Grande sonnerie watches are in a class of their own among musical timepieces due to their complexity. It was not until 1992 that the first wristwatch model of this kind appeared. Since then, the mastery of these pieces that sound the hours and quarters in passing – with repetition of the time before each quarter in grande sonnerie mode and without repetition in petite sonnerie mode – has remained fairly uncommon due its extremely stringent construction requirements. Producing one calls for an integrated movement design that must also take into account several specificities of these complex mechanisms – starting with issues related to the security of its operation, given that any interference between the various functions is likely to damage the calibre. Energy management is also an essential parameter, since a grande sonnerie is called into action 96 times every 24 hours making a total of 912 hammer strikes on the watch's gongs. As far as sound production is concerned, it requires great technical and musical virtuosity to ensure that the sequences are clearly audible and melodiously clear.
 

This one-of-a-kind model is notably characterised by a dial adorned with a circular cross weave guilloché motif housed in an 18K 5N pink gold case, of which the middle bears a meticulously executed base-relief engraving of a musical score. The latter echoes Ludwig van Beethoven's "Pastoral" Sixth Symphony in F major, hand-engraved on an olive-leaf background, decor inspired by a pocket-watch from the Vacheron Constantin Heritage collection, named « Les Bergers d’Arcadie », created in 1923. The pure sound along with the understated dial punctuated by a small seconds display and two power-reserve indicators (one for the strikework with a treble clef hand-shape and the other for the timekeeping functions) endow this watch with the Maison’s characteristic aura of elegance. The beige tone of the dial also reinforces the classicism of the watch, enhanced by the open-tipped hands and the typography of the hour numerals.
 

In the Vacheron Constantin universe, Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of pieces and unique creations. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, a time when master watchmakers were called cabinotiers and worked in ateliers bathed in natural light, known as cabinets and located on the top floors of Geneva's buildings. In the hands of these learned artisans, open to the new ideas of the Enlightenment, exceptional timepieces were born, inspired by astronomy, mechanical engineering and the arts. This expertise, which constitutes the great Geneva watchmaking tradition, has been flowing through Vacheron Constantin’s veins since 1755.

Chiming watches occupy a special place among horological complications. For more than two centuries, these complex mechanisms have been highlighted by Vacheron Constantin. Today, Les Cabinotiers department has chosen to pay tribute to them through one-of-a-kind creations on the theme "La Musique du temps®".

Born from the need to tell the time in the dark in an age when people had to rely on candlelight, "audible" watches have taken various forms: repeaters (indicating the hours and sometimes the quarters and minutes on request), sonnerie (striking) watches (indicating the hours and quarters in passing) and alarms (which can be programmed to ring at specific times). While each of these complications has its own distinctive characteristics, they all combine an integrated and complex mechanism with the finely crafted nature of musical instruments in terms of their resonance, acoustics and harmonics. Featuring watch cases equipped with complex movements as their only means of musical expression, these creations represent a magnificent feat of miniaturisation.

At Vacheron Constantin, the first mention of a chiming watch dates back to 1806: a gold pocket watch with minute repeater registered by the founder’s grandson Jacques-Barthélemy, in the very first production register kept in the company's archives. Ever since, sonnerie or repeater watches have been an integral part of the Manufacture’s proud heritage, steadily enriched over the decades.
 

It was not until 1992 that the first grande sonnerie wristwatch appeared. Since then, the mastery of these pieces that sound the hours and quarters in passing – with repetition of the time before each quarter in grande sonnerie mode and without repetition in petite sonnerie mode – has remained fairly uncommon due to its extremely stringent construction requirements. While the Vacheron Constantin archives reveal such pocket watches as of the early 19thcentury, the first grande sonnerie wristwatch created by the Maison was unveiled in 2017, equipped with the 1860 calibre also featuring a minute repeater. It is this same 727-part movement that drives the Les Cabinotiers Symphonia grande sonnerie – The sixth symphony watch, whose 18K 5N pink gold case bears a meticulously executed bas-relief engraving of a musical score. The latter pays tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven's "Pastoral" Sixth Symphony in F major, hand-engraved on an olive-leaf background, decor inspired by a pocket-watch from the Vacheron Constantin Heritage collection, named « Les Bergers d’Arcadie », created in 1923.