TOURBILLON À SONNERIE

From one of the most exciting and noteworthy names to have emerged onto the independent watchmaking landscape in the 2020s, the Tourbillon à Sonnerie by Geneva based Vladimir Negault and his nascent Atælier Haute Complication brand is an exquisite and highly original piece of contemporary independent haute horlogerie.

Featuring an unusual but sophisticated complication, which on demand strikes the passing half hours, the Tourbillon à Sonnerie is an exceptional watch which combines the artisan watchmaker’s signature aesthetic codes with an in-house designed and developed mechanism, manufactured and finished by hand to uncompromising haute horlogerie standards throughout.

Produced in a limited run of only sixty-nine examples, the Tourbillon à Sonnerie is presented in a rounded case of platinum, which measures 41mm across and 9.5mm tall, with polished surfaces, visible screw heads and edition number inscribed on the bezel. The squat crown has angled fluting and AHC branding in red, while a round pusher at the two o’clock position activates or disengages the striking hammers of the sonnerie mechanism, which chime once for the half hour, and twice for the hour.

Beneath a gently domed sapphire crystal, the elaborate display is comprised of frosted German silver plate, on which a white dial which features trademark details such as the oversized blue numerals against circular black backgrounds at the 3, 9 and 12, and the skeletonised hour and minute hands, which complement the blue minutes track and hour numerals around its periphery.

Dominating the lower part of the display, the sixty second tourbillon provides a mesmerising animation as it revolves against a blue backplate in its generously proportioned cavity. Another aperture close to the eight reveals the mirror polished striking hammers, while across at the five, a small pointer indicates if the mechanism is active or muted.

Inside, and visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, the complexity and meticulous finishing of the proprietary manual winding AHC-AM 1 movement is evident. Pared back bridges provide an unobstructed view of the gear train as well as the levers and weighted Inertial Freewheel which drive the striking mechanism. Running at 3Hz (21,600 vib/h), the barrel delivers a minimum of forty hours of power reserve.

A watch with a lot of character and considerable presence on the wrist, the innovative Tourbillon à Sonnerie is produced in a limited run of only sixty-nine examples.