ounded in Paris in 1785 under Charles Leroy, himself the son of a watchmaker, L.Leroy has written some of the finest chapters in the history of French watchmaking and chronometry, centuries developing a wealth of technical and inventive treasures for over two.

This human, artistic and industrial adventure is marked by illustrious names including Marie Antoinette, Proust, Matisse, Napoleon, Queen Victoria, Roosevelt, Chopin, Nobel, Bugatti, to mention but a few owners of a watch signed Leroy.

Faithful to its extraordinary and unique watchmaking heritage, L.Leroy is honoured to present a horological masterpiece, specially conceived to support the 10th edition of the worthy charity auction Only Watch, founded by Luc Pettavino, to raise funds for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. The event, under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, will take place on 5 November at the Palexpo in Geneva and simultaneously online.

On this occasion L.Leroy has created a stunning unique piece inspired by a rare ancient pendant tact watch made by Leroy around 1810 for the Prince Emil Maximillian Leopold August of Hesse. At that period, when electricity was unknown and luminous hands were not yet invented, this type of watch allowed the time to be read, even in the dark, by touching the hand that moved in the direction of the twelve diamonds on the periphery of the case, acting as indices.

Today, in the 21st century, L.Leroy reinterprets this exquisite timepiece, now part of the prestigious collection of the Patek Philippe Museum. A challenge that sees the Maison blend, in perfect harmony, its rich historical legacy with the demands of the contemporary era.

The unique piece “L.Leroy Minute Repeater Only Watch” is born! A striking and sophisticated wristwatch which appeals to eyes and ears.

A watch with a very complex construction, both in terms of style and mechanics, which required the highly qualified skills of watchmaking technicians for the development and assembly of its manual winding movement, comprising a flying tourbillon and the minute repeater mechanism. Not forgetting the master engraver and the specialists in top-level finishing.

The case, 43 mm in diameter, is made of grade 5 titanium, an extremely light material making it comfortable on the wrist. Fully hand-engraved with a precious floral motif, not at all an easy operation on titanium given the hardness of the material, it required no less than 120 hours of work by highly skilled master engravers. This delicate art allows the finest decorations to stand out from the metal by playing with light.

The “L.Leroy Minute Repeater Only Watch” features a unique and unusual time display for a model from the 2000s, but legitimised by the historical piece from which it takes its inspiration. This timepiece has a rotating dial boasting a superb flinqué soleil decoration with a translucent aquamarine varnish finish. This pattern emanates near a perimeter point, where the rhodium-plated, arrow-shaped, hand-engraved hour hand is fixed and extends its rays around the circumference of the display.

When the dial rotates, the arrow-shaped hand points towards the diamond markers set on the precious hand-engraved bezel and indicates the hour. There are 24 diamonds totalling 1.35 carats, the larger ones mark the hours while the smaller ones indicate the half-hour.

To know the precise time, the minute repeater comes into action. This sophisticated mechanism, reputed to be the queen of complications, is developed on a hand-wound movement, which is also equipped with a flying tourbillon that improves its chronometric performance.

Once the repeater slide, positioned between 8:30 and 9:30, is activated, the time will be indicated acoustically thanks to the finely tuned chiming mechanism. The design of the case has been meticulously studied and developed to amplify the different tones of the sound indicating the hours, quarters and minutes emitted by the two gongs struck by the two hammers, visible on the case back.

The powerful “engine” which drives the “L. Leroy Minute Repeater Only Watch”, is a hand-wound in-house calibre, composed of 321 parts, beating at a frequency of 3Hz/ 21.600 vibrations per hour, and comprising the minute repeater mechanism on two gongs, a single barrel guaranteeing a 90-hour power reserve and the flying tourbillon which performs a complete rotation in one minute.

Lovers of fine watchmaking mechanics will be able to admire this amazing movement with its single bridge, finely hand-engraved with hand-bevelled edges, by opening cover on the case back using the discreet push-button at 4 o’clock.

It boasts a magnificent engraving that evokes another horological masterpiece from the Maison L.Leroy: the “Leroy 01”. Awarded the Grand Prix at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900, it’s an impressive pocket watch with 975 components, 27 precise and functional indications including 17 relating directly to the measurement of time, superlative decorations and engravings. It was considered the most complicated watch in the world until 1989.

To commemorate the charity auction, the inscription ’L.Leroy Only Watch 2023’ is engraved on the inside of the back cover.

The “L.Leroy Minute Repeater Only Watch” is completed by a calfskin strap fastened with an unprecedented open-worked round folding clasp with the brand’s interlaced double “L” logo. The “L.Leroy Minute Repeater Only Watch” once again testifies to the brand’s technical expertise and its mastery of the art of decoration. A true joy for the lucky collector who, in addition to the support of the noble cause of scientific research, will enrich his collection with a unique and exclusive piece of art.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Movement:

• Manufacture manual-winding movement, minute repeater, flying tourbillon
• Number of components: 321
• Fitting diameter: 30 mm
• Thickness: 8.89 mm
• Number of jewels: 29
• Vibrations per hour: 21.600 / Frequency: 3 Hz
• Variable inertia balance wheel with flat balance-spring
• Swiss lever escapement
• Single barrel
• Unique bridge with engraved floral decoration, hand-bevelled edges, rhodium- plated
• Power reserve: 90-hour
• Minute repeater on two gongs struck by two hammers: hours and quarters hammer on the right / Minutes and quarters hammer on the left (view from the case back)
• Tourbillon cage :
  • diameter:13,60 mm
  • 76 parts
  • complete rotation in 1 minute

Functions:

• Hours and half-hour indication
• Minute-repeater on two gongs for audible hour, quarter and minute indication

Case:

• Material: polished grade 5 titanium
• Diameter: 43 mm
• Thickness: 13,95mm, including back cover
• Engraved repeater slide between 8:30 and 9:30
• Push-button of the back cover: at 4:00 o’clock
• Decorations and inscriptions:
  • Case, bezel and back cover fully hand-engraved
  • Back cover: hand-engraved motif on the outside, engraved inscription “L.Leroy Only Watch 2023” on the inside
  • Inscription “Unique piece” on the case back
• Diamond-set bezel: 24 diamonds, quality G +VS, totalling 1.35 carats
• Water resistance: 3 ATM
• Antireflective sapphire crystal glass on dial and case back

Dial:

• Rotating dial with flinqué soleil decoration, translucent aquamarine varnish finish
• Fixed arrow-shaped rhodium plated hour hand, hand-engraved
• Diamond hour markers on the bezel: 12 for the hour indication and 12 smaller ones for the half-hour indication

Strap:

• Aquamarine calf leather strap matching the dial colour
• Round-shaped open worked folding buckle featuring the brand’s interlaced double “L” logo, hand-engraved.