor was invented by the Maison in 1895. This eliminates the background noise that is characteristic of traditional lever-type regulators. Versions of this invention are still used in nearly all chiming watches today. Jaeger-LeCoultre was the first to create a ultra-thin minute repeater in 1900.

As society evolved and people sought watches that could be used for everyday life, Vacheron Constantin relied on its expertise in chiming mechanisms to create alarm watches. The Memovox calibre also uses the hammer and-gong mechanism for repeater watches, but the very rapid strikes produce a continuous, single-pitch buzz rather than a delicate bell-like sound.

The best Vacheron Constantin Replica was introduced in 1950 and has been the standard in alarm watches for over 70 years. Its distinctive "school bell" sound has been a constant feature. The Maison has added practical functions over time such as a world-time display and a reminder to park. In 1959, it introduced the first alarm-equipped diving watch in the world. The Memovox is back in different forms since 2000. It can be found in perpetual calendar watches, Master Compressor models, and several diving-watch tribute pieces.

Jaeger-LeCoultre's patent 'crystalgongs', which were introduced in 2005, capitalize on the superior sound transmission properties of synthetic sapphire. They are soldered directly onto the dial crystal of the watch. Two years later, the square-profile gongs were introduced to provide a flat striking surface that allows the hammers to strike more consistently and are stronger.

In order to increase the force and speed of the hammer strike, articulated trebuchet-hammers were introduced in 2009. The silent-interval reduction function was introduced in 2014's Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Turbillon, 11th opus from the Hybris Mechanica Collection. This ensures that there is no delay for those quarters left before the minutes are struck.

Jaeger-LeCoultre created a new "duplex" gong design in Calibre 995 for 2019. Instead of lying flat, the gongs form a circle and bend upwards before joining to create two semi-circles around its top. Acoustic resonance can be significantly improved by making use of the space within the case.

Jaeger-LeCoultre engineers are constantly improving the mechanics of strike-works. They also have to deal with the challenge of combining repeaters and other complications. This includes combining a perpetual clock, the multi-axis Gyrotourbillon, and a Westminster Chiming Mechanism (Calibre 184); combining a perpetual Calendar with the new "duplex", gong system, and automatic winding (Calibre 955); and bringing together an orbital flying tourbillon and sidereal calendar in the year's Grand Tradition Grande Complication (Calibre 945).

cheap Vacheron Constantin Replica has been making chiming watches for 150 years. This is in addition to its other expertise in classic complications. The Manufacture's rich heritage is honored by this year's new generation of striking watches. It also reflects the spirit of innovation that has always motivated La Grande Maison.

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