The Sound of Music — Montres à Répétition
By breguet blog • august 31, 2026
Music is the universal language of mankind.
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre-Mer
TIME IS SILENT, mostly passing without much ado. It does not parade or strut or shout. It moves with quiet resolve, a tacit inevitability written on the wind. It is a hushed force that never faints, falters or slackens. It is gentle yet plain-spoken. Time is the transmitter of life as we know it, its topography marked by what happened to us. Time is the travelogue of our lives, the inventory keeper, possessor of everything.
Our ability to mark time is primitive at best: informed by memories, dates and events. Our lives support our understanding of time, distilled down to a simple ledger of what we did or did not do.
Old Father Time, silent stowaway and most precious commodity without which we would not experience a thing. What then is the antithesis to silence? Sound! Silence is perhaps the loudest and most penetrating sound of all but in great quantities, unbearable.
But let us be of good cheer for horology has found an antidote with the world’s great watchmakers devising a mechanical solution to celebrate time’s majesty and grandeur. To catch a glimpse of the mystery of time and to leave its sting behind, if only for a moment, by setting it to music. This is known as the minute repeater or montres à répétition, striking or chiming watch. It is one of the greatest achievements in the art of watchmaking and a complication mastered by Breguet.
History of the Repeater
In 1676, an English priest, Edward Barlow (1639–1719) invented a repeating clock with a mechanism that enabled clocks to strike the number of hours upon pulling a string. However, another English clockmaker, Daniel Quare (c. 1648-1649–21 March 1724) challenged this claim.
A patent dispute arose in 1687, during which Barlow and Quare were invited to submit a quarter repeater for examination by King James II and his Council. The King gave preference to Quare’s mechanism and a notice to this effect was posted in The London Gazette. The chief difference between the mechanisms was that Barlow’s required two push pieces to repeat the hour and quarter-hour, whereas Quare had managed to refine the mechanism to be activated by a single push piece or piston. Quare’s novelty would later become the gold standard for activating pocket watch repeaters and wristwatch repeaters.
Repeater clocks and repeater watches differ greatly in terms of dimensions and size of parts. To shrink a repeater clock mechanism into the palm of your hand for a pocket watch for example, was an enormous challenge to fine watchmaking.[1]
Abraham-Louis Breguet would go on to make his own significant contributions to the repeater mechanism in his lifetime. Early repeater clocks used a bell on which hammers would strike. In 1783, Breguet invented the gong repeater for pocket watches, a breakthrough in miniaturisation. A hardened steel wire coiled inside the circumference of the case of a pocket watch was struck by very small hammers. The application of gongs paved the way for wristwatch repeaters, which ultimately produce three sounds: a single strike for the hours (low tone or “dong”); a double-strike for the quarter hours (mid-tone or “ding-dong”); and single strikes for the minutes (high tone or “ding”).
Good Vibrations
The most famous chimes in the world emanate from Big Ben, the clock tower which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Collectively, these are known as Westminster Chimes, an elaborate melody sometimes found in Grande Sonnerie pocket watches or wristwatches. Grande Sonnerie means ‘great strike’: striking the hours and quarter hours; Petite Sonnerie means ‘small strike’: striking only quarters or hours. Silence deactivates the mechanism entirely. These features are usually abbreviated GS, PS and S allowing the owner to choose by moving a lever on the side of the case. The very best examples of Grande Sonnerie pocket watches and wristwatches also include a Minute Repeater (Verrou), which is activated manually by a slide when the watch is in Silent mode, to chime the hours, quarters and minutes on demand.[2]
L’excellence au fil du temps – 250e anniversaire
In 2025, Manufacture Breguet announced the Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905, the successor to ref. 1907. It is one of the Maison’s most complicated timepieces, combining a regulator with Tourbillon, Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie and Minute Repeater with a magnetic regulator for all striking scenarios. This exclusive timepiece, in Breguet gold with Bleu de France accents, will be produced on request.
