- Size
- 43.50 mm
Overview
The brand's most complex watch
The Greubel Forsey Grande Sonnerie, from the Complications collection, in titanium, 43.5 mm and 16.13 mm high. Grande and petite sonnerie with silence, a minute repeater on demand and the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, on a movement of 935 components with a separate striking power reserve; one made a year.
The Grande Sonnerie is, by Greubel Forsey's account, the most complex watch it has built: eleven years of development, 935 components, two patents and eleven safety mechanisms guarding the striking train. It strikes the hours and quarters in passing as a grande sonnerie, the hours alone as a petite sonnerie, or is silenced, and it repeats the minutes on demand from a pusher in the crown. The tourbillon is the brand's 24-second one. Titanium, 43.5 mm, one made a year.
A striking watch has to make sound from a closed case and must not be damaged by a pusher pressed at the wrong moment; both problems are addressed here. The chime sounds inside a titanium acoustic resonance cage engineered for this movement, which the brand says is there for projection and clarity, and the case is rated to 3 atm despite it. The striking train runs on its own power reserve, separate from the going train's 72 hours, so the chiming never draws down the timekeeping, and each reserve is shown. Striking mode is selected by a pusher; the eleven safety mechanisms are what let the modes and the repeater be operated without risk to the train.
For collectors
Output is one a year, the brand's stated rate. Two figures worth holding side by side: 935 components and a 16.13 mm case height — the resonance cage and the second power reserve are inside that, and the brand says the case was shaped for wrist comfort without giving up the cage's acoustics.
Key details
Design and engineering
- Three striking modesGrande Sonnerie strikes hours and quarters as they pass, Petite Sonnerie strikes the hours, and Silence stops all striking; a pusher selects the mode, and a pusher in the crown sounds the minute repeater on demand.
- Titanium acoustic resonance cageA cage engineered for this movement shapes the chime for projection and clarity, in a case rated to 3 atm.
- Separate striking reserveThe striking train has its own power reserve, independent of the going train, so the chime is consistent and the timekeeping is not drawn down; both reserves are indicated.
- Eleven safety mechanismsBuilt in to protect the striking train from misuse — the reason a watch of this complexity can be operated from its pushers without damage.
- Tourbillon 24 SecondesThe brand's fast tourbillon regulates the going train.
- CaseTitanium, 43.5 mm and 16.13 mm high, water-resistant to 30 m (3 atm), shaped for the wrist without compromising the cage.
Movement
- Grande and petite sonnerie, silence; minute repeater on demand by crown-mounted pusher; striking mode selection by pusher
- Tourbillon 24 Secondes; hours, minutes, small seconds
- 935 components; two patents; eleven safety mechanisms
- 21,600 vibrations per hour
- Movement power reserve 72 hours; separate striking power reserve, both indicated
The reference
Technical specifications
| Collection | Complications |
|---|---|
| Functions | Minute repeater on demand by crown mounted pusher, striking modes selection by pusher, grande and petite sonnerie, silence, striking power reserve, Tourbillon 24 Secondes, hours and minutes, small seconds, movement power reserve |
| Case dimensions | 43.50 mm |
| Case thickness | 16.13 mm |
| Case material | Titanium |
| Water resistance | 3 atm - 30 m - 100 ft |
| Power reserve | 72 hours |
| Frequency | 21,600 vibrations/hour |
| Limitation | 1 timepiece/year |
| Reference | Not published by the brand — sourced by model and execution |
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