The Grande Double Sonnerie: A New Pinnacle for Blancpain

Toward the end of the last century, we were seeing the resurgence of interest in fine watchmaking on a much broader level. Newer enthusiasts were coming into the fold, and information on fine watchmaking was more easily available. We were seeing an increase in activity from brands that were previously less seen, in particular, Blancpain and Breguet.

At the time, we were looking at the finest of fine watchmaking with Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. But then we were also starting to see some offerings from Blancpain and Breguet that were a little bit different. Both these brands had amazing histories, and they also had something a little bit different: homages to some historic sport pieces that included, for Breguet, the Type XX, and for Blancpain, the Fifty Fathoms.

These were pieces we could appreciate for their fine watchmaking heritage, but that could also be used daily. And in many ways, that’s what drew people to Blancpain.

Recently, Blancpain has again been paying more attention to the Fifty Fathoms line, and it’s becoming increasingly visible and quite successful. So it was a surprise when President and CEO Marc A. Hayek brought out its new fine watchmaking piece, which is groundbreaking both in terms of the brand, and in terms of the watchmaking world.

Blancpain calls it the Grande Double Sonnerie.

There’s always been a special place in the heart for watches that make sound, whether they be alarms, minute repeaters, or sonneries.

Chiming watches are generally considered by most serious collectors to be at the very, very top of fine watchmaking.

They were first created when there were no electric lights, and there was a need to tell time in the dark. They had to sound things off.

To this day, they are extremely hard to do and require a huge amount of nuance and detail to accomplish correctly.

What’s special here is Blancpain’s use of the word “double,” because you have a choice of one of two melodies to play on this Grande Sonnerie. One is a very traditional, classic Westminster chime, which on its own is quite Impressive and enchanting. The other one is, and this surprised everyone, an original composition from the rock star Eric Singer of the glam rock band, Kiss. The fact that you can choose the melody is astounding on its own. Apparently what was even harder was telling Mr. Singer that they wanted a composition, but he only had four notes to play with.

There are a lot of little details that make this new watch important in the watchmaking world. Besides the choice of those two melodies in the Grande Sonnerie, you also have the chiming complications of a Petite Sonnerie, and a minute repeater.

In addition to that, you have the other complications of a flying tourbillon, and a retrograde perpetual calendar. One of the very interesting details here is how Blancpain generated enough power to do all of this. This is a manual winding watch, and it has a regular power reserve of 96 hours. The striking power reserve for the Grande Sonnerie mode is 12 hours.

And this is important to look at, because many people are more used to the minute repeater, which has a lever that actually charges the power reserve when you need it. So this, like many other things in the watch, required a deep amount of knowledge and ability.

All in all, this was an eight-year project, with 1,200 technical drawings that resulted in 21 patents developed, 13 of which are integrated into the final construction of the movement.

Blancpain proudly points out that out of a total of 1,116 components, 1,053 of them, for the movement, were all designed, produced, assembled, and decorated in-house. This includes 26 bridges and the main plate, crafted in 18 karat gold. Traditional hand finishing on angles, perlage, mirror polishing, diamond milling and such were all done in Blancpain’s Les Brassus finishing workshop. Decorations are on both the visible and the non-visible surfaces.

All of this comes in a surprisingly tight package. It’s a 47 millimeter diameter watch with a thickness of 14.5 millimeters. So it is wearable, but for very special occasions.

Even the presentation watch box needs special care, with wood sourced from the legendary Risoud Forest in the Vallée de Joux, which is known for a tradition of wood and craftsmanship that is prized by luthiers for its particular acoustic qualities.

This new watch is not a one-off piece in the sense that it is not just a showcase. The watch can be ordered, and if so, can be customized and custom-made according to the wishes of the collector. What is very enchanting is that the look on the dial side can be had with a choice of different colors or a very nice, clean single color, which is quite fresh and refreshing.

Enthusiasts and collectors have known this brand well for quite a while. This is a very big step up, and it’s great to see Blancpain making this move to a truly important movement which, even though it is limited to only two pieces a year, is really something that is meant to be seen and worn.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report Philippines’ Success Issue, February 2026.