A Watch with Two Voices: Blancpain’s Grande Double Sonnerie Breaks New Ground in Sounding Time

There are watches that tell a story, and then there are watches that could fill an entire book. The Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie belongs to this rare echelon of statement pieces that prove just how far traditional watchmaking can be elevated when vision and virtuosity meet. The most ambitious oeuvre in its nearly 300-year history, the Grande Double Sonnerie is a culmination of eight years of research, development, and uncompromising artisanal work. It introduces a never-before-seen combination of two selectable melodies for the grande sonnerie with four hammers on four notes, a petite sonnerie, a flying tourbillon beating at 4 hertz, and a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date. With all complications integrated into the hand-wound movement, which comprises of fully 1,053 components— all entirely designed, produced, decorated, and assembled in-house— and, despite its complexity offers a power reserve of 96 hours in silent mode, the project encompasses 1,200 technical drawings and 21 patents filed during development (13 incorporated into the final construction of the timepiece). In fact, it is so complex that only two pieces will be produced annually.

A vision beyond the traditional grande sonnerie

The story of the Grande Double Sonnerie begins with a deceptively simple question posed by Blancpain President and CEO Marc A. Hayek: what if a wristwatch grande sonnerie could do more than sound time in two tones? His answer was to pursue a four-note construction capable of producing real melodies. His second ambition was even more daring: to give the wearer the choice between the classic Westminster chime and an entirely new composition written for Blancpain by legendary KISS drummer and longtime friend of the maison, Eric Singer and acclaimed keyboardist Derek Sherinian. This simple yet revolutionary idea expanded into one of the most complex watchmaking programs of the decade. The result is the world’s first wristwatch grande sonnerie with two selectable tunes, with the new melody labeled “Blancpain.” With the push of a button, the owner can select between either the Westminster or the Blancpain melody, playing the four notes E, G, F, B by four distinct hammers on four gongs. An acoustic membrane integrated into the bezel enhances the sound transmission, ensuring remarkable musical quality well beyond mere volume. A smooth feel of the selection button that switches back and forth between the two melodies is ensured as the mechanism is equipped with a column wheel. 

Click here to listen to the Blancpain tune.

A movement built from the ground up

Caliber 15GSQ represents the most complicated movement Blancpain has ever created and one of its most beautiful in terms of finishing. Every bridge and the mainplate are crafted from 18-carat gold, allowing the brilliance of hand finishing to reach its fullest expression. Traditional anglage, polished bevels, perlage, straight graining, and diamond milling are executed entirely by hand, including 135 internal angles that can only be shaped through meticulous artisan work.

In addition to the hours and minutes and the grande and petite sonnerie complications, the movement features a flying tourbillon with a silicon balance spring oscillating at 4 hertz, ensuring resistance to magnetism along with three attributes that enhance chronometric performance: lighter weight, ideal geometry, and more constant amplitude as the mainspring force changes. The finishing of its cage— especially the mirror-polished surfaces— creates an extraordinary play of light, magnifying the grace of the mechanism and drawing the eye to its every movement. Two barrels supply the energy for timekeeping and the chiming functions. Hence two separate power reserves are indicated on the dial: one for timekeeping, which runs for approximately 96 hours, and one for the chiming mechanism, which offers 12 hours of autonomy in grande sonnerie mode. Manual winding in both directions supplies energy to both trains.

A new integrated perpetual calendar

Given the open structure of the movement, Blancpain rejected the conventional approach of adding the perpetual calendar as a separate module. Instead, the calendar is integrated directly into the movement, making it visible and harmonious with the chiming mechanism. The retrograde date arcs along the left side of the dial, while the day, month, and leap-year indications are positioned on twin sub dials at the right. Blancpain’s patented under-lug correctors, re-engineered for this construction, are integrated into the movement itself for fingertip adjustment without tools.

Despite its profound technical depth, the Grande Double Sonnerie is designed to be worn. The case, crafted in red or white gold, measures 47mm in diameter, 14.5mm in thickness, and 54.6mm from lug to lug, with a 23-millimeter lug width. Sapphire crystals on both sides frame the sonnerie’s choreography and the gold movement’s rich architecture. Water resistance is rated to 1 bar. Blancpain will produce just two pieces of the Grande Double Sonnerie per year, each fully customizable to its future owner. Pricing is available by request.

To learn more, visit Blancpain, here.

And to learn more about the intricate details of the Grande Double Sonnerie, the latest release from Blancpain will be featured in the upcoming January–February issue of WatchTime magazine (out January 13). For a subscription, follow this link.