Renaud & Papi - Assembly

I knew Robert was a watchmaker, but it wasn't until towards the end of our tour that I realized that he was more than just a watchmaker.  He asked us if we would be interested in seeing the movement he was constructing and, when he showed it to us, lo and behold, it was a Grand Sonnerie.  I, for one, was taken aback.   I had no idea that our tour guide was in fact a master watchmaker of the highest order.  Robert then pulled out a manual full of technical designs and instructions, which was his "how to..." manual.  Get one of these manuals, and you too can build your own Grande Sonnerie.  Quite simple, wouldn't you agree ? 

The oiling chart of a sonnerie 

Robert then showed us some another repeater (made for another brand) that he either worked on or made, and it sounded just great.  He then placed his sonnerie movement under a double microscope, and we were able to view the movement with him at the same time.  I have to say that, even in its unfinished state and under a microscope, the craftsmanship and level of finish was most impressive

Robert demonstrating a sonnerie under high magnification 

Renaud & Papi are constantly experimenting with new materials to use in their movements, traditional ones like mother of pearl (for plates) or more modern ones like titanium. This tourbillon is example of their approach, the plates are made of sapphire.

This is the watchmaker who assembled the above movement and let us scrutinize his work under very high magnification with fascinating microscope/monitor setup. He told us that he often came in on weekends to work in the more quiet workshop because of the level of concentration required to assemble the piece without making a mistake. One slip of a screw-driver could mean hours of work done for nothing ...

More R&P wizardry, this time in form of a Richard Mille tourbillon