A grande sonnerie not only chimes the hour at will, as in the repeater watch, but it also chimes the hours and quarter-hours in passing, like a clock. This means that it is a true master of complications.
“The problem,” says François-Paul Journe, “is that it is generally necessary for a person who uses this kind of timepiece to have a degree in watchmaking in order to use it correctly. As for me, I wanted to make a grande sonnerie that an eight-year-old child could use! Therefore, I had to put up barriers everywhere, and find a new concept that would let me make a highly traditional watch, yet one that would be modern and functional.”


Full article in print copy of Europa Star BaselWorld magazine issue 2/2006
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