Complication · Striking & chiming
Petite Sonnerie
Needs researchA striking complication closely related to the grande sonnerie, automatically sounding the hours at each hour and a single tone at each quarter, but without repeating the full hour count at every quarter.
Definition
A striking complication closely related to the grande sonnerie, automatically sounding the hours at each hour and a single tone at each quarter, but without repeating the full hour count at every quarter.
Historical origin
Developed alongside grande sonnerie mechanisms as a lower-power, simpler automatic-striking alternative; exact origin is not distinctly documented separately from grande sonnerie history in the sources consulted.
How it works
As with grande sonnerie, the striking train is coupled to the going train and fires automatically without a manual trigger, using the same rack-and-snail principle to read the current hour and quarter.
The key difference is at the quarters: rather than re-striking the full hour count plus the quarter count each time (as grande sonnerie does), petite sonnerie strikes only the quarter tones themselves at each quarter, with the full hour count sounded just once, at the top of the hour.
This reduces both the acoustic complexity and the power draw of the striking train compared with grande sonnerie, while retaining automatic (unprompted) striking as the defining feature versus an ordinary on-demand repeater.
Pocket watch context
Offered in the same family of high-grade complicated pocket watches as grande sonnerie, sometimes as a selectable mode on the same movement.
Wristwatch context
As rare as grande sonnerie in wristwatches, and often implemented as one selectable striking mode alongside grande sonnerie and silence on the same movement.
Identification
- Automatic striking at the hour and quarters, but without the hour count being repeated at each quarter — listen across a full hour to distinguish from grande sonnerie
- Mode selector (grande/petite/silence) shared with grande sonnerie movements where both modes are offered
Servicing notes
As with grande sonnerie, this is specialist territory; servicing should be entrusted only to watchmakers experienced with automatic striking mechanisms.
General guidance only. Complicated mechanisms should be assessed and serviced by a qualified watchmaker or clockmaker specialist, not adjusted at home.
Related photographs
No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.
Sources & references
- de Carle, D., Watch and Clock Encyclopedia
- Distinct historical origin (separate from grande sonnerie) not established from sources consulted; flagged for further research.
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.