Bearing the Seal of Geneva, the 1731 movement is quite lovely to look at through the sapphire crystal caseback window. Viewable are the gong and hammers for the minute repeater movement, as well as the air regulator. What is interesting is just how different the movement looks compared to the older 1755. The movement features the time and eccentric subsidiary seconds on the dial, in a beautifully legible and classic Patrimony Contemporaine fashion. I quite adore it when Vacheron Constantin does straight hands (such as on this watch), as well as their dauphine-style hands.

The Patrimony Contemporaine Calibre 1731 Minute Repeater watch is going to be the type of item for collectors who like simple, elegant watches that they can nevertheless play with. Minute repeaters are curious complications, because while they are arguably the king of complexity, they are both fun to play with and useless. While tourbillons are purely fun and serve little to no function, something like a perpetual calendar is very functional, but not at all fun. Minute repeater mechanisms sit in the middle. You can play with them (not too much or else you are going to be visiting your watchmaker a lot), but the utility of them telling you the time as a series of chimes in a code you have to remember isn’t the most useful thing in the world these days.

In a lot of ways I feel that minute repeaters are a great way for a wealthy person to have a watch that is fun to fidget with. And don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of value to that. How many times do you, say for example, rotate the bezel of your dive watch just for the hell of it? If you had a minute repeater you’d be doing a lot of lever sliding, and then taking off the watch to see the hammers striking away at the gongs as you carefully judge the sound of the chimes wondering what it would sound like on a set of high-end speakers as you completely disregard actually reading the time. This is the level of elation your life may ascend to someday, or perhaps it already has. In any event, we have passionate items like minute repeaters to thank for such machine dreams. About a dozen will be produced a year with a price of about $365,000 . vacheron-constantin.com

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Patrimony Contemporaine Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731
Reference: 30110/000R-9793, Timepiece certified by the Hallmark of Geneva
Calibre:
– 1731 Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
– Mechanical manual-winding
– 32.80 mm (14’’’ ¼) diameter
– 3.90 mm thick
– Approximately 65-hour power reserve
– 3Hz (21’600 vibrations/hour)
– 265 components
– 36 jewels
Indications:
– Hours
– Minutes
– Small seconds at 8 o’clock
– Minute repeater
Case:
– 18K 5N pink gold
– 41 mm diameter, 8.09 mm thick
– Transparent, sapphire crystal caseback
– Not water-resistant
Dial:
– Silvered opaline, convex external zone
– 18K 5N pink gold hour-markers and “pearl” minute-track
– Bracelet Brown Mississippiensis alligator leather strap, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
– Buckle 18K 5N pink gold buckle
– Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Accessories:
– Delivered with the resonator of sound “La Musique du Temp” enhancing the sound and the harmony notes of the Vacheron Constantin minute repeaters