Fig. 1 Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Arts 1905BH/2H is the quintessence of Empire style at which Manufacture Breguet excels. A watch for an Emperor. Photos © Montres Breguet SA
Breguet’s Métiers d’Arts 1905 Tourbillon Grand-Strike is a Grande Complication to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Breguet manufacture. This pocket watch represents a lavish upgrade on its predecessor with elevated Swiss handcrafts by way of guilloché, grand feu enamel, engravings and a secret signature inscribed with a pantograph. Bleu de France accents highlight several features which the Maison is known for, ranging from Breguet, hollow apple hands in blued steel to the blue tourbillon bridge and blue strikers that work on the white gold gongs coloured with BRG25. The case and dial in 18K Breguet gold exude the warmth of candlelight, a
magnificent achievement by Breguet’s in-house foundry. The frontispiece is exquisitely finished with two figures sitting by the Seine in Paris, an example of superlative enamel engraving executed by hand with the back of the watch adorned with Quai de l’Horloge guilloché, mirroring the dial fused in a sea of blue enamel around a large ‘B’ at centre.
The movement, caliber 508 GS, numbered and signed Breguet, is composed of 539 components and 43 jewels. The tourbillon rotates at a speed of one revolution per minute and beats at a frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph), nestled in a compact movement measuring 43.5mm in diameter and 14.7mm in thickness. The case is handsomely proportioned at 56.5mm in diameter and 24.1mm in thickness.
Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Arts 1905 is presented in a special limited edition 250th anniversary, Marie-Antoinette oak case with Risoud resonance wood tray, geometry Petit Pavillon of the Palace of Versailles, marquetry French Pavilion and parquet flooring from the Palace of Versailles. The watch is accompanied by a five-year international warranty.
Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Arts 1905 A watch fit for royalty and a museum piece by any standards. Video © Montres Breguet SA
Music Box on the Wrist
Breguet has long mastered the art of acoustic timekeeping and produced a wide variety of charming and enchanting striking watches. The Maison offers several styles ranging from dress watches for formal occasions to lighter, contemporary designs that are no less special. One of the hallmarks of the minute repeater is the hidden musicality of the mechanism, reciting the time melodiously with unhurried tempo. Second is the high finishing associated with grand complications in general, often involving extensive handcrafts. Another is a simple dial comprised only of hours and minutes. Such simplicity hides one of watchmaking’s most celebrated and complex achievements, a tradition cherished by connoisseurs. We shall now look at some of the outstanding examples from the manufacture in recent times.
Classique Répétition Minutes 7365
Fig. 2 Supremely elegant and rich in detail, the Bleu de France offers infinite depth of which the eye will never tire. Photos © Montres Breguet SA
Breguet has long mastered the art of acoustic timekeeping and produced a wide variety of charming and enchanting striking watches. The Maison offers several styles ranging from dress watches for formal occasions to lighter, contemporary designs that are no less special. One of the hallmarks of the minute repeater is the hidden musicality of the mechanism, reciting the time melodiously with unhurried tempo. Second is the high finishing associated with grand complications in general, often involving extensive handcrafts. Another is a simple dial comprised only of hours and minutes. Such simplicity hides one of watchmaking’s most celebrated and complex achievements, a tradition cherished by connoisseurs. We shall now look at some of the outstanding examples from the manufacture in recent times.
Classique Répétition Minutes 7637
Fig. 3 Deft understatement meets sure-footed artisanal finishing. Photos © Montres Breguet SA
An impeccable dress watch in 18K rose gold with grand feu enamel dial in deepest black. Classically proportioned at 42mm in diameter and 12.3mm in thickness. The simple dial, also known as a “two-hander,” belies the artistry hidden beneath its inky black depths. Caliber 567.2 is entirely hand-engraved and hand-chiseled, powered by 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph) and backed by a 40-hour power reserve for peace of mind. The strap is fastened by a superb three-blade deployant clasp finished with a scrollwork ‘B’ for Breguet. Also available in 18K white gold with grand feu enamel dial in blue.
