Patek Philippe presents the new ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie

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DATE

10 November 2020

The Grande Sonnerie

Undisputed Queen of all aural complications, the use of the Grande Sonnerie is not a novel concept for Patek Philippe. In a splendid press release (and a sneak peak) for existing clients, we are told the story of how, in 1910, the Genèvese watchmaker developed these types of mechanisms..

How is it different to a regular minute repeater you may ask? In short, this complication automatically chimes out the time every quarter of an hour (and by extension, every hour), and, at every hour and 15 minutes, chimes out the exact time, without the wearer ever needing to do anything.

In this case, we often associate the Grande Sonnerie with the minute repeater (which you can read about here!).

The Dial

Capturing the attention of the public, and reaffirming your status as the most sophisticated watchmaker in the world is no mean feat, yet Patek Philippe seems to effortlessly achieve this every time. I think one of the features that helped them do this is the Grande Sonnerie’s breathtaking dial.

Black varnish and Breguet indices. Need we add more? I think not.
As we mention in our dedicated article, Breguet numerals are kind of like the Holy Grail of watch indices, especially when paired with black or salmon-coloured dials. Want to know why? All you need to do is click here…

Patek Philippe has hit a home run with this watch: a black varnished dial, white signatures, and yes, those wonderful Breguet numerals we adore. Moreover, the precise nature of Patek technicians has guaranteed literal perfection when it comes to symmetry.

Indeed, the keyword is “well balanced”: two gauges are placed at the 9 and 3 positioned, indicating the power reserve of the movement and Grande Sonnerie chiming mechanisms, respectively, whose markers are very cleverly designed. Instead, at the 6 o’clock position, we can see a generously sized sub-seconds dial, which gives perfect harmony to the overall dial.

The (nth) touch of class? Deadbeat seconds, another very stylish, and unfortunately almost forgotten complication.

The finishing

Have we ever come across a Patek movement which hasn’t been expertly finished? Well, this Patek Philippe 6301P Grande Sonnerie is no exception.

The trained eye will easily see the level of detail and quality with which the movement was not only constructed and assembled, but also how well its surfaces and components are sophisticatedly finished.

The Platinum Case

You would think that choosing Platinum as the case material for such a classy timepiece like the Patek Philippe 6301P Grande Sonnerie would be an obvious choice. But, in reality, it isn’t.

In fact, Platinum is perhaps the least appropriate material to use for a watch with an aural complication like a Grande Sonnerie: its high density makes it very difficult for sound to propagate throughout the material, and by extension, making it hard to hear. But Patek Philippe, somehow. made it work. Then again, are we even surprised?
The only bad side is the size: 44.8mm, really huge for our taste.

(nth +1) Touch of class? The diamond on top.

The Movement (in short – what we know now)

Three gongs, each with a distinct sound, give the timepiece an authentic “voice”, and are visible thanks to the clear caseback. We’ll get much more news once Patek Philippe releases the full data-sheet, brochure and specs, but what we can tell you now is to forget about the “ordinary” curved pusher to activate the minute repeater function, because now, (again, somehow), Patek Philippe has incorporated this button in the crown, just like a monopusher! A curved pusher still remains however, but it’s to “mute” the 6301P Grande Sonnerie…. but who in the world would want to do that?