GRANDE COMPLICATION

Minute repeater watches ring whenever you activate the pusher (contrary to chimes). The most complicated ones can ring hours, quarters and minutes.

Watches featuring a Grande Sonnerie strike the hours and quarters in passing and repeats the hour at each quarter.

Watches featuring a « sonnerie » complication indicate the hour and quarters by means of hammers hitting bells or gongs which are tuned to different pitches. Chimes were originally made as a means of telling the time in the dark.

Watches featuring a small seconds have a smaller subcounter, usually located at 6h, which indicates seconds.