It’s fair to say that most of us associate Blancpain with magnificent diver’s watches and its purposeful Ocean Commitment initiative. This perception was undoubtedly reinforced by the 2023 release of the Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection, marking the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms, widely regarded as the world’s first modern diver’s watch.
Yet the manufacturing excellence of one of the oldest and most prestigious Swiss watchmakers still in operation extends far beyond the depths. It also encompasses intricate, fully in-house mechanical movements, including grand complications such as minute repeaters, tourbillons and the unique Blancpain carrousel.
A resounding example of this horological mastery is the Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie. To clarify the significance of this achievement, a sonnerie (French for “ringing” or “making sound”) is among the most complex, prestigious and rare complications. It automatically chimes the time at set intervals throughout the day without any intervention from the wearer. This differs from an on-demand minute repeater, which requires activation via a button or slide.
A petite sonnerie strikes the hours and quarters at each quarter-hour, without repeating the hours at every quarter, depending on the selected mode. A grande sonnerie, however, represents the pinnacle of chiming complications, striking the hours and quarters in full sequence at every quarter-hour through an intricate system of hammers and gongs within the case.
Blancpain elevates this tradition further. Rather than the typical use of two notes, the Grande Double Sonnerie employs four finely tuned distinct notes – Mi, Sol, Fa and Si (E, G, F, B) – sounded by four separate hammers and gongs. President and CEO Marc A Hayek also challenged his watchmakers to achieve the seemingly impossible: to create a grande sonnerie capable of announcing the time through two different melodies. Alongside the classic Westminster chime, the second is the “Blancpain melody”, an original composition by rock legend and watch collector Eric Singer of Kiss.
A veritable symphonic breakthrough in the world of grand complications, the exquisitely finished manually-wound Calibre 15GSQ integrates a petite sonnerie, minute repeater, flying 4Hz tourbillon and retrograde perpetual calendar (day, month, leap year). A slide selector on the case allows the wearer to control the automatic chiming modes, while a discreet push-piece enables switching between melodies.
Taking eight years from concept to completion, this represents the manufacture’s most ambitious project to date.
Production of the 47mm Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie is limited to just two pieces per year and is available in red or white gold with movements to match, paired with alligator leather straps in the colour of your choice. Further customisation is also available to top clients.
