Blancpain Lets Time Show Off Its Musical Side

Blancpain has introduced an exceptional new chapter in its long history of high complications. The Grande Double Sonnerie, reference 15GSQ, is the most complex watch the maison has ever built.

Eight years of development and over a thousand components have produced a chiming wristwatch unlike any that has come before it.

Two Melodies, One Masterpiece

At the centre of the watch is a world first. A pusher on the case allows the owner to switch between two four-note melodies. One is the Westminster chime. The other is an original composition created by musician Eric Singer for Blancpain.

Perfect tuning of four gongs was essential and required laser measurement and hand adjustment to reach the right pitch. A silent magnetic regulator manages the tempo, and a gold acoustic membrane in the bezel enhances the clarity of the sound.

A Movement Built Without Compromise

The new Calibre 15GSQ brings together a grande and petite sonnerie, a minute repeater, a flying tourbillon with a silicon balance spring, and a newly designed perpetual calendar.

All indications are fully integrated into the movement rather than added on plates, preserving the open view of the chiming mechanism. Blancpain also re-engineered its patented calendar correctors, placing them inside the movement to accommodate the acoustic membrane.

Craftsmanship of the Highest Order

The movement uses a mainplate and twenty-six bridges in eighteen-carat gold, each finished by hand in the Le Brassus workshop. The one hundred and thirty-five interior angles are a quiet sign of the skill involved, as they can only be created through traditional hand polishing.

Two master watchmakers assemble each watch from start to finish, dedicating almost a year to a single piece before signing their names on a gold plaque fixed to the movement.

A Rare Creation for Those Who Seek the Exceptional

Housed in a red or white gold case of forty-seven millimetres, the Grande Double Sonnerie is designed to be worn despite its complexity. Its presentation box, crafted from resonant wood from the Risoud forest, complements the acoustic character of the watch.

Production is limited to two pieces per year, with personalisation available to each client.

Blancpain has not only broadened the possibilities of chiming watches. It has created an object that unites mechanical invention, musical expression, and the quiet confidence of true craftsmanship.