Souveraine Ring - Sonnerie Souveraine

THE SONNERIE SOUVERAINE GRAND-STRIKE CLOCKWATCH AND MINUTE REPEATER

Full grand-strike functionality and operational safety protected by 10 patents The grand-strike clockwatch is the most complex of horological creations. The greatest difficulty in its construction is to achieve full clockwatch capability from the limited energy in a wristwatch, without compromising on the sound and reliability of the chime.

In this watch, a single mainspring provides enough energy for 24 hours of grand strike (96 full chimes in passing), without using the minute-repeater. The chiming functions alone use up almost 60% of the main-spring’s energy, and in silence mode without the chime, the movement is running for five days. Constructing this movement has been a permanent search to save energy in maximising mechanical efficiency. The result is a low-tension movement with gentle mechanisms that have to be very finely adjusted to ensure unfailing chimes 35,040 times a year. Operating a chiming watch has always been risky.

If you do the slightest thing wrong, like setting the time while the chimes are ringing, you damage precious mechanisms. Thus, the first entry in the specification book for this watch was: “make it safe to use by an eight-year-old child.” I have to admit that the eight-year-old set me the toughest assignment of my career. To meet the demands, I had to construct a movement on new mechanical principles. In this piece, 10 patents underwrite the “Invenit” of this work of watchmaking art. The “Fecit” took me six years. I’d like this watch to make you feel you can communicate with time itself.

SONNERIE SOUVERAINE - Technical Specifications
Movement: Caliber 1505
Manually wound
Gold baseplate and bridges
42 jewels
Movement dimensions: Overall diameter: 35.80mm
Casing diameter: 35.00mm
Frame height: 6.25mm
Overall height: 7.80mm
Height of stem axis: 3.41mm
Stem-thread diameter: S1.20mm
Balance: Free-sprung
4 adjustment weights
Flat Anachron balance-spring
Fixed stud-holder
Pinned stud
Spring pinned to the collet
Frequency: 21,600 v/h (3Hz)
Inertia: 11.00 mg/cm2
Angle of lift: 52°
Amplitude: Dial up, fully wound: > 340°
Dial up, 24 hours: > 300°
Escapement: Linear escapement
15-tooth escape-wheel
Visual indications: Hours and minutes, off-centre
Small seconds at 6 o’clock
Power reserve
Strike mode selection
Striking hammers
Sound indications: Grand strike, small strike on the quarters in passing
Strike silent
Minute-repeater on demand
Autonomy: 120 hours without chime
Approx. 48 hours with grand strike
Approx. 24 hours after strike runs down
Finish: Circular grained baseplate
Circular ribbing on the bridges
Polished and bevelled screws
Pegs with rounded, polished ends
Steelwork decorated by hand
3D engraving
Case: Steel
Diameter 42.00mm
Overall height 12.55 mm
Controls: Two position winding and setting crown
Pushbutton to release the minute-repeater at 2 o’clock
Pushbutton to select the strike mode at 4 o’clock
Number of pieces: Movements without dial 422
Cased-up, on leather 441
Cased-up, steel bracelet 558