In its third year exhibiting at the SIHH watch salon, Speake-Marin continued to establish its haute horlogerie bonafides with the unveiling of a unique piece that is also watch-world first: the Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Légèreté, which the brand tells us is the first minute repeater carillon timepiece with a case made entirely from sapphire.
Speake-Marin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Légèreté
“Légèreté” is the French word for “lightness,” which refers to the featherweight, three-part case, constructed in the “Picadilly” style established by brand founder and namesake Peter Speake-Marin. The bezel, caseback, and case middle are all cut from sapphire, which is an extraordinarily difficult material to work with, as it involves many hours of machining and polishing and requires the utmost care in the finishing stages since even the tiniest scratches or imperfections will be visible. The case allows a view of the movement from all sides; from the front, at 6 o’clock on the openworked dial, is the rotating cage of the flying tourbillon, supported by a paddle-shaped bridge, which makes a revolution every 60 seconds and bears the shape of Speake-Marin’s “topping tool” emblem. The Roman numeral “XII” dissolves and reconstitutes with the chiming of the time.
The chiming mechanism of the minute repeater carillon is activated via a slider on the left side of the case. In a similar manner to tha...