Some timepieces tell time — others chime musical tunes while doing so.
Dialling back to the Renaissance period (late 13th century), in a region between Northern Italy and Southern Germany, where the first-ever mechanical ‘clock’ was invented. It didn’t feature a dial, hands, or indexes, but indicated days by periodic striking of bells. Interestingly, the name ‘clock’ came from the Latin word ‘clocca’, which meant ‘bell’. Chiming, so deeply woven into watchmaking history, still endures today. But while the first mechanical clock only chimed days, today’s wonders of watchmaking strike hours, ring alarms, and even play melodic tunes. Here’s a guide to understanding the various ‘Sounds of Time’.
Alarm Watches
Most of us wake up to a shrilling buzz and dull electronic ringer from our smartphones. Understandably unpleasant to begin your day with, yet a necessity in our everyday lives. However, in the case of mechanical alarm watches, this morning tune is a lot less irksome — in fact, its acoustic notes are quite an aural treat.
As per the definition, alarms are mechanisms that ring at a pre-defined time. First created in 1787 by Levi Hutchins in Concord, New Hampshire, they were considerably hefty, hence, stationary. But as trade and travel requirements evolved, alarm clocks were miniaturized to fit into pocket watches. And eventually, an alarm wristwatch was patented in 1908 by Eterna and fully brought to life in 1947 by the Vulcain Cricket calibre. Setting a new industry benchmark, Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox pioneered the first automatic alarm watches.
Today’s alarm watches function by tensioning the power of the mainspring to hammer on targeted components of the watch: gong, bell, or case. As it’s directly connected to the movement, a wheel driving the cam triggers the signal to strike at a pre-determined time, allowing it to also be manually configured.
Minute Repeaters & Carillons
I like to think of minute repeaters as a slightly refined, aristocratic sibling of alarm watches. As a true marvel of mechanical micro-engineering, minute repeaters chime hours, quarter hours, and minutes on demand while orchestrating a composed tune.
Interestingly, minute repeaters were invented in the 18th century, before electricity. Designed particularly to indicate time beyond hours of natural sunlight, its delicate two-tone chiming operated using hammers striking against gongs nestled inside the movement.
In traditional repeaters, the mechanism sequences through three tones: a low note for the hours, a double (high-low) chime for quarter hours, and a high note for minutes past the last quarter.
Carillons go up an octave. While minute repeaters use a two-hammer system, carillons use three. This adds considerably more depth, allowing for more complex melodies. Watchmakers like Bvlgari, Patek Philippe, and Jaeger-LeCoultre meticulously tune gongs for tonal clarity and sculpt cases for maximum acoustic resonance. Unlike alarms, which are utilitarian by nature, minute repeaters and carillons are mechanically poetic.
Grand Sonnerie & Petite Sonnerie
Suppose you’re looking for a visually intricate timepiece that surpasses all other complications. In that case, you’d likely consider a gravity-defying tourbillon watch or perhaps a perpetual calendar, which can accurately indicate time for centuries ahead. This is until you’re faced with a Sonnerie.
A Sonnerie is a notoriously complex complication that baffles even the greatest Swiss watchmakers. They automatically strike four times an hour, 24 times a day, employing an intricate network of 1000+ components working in sheer harmonic precision. Historically, Sonnerie clocks were fixtures in grand European homes and churches, intended to indicate time to tiny village communities. It took centuries to miniaturize this architecture to fit on a wristwatch.
A Petite Sonnerie strikes the hours and quarters but does not repeat the hours at each quarter. Think of a polite timekeeper, chiming just enough to keep you aware. The Grand Sonnerie, however, is far more vocal. It strikes the hours and repeats them at every quarter-hour, followed by an appropriate number of quarter chimes. Many Grand Sonnerie watches also include a minute repeater complication, allowing chimes to be activated on demand.
Musical Watches
Unlike minute repeaters or Sonneries, which focus on time indication through structured tones, musical watches are meticulously crafted to play actual melodies, a miniaturized orchestra on your wrist.
Instead of hammers and gongs, they use rotating cylinders or pinned discs that pluck tiny, tuned teeth on a comb, creating melodies, often inspired by classical or traditional music. Commonly commissioned by 18th and 19th century royal courts, coveted by aristocrats, and cherished by collectors of rare curiosities, these mechanical marvels were intended not for timekeeping, but for wonder. Given the extraordinary level of craftsmanship and dexterity involved, select watchmakers like Ulysse Nardin, Breguet, and Christophe Claret are revered for this grand complication.
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