Classique Répétition Minutes 7637 The grace and charm of a grand complication that enchants the listener. Time is rendered with melodic musicality and measured tempo. Video © Montres Breguet SA
Classique Répétition Minutes 5447
Fig. 4 A grandee among wristwatches, all the virtues of Breguet flow into this kingly timepiece. Ref. 5447 in platinum combines a minute repeater and perpetual calendar with Breguet’s signature guilloché and hand-engraving. A knockout and also available in 18K white and rose gold. Photo © Montres Breguet SA
A watch for the nobility, presented with minimum fanfare and adorned with a hand-turned
silver guilloché dial. This powerhouse oozes Breguet. It features a perpetual calendar with beautiful moon phases, days of the week, calendar, leap years and calendar months, set in a chapter ring of classic Breguet Roman numerals. The moon and clouds are hand-engraved and the calendar dates set in a sun-motif guilloché dial. Breguet hands in blued steel aid legibility against the silvered dial. Empire-style fluting on the side of the case pays tribute to Breguet’s original pocket watches and a discreet lever to the left-hand side of the case indicates the minute repeater. Caliber 567 RMP1 beats gently at 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph), giving a power reserve of 40 hours to this regal complication that houses a gargantuan 491 components. The Olympian movement remains well proportioned despite housing two grand complications under one roof measuring 40mm in diameter and 15.2mm in thickness. The movement is hand-chiselled and decorated to the Maison’s highest specifications. Ref. 5447 pays homage to the iconoclast Breguet, ennobled by countless signature touches that render it the unmistakable work of the master.
Classique Répétition Minutes 7637
Fig. 5 Genteel perfection, this watch's pedigree is concealed by a simple layout. Photos © Montres Breguet SA
No. 7636 is a restrained minute repeater featuring a silvered guilloché dial with 24-hour indication and double seconds with Breguet hands in blue steel providing the perfect contrast for reading the time. The watch is a gentlemanly 42mm in diameter and 12.3mm in thickness. The richly decorated movement consists of caliber 567.2, fully hand-engraved, beats at a stately 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph), complimenting the four different types of guilloché on the dial: Clou de Paris for the main dial, décor flammé designating AM and vieux panier designating PM on the subdial at 3 o’clock, barley corn or grain d’orge circulaire on the small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock. This masterpiece of hand-applied engine-turning is bounded by a satiné circulaire finish on the hour circle. Breguet’s signature fonts and Roman numerals invoke the grandeur of Breguet’s pocket watches. 40-hour power reserve. Available in 18K white gold and 18K rose gold.
Classique Répétition Minutes 7637 Squelette
Fig. 6 The majesty of the inner works revealed in an open-worked dial. Bring a loupe! Photos © Montres Breguet SA
Breguet presents the squelette or skeleton edition of ref. 7637 with guilloché dial. Also referred to as open-worked watches, here we have the same caliber 567.2 and 42mm diameter watch but with the added vantage of being able to observe the repeater movement at any time. The polishing and anglage are in keeping with Breguet’s high horology watches with fine filigree finishing to the back of the movement (see fig. 5). Fortunate owners will rejoice in examining the watch using a good magnifying glass. Although purists prefer a closed movement not visible to the naked eye, the scarcity of squelette or open-worked minute repeaters in general make this reference preeminent among contemporary grand complications. Also available in 18K white gold and 18K rose gold.[3]
Classique Répétition Minutes 7639 – Breguet’s “Jazz” Repeater
Fig. 7 Breguet’s mythical “Jazz” Repeater, a watch rarely seen and heard. Photos © Montres Breguet SA
Breguet’s jazz-themed, minute repeater is a rare sight. Haute joaillerie meets haute horlogerie in this exceptional tribute to the world of jazz and blues. At first, the jazz theme may come as a surprise; however, the watchmakers at Breguet are masters at blending a modern theme with classical watchmaking. The result is a simple yet elegant dial showing only hours and minutes with exquisite gem-setting and the famed lever to the left-hand side of the case for activating the répétition minutes.
This spectacular Classique Grande Complication minute repeater wristwatch is presented in 18K white gold, set in baguette-, princess- and brilliant-cut diamonds. The watch has a hand-wound movement, engraved by hand. Breguet’s master graveurs have adorned the base plate, movement and component parts to represent a jazz and blues ensemble. Music notes are clearly visible on the base plate and the bridges are sensationally engraved with the orchestra players, their instruments and keyboard. The actual repeater mechanism and hammers are lovingly engraved with drumsticks suggesting motion. This vibrant motif radiates great charm
and warmth – a joy to behold.
