Short answer
No confirmed replica copies the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater chime. The genuine watch strikes in decimal steps: one low tone for each ten-minute interval, one high tone for each minute. Copies sold under that name use a silent gong plate or a battery sound module. Neither repeats the time with that tone structure. Neither runs the L043.5 movement.
The genuine watch
A. Lange & Söhne released the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater in 2015 in platinum. A white gold version with a blue dial followed in 2020. Case diameter is 44.2 mm. Movement is calibre L043.5, manual wind, 36 hours of power reserve, 18,000 vph. The dial shows jumping hours and minutes in digital form and a small seconds subdial at 6 o'clock. A pusher at 10 o'clock starts the strike. Retail price sits near the high six figures in US dollars. Secondary prices move with condition and box and papers.
Why the chime resists copying
A decimal strike needs a gong, hammers, a strike train, and a rack that reads the minute display. That assembly holds several hundred parts. Tuning takes hours per watch and needs a person with trained ears. Replica factories build to a price point and to volume. A tuned gong does not survive that process. Copies with sound use a piezo buzzer, not a gong. The buzzer gives one tone at one volume.
What replica listings show
- Case listed at 42 mm or 44 mm. Genuine is 44.2 mm.
- Movement listed as automatic. Genuine is manual wind.
- Photos with the hour and minute windows blurred or frozen.
- A spec line that says minute repeater with no sound clip.
- No case weight. Platinum has a density of 21.45 g/cm3. Steel sits at 7.85 g/cm3.
Checks before payment
- Ask for a video with sound, one take, hands moving.
- Ask for the movement name and a photo of the caseback.
- Compare the window font and the gap between the hour and minute digits.
- Ask for the case weight on a scale.
- Get the return terms in writing.
US legal position
Counterfeit watches infringe registered trademarks. US Customs and Border Protection seizes them at import. Sellers face civil claims and criminal exposure. A buyer who imports one risks seizure and a total loss. This site covers replica Rolex. That does not change the law for Lange copies.
Open questions
No public teardown of a Zeitwerk Minute Repeater replica exists that I can find. Service life, parts source, and strike sound are unknown. Treat any spec sheet as unverified.