Cathedral Minute Repeater Tourbillon Chronograph and F1 Tourbillon Chronograph – 2011
In 2011, Hublot
high quality fake watches launched the Cathedral Minute Repeater Tourbillon Chronograph and F1 Tourbillon Chronograph, both powered by movements derived from the BNB Concept.
While tourbillons and chronograph functions are relatively common as independent complications, watches combining them remain rare due to architectural, spatial, and energy constraints. A timepiece that integrates both must resolve several conflicting issues. The visible tourbillon competes with the chronograph subdials for dial space; at the gear train level, the tourbillon is driven by a fixed fourth wheel, while the chronograph function typically draws power from the fourth wheel to measure seconds, creating an inherent contradiction. Furthermore, both complications require significant energy consumption, necessitating an efficient transmission system and high torque.
Against this backdrop, the tourbillon chronograph designed by the BNB Concept stands out with its unconventional architecture. It features a single-button design, abandoning the central chronograph seconds hand in favor of a small seconds subdial located between 1 and 3 o'clock, with the entire chronograph mechanism situated on the side of the dial. This revolutionary design likely stems from the movement's fundamental structure, originally designed to accommodate a minute repeater gear train while also allowing for flexibility in derivative configurations—the tourbillon can be equipped with or without a chronograph function, or with or without a minute repeater function.
replica hublot MP-02 Key of Time watchesThis chronograph employs a horizontal clutch, but its structure is unique. Upon activation, the clutch wheel rotates towards the tourbillon cage, thereby driving the entire chronograph gear train itself. This eliminates the need for a fourth wheel to drive the chronograph function; the gear train uses a traditional design, with the tourbillon cage driven by a third wheel. This means the chronograph mechanism is directly connected to the regulating mechanism upon activation. This bold structure places extremely high demands on torque control, especially since the tourbillon cage itself already carries an additional load, now needing not only stable timekeeping but also the power to drive the chronograph mechanism. Such reliable system operation fully demonstrates the team's exceptional engineering skills.
https://www.grand-watch.coIn minute repeater watches, the striking mechanism and its wheel train are located on the mainplate below the chronograph subdials, while the striking hammer, mainspring barrel, and regulator are located on the side of the bridges. A characteristic of cathedral minute repeater watches is their elongated gongs, which coil twice around the movement, producing a deeper, more resonant sound, much like the rich acoustics of a cathedral. In 2014, Hublot launched the Classic Fusion Cathedral Tourbillon Minute Repeater watch, which uses the same movement but lacks a chronograph function.
In fact, Rexhep Rexhepi used the same tourbillon chronograph movement in his AK-01 watch, having previously worked on its development at BNB Concept. Meanwhile, Manufacture Hautes Complications (MHC), founded by former BNB employee Pierre Favre, continues to use minute repeater tourbillon movements. Through MHC, numerous brands, from Hermès and Louis Vuitton to Ralph Lauren and H. Moser & Cie., have used derivatives of this movement in their
fake luxury watches.