Breguet’s Jazz Repeater is clearly a statement piece, but its appeal lies in an overarching simplicity. A classic “two-hander” showing hours and minutes only, the watch exudes confidence and combines understatement with an outpouring of luxury, paying homage to the most revered complication in watchmaking. Breguet’s watchmakers may have outdone themselves here, and it could be a long time before something so special emerges from its workshops again.[4]
Classique La Musicale 7800
Fig. 8 Breguet’s charming music box for the wrist, richly decorated. Depressing the button at ten o’clock plays The Thieving Magpie by Rossini. Available in 18K white and yellow gold. Photo © Montres Breguet SA
Breguet achieved another first with the Maison’s release of the Classique La Musicale 7800, a music box to be worn on the wrist. Musical boxes originated in the Middle Ages and both larger and smaller, hand-held versions traditionally consist of a cylinder with pins to play a predetermined melody. In order to reduce the mechanism, the watchmakers at Breguet created a new in-house movement, patented movement ref. 0900, which utilises a disc carrying the pins to replace the traditional music-box cylinder and alternately acts on the 15 metal teeth of the comb. A further innovation consists of a hand-engraved membrane in metallic glass placed under the movement which, together with a solid case-back, has a number of openings so as to create a Helmholtz resonator to amplify the sound. The melody is shielded by a magnetic governor which comprises isolated magnets in a cage. This reduces unwanted sound and wear, ensuring the melody proceeds at the right tempo.
The dial shows the hours, minutes and seconds at centre, with a power-reserve indicator at 3 o’clock and a visible indicator that the melody is playing between 9 and 10 o’clock. The viewer is treated to an enchanting display when the melody starts, as the immaculate guilloché with its centrifugal motif creates movement and the entire dial, which is connected to the pin-bearing disc, makes a complete rotation on itself. The silvered dial is punctuated by Breguet’s signature hands in blued steel, open-tipped for the hours and minutes, while the seconds hand ends in a treble clef motif. Additionally, the dial is diamond-polished by hand to capture the light at all angles and the engine-turned finish gives the rotating dial a shimmering effect for the duration of the melody (20 to 25 seconds). An internal blocking system developed by Breguet ensures that enough energy is always allocated to play the melody in full.
Fig. 9 Breguet’s alternative to the 18K white gold edition, this one-off 18K rose gold piece plays Badinerie, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach as the final movement of his orchestral suite N° 2 in B minor. The case-band is lovingly decorated with musical notes corresponding to the melody in the watch. Photo © Montres Breguet SA
The movement is a marvel at 39 mm in width and 8.7 mm in thickness, delivering a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vph) with a stunning power reserve of 55 hours given the complexity of the mechanism. The movement has an astounding 633 components and the watch is 48.1mm in diameter and 16.7mm in thickness. Against all odds, Breguet’s watchmakers have achieved another first by lending La Musicale a water-resistance of 3 bar (30m).
La Musicale marries elegance with innovation, technological know-how and the customary aestheticism of A.-L. Breguet. Connoisseurs of classical music in particular will find La Musicale and its melodies visually emotive and acoustically thrilling. This enchanting timepiece, imbued with rapturous pleasure, will quicken the pulse of any music lover and lift the soul.
Classique La Musicale 7800 in 18K white gold plays The Thieving Magpie by Rossini. The watch pays tribute to the grandeur of classical music. Video © Montres Breguet SA
Mozart of Horology
If I could only impress on the soul of every friend of music, and on high personages in particular, how inimitable are Mozart’s works, how profound, how musically intelligent, how extraordinarily sensitive!
—Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), Letters 1787
Abraham-Louis Breguet’s life (1747–1823) spanned two historic events that shaped the Enlightenment: the American Revolution 1765–1783 and the French Revolution 1789–1799. Although a tumultuous time on both sides of the Atlantic, many influential figures had occasion to author and compose significant works which shaped the Age of Reason and beyond. Breguet’s contemporaries included such luminaries as Joseph Haydn and Immanuel Kant. A.-L. Breguet’s own contributions helped shape not only the Enlightenment but altered the trajectory of clock- and watchmaking with lasting effect.
Breguet’s contribution to innovating repeating and striking watches is explained by none other than George Daniels: “[Breguet’s] earliest use of the gong is in the minute repeating perpetuelles. In these watches the hours and the quarters are struck à toc and the minutes by a separate hammer on a short, flat, steel gong.” (The Art of Breguet, p. 66). Breguet’s watches repeating on gongs paved the way for the production of repeaters in series and his simple solution serves as the precursor for repeating works later developed for wristwatches.
