The Sonnerie Story

Sonneries have always occupied a special place in the Breguet constellation. Also known as chiming, repeating, or striking watches, these timepieces owe their musical side to the pioneering work of founder Abraham- Louis Breguet in 1783. Not surprisingly Breguet, continues at the forefront in making these most coveted of watch complications.

All complications require technical mastery to conceive and build them, but sonneries, or complications that incorporate an additional dimension of sound, demand of the watchmaker something beyond the technical prowess to create the necessary mechanics; they call for artistry. They transform the timepiece into a musical instrument whose tonality, richness of sound and clarity must please the ear. Why does one sonnerie charm and enchant as it sounds the hours, and another ring hollow? It has much to do with the level of craftsmanship and artistry that goes into its creation, the kind Breguet has been doing for more than 200 years now.

Breguet’s repeaters can trace their lineage to its founder, Abraham- Louis Breguet. Originally, the time repetition complication was conceived to serve a very utilitarian purpose: telling time in the dark. 200 years ago, the technology to provide luminescence to the hands and indexes of watches simply did not exist. The logical alternative was to equip the movement with a mechanism to count out the time audibly (the other alternative produced by Breguet at the time was montres a tact, which sported an external hand outside the case that was used to feel the time based on its position).