Academy Open El Primero Repetition Minutes

Considered as the most successful expression of watchmaking art, the Minute Repeater was created for clocks and pocket watches over 300 years ago when candles were in use in order to allow time to be « read » at night. Nowadays, only very few watchmakers are capable of manufacturing such a marvel in a wrist watch. ZENITH not only did it, but ZENITH was capable of combining the Minute Repeater mechanism with the mythical El Primero Chronograph. This Hyper Complication, a world record in the watchmaking industry is equipped with the new 4043 caliber, comprising a total of 461 components and 45 rubies.

In order to combine these two complications, ZENITH has engineered and patented a system enabling the chiming mechanism to encircle the chronograph's axes. For this reason the striking mechanism rack is made in one extremely complicated piece with teeth having concentric levers for the hours and minutes.

By actioning the slide lever, it will chime : low for the hours, high for minutes, double tone for the quarter hour. A series of transparent openings in the dial reveal a fascinating ballet of hammers. And for those who wish to better see how the mechanism functions – rack triggering or the vibration of the cathedral tones - the Concept model is equipped with an entirely sapphire dial.
Made of solid gold, 45mm case, dial, applied indexes and hands, the Open Minute Repeater is for lovers of beautiful pieces and in particular for connoisseurs of Haute Horlogerie. Classical in rose gold with a hand guilloche silver dial or contemporary in the concept version in white gold with a transparent dial, these timepieces are available in numbered edition with a date stamp.