The artful watches featured herein are a culmination of the genius and patience of Breguet and his successors. Repeaters and chiming mechanisms must be tuned by someone with a musical ear and musical sensibilities to match. The results are sublime portraits of time set to music. Rarity aside, Breguet’s minute repeaters are more than mere mechanical devices that play back the time on demand. They are examples of the evolution of high horology and the striving to produce the most excellent and noble timepieces.
The very concept of a repeater imbues such timekeepers with an ethereal quality. The ability to produce sound gives life to the mechanism and lends the watch a touch of immortality. Those who own or have experienced the thrill of repeating or chiming mechanisms can attest to their high craft and melodious sound. It sends the spirit soaring. There is nothing like it and to own a Breguet is to carry history on your wrist or in your pocket.
Acknowledgement
All photographs and videos in this article are © Montres Breguet SA. Fair use and grateful thanks to Breguet’s masterful in-house photography team.
Notes
All URLs correct at time of publication.
[1] Bell ringing is one of the earliest methods of marking time using sound. Early missionaries used small bells to call people to worship, a practice that spread with Christianity during the Middle Ages. Mechanical clocks emerged in Europe in the late 13th century in the form of turret clocks or clock towers. This had the advantage of letting communities see and read the time more accurately with bell ringing at prescribed intervals to communicate important hours, a reminder to everyone ‘within earshot.’ Over time, clockmakers from around the world contributed to refining the mechanisms of timekeeping to produce clocks for use in domestic settings and official buildings. Pocket watches were the next evolution in downsizing timekeepers in the 15th and 16th centuries. By the early 19th century, Breguet creates the first wristwatch for Queen Caroline Murat, followed several decades later by Patek Philippe’s wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary. Acoustic timekeeping thus came full circle, beginning with small hand-held bells, culminating in incredibly complex movements able to be worn on the wrist. In our time, wearable technology follows in the footsteps of the great clock- and watchmakers.
[2] It is interesting to note that the ticking of clockwork is both soothing and infuriating to people’s ears, depending on the context and intensity of the sound. We associate it with very old-fashioned time bombs in cartoons and movies, of course, but it not only permeates pop culture but can be found in our daily lives, usually just beyond our conscious range of hearing. Rather like hearing our own heartbeats – ignored most of the time, reassuring some of the time, troubling at the worst of times.
[3] Breguet also currently offer the following open-worked models: Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 (41 mm) and the Classique Tourbillon Squelette 3795 (41 mm), both models being available in platinum and 18K rose gold; Classique open-worked chronograph 5238BB/10/9V6 DD00 in 18K white gold; hand-wound movement with seconds subdial, 30-minute totaliser; bezel, lugs and case-band paved with 96 baguette-cut diamonds, approx. 13cts (40.3 mm); Classique Grande Complication 3355PT/00/986 open-worked wristwatch in platinum, with tourbillon (35 mm, water-resistant to 3 bar (30m)); Tourbillon Messidor Classique Grande Complication 5335BR/42/9W6 open-worked wristwatch in 18K rose gold and platinum (40 mm, Water-resistant to 3 bar (30m)); Classique Grande Complication 3795BR/1E/9WU openworked wristwatch in 18K rose gold and platinum, with tourbillon (41 mm, water-resistant to 3 bar (30m)); hand-wound movement with perpetual calendar showing the day, retrograde date, month and leap year; chapter ring with Roman numerals on a sapphire disc; running seconds on the tourbillon shaft; compensating balance spring with Breguet over-coil.
[4] This watch first featured in an article dedicated to Breguet in Beverly Hills, see: Fine Watches in Beverly Hills: Breguet on Rodeo Drive.
Bibliography
BREGUET, Emmanuel, Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking, USA: Prestel
(2015). ISBN 978-3791354675.
DANIELS, George, The Art of Breguet, Switzerland: Sotheby’s Publications (1986).
ISBN 0-85667-004-9.
LIPPINCOTT, Kristen, with ECO, Umberto, GOMBRICH, E. H. and others, The Story of
Time, London: Merrell Holberton (1999). ISBN 1-85894-072-9.
WATKINS, Richard, The Repeater, Australia: Richard Watkins (Second Edition 2017).
(Available from http://www.watkinsr.id.au).
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