Ringing the Hours with a Selection Of Chiming Watches

While there is plenty to be enjoyed when it comes to a finely crafted mechanical time-only watch, sometimes you want a little more than that, right? From GMT watches to chronographs, and from moon phases to perpetual calendars, there’s an absolute abundance of complexity within the watchmaking industry. But what if you’re looking for a more audible experience? Not only seeing time but hearing it instead? Well, you’re in luck as today we’ve compiled a selection of chiming masterpieces. And to prove such a watch doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg (plus a kidney or two), we’ve included two examples priced below 5k!

Christopher Ward Bel Canto Rosa Gold

The Christopher Ward Bel Canto is a prime example of a brand thinking out of the box. The brand’s technical director, Frank Stelzer, found a way to create a watch with a chiming hour complication for less than 5k! The Bel Canto has a 41mm wide by 13mm thick grade 5 titanium case with a Rosa Gold (salmon) toned sunray-brushed base dial. On top of that, you have a full view of the hour and minute sub-dial as well as the chiming mechanism. The hammer is cocked over the course of an hour and released when a full hour has passed, with a delightful “DING” as the audible result. It retails for EUR 4,095 on a leather strap or EUR 4,545 on the grade 2 titanium bracelet.

For more information, please visit ChristopherWard.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 13mm – grade 5 titanium case – domed sapphire crystal – stamped caseback with sound motif – silent-mode pusher – 30m water-resistant – rosa gold (salmon) sunray-brushed base dial – suspended hour & minute dial with SLN inserts for hands & markers – suspended chiming mechanism – Selltia SW200-1 base with in-house FS01 chiming module – grade 2 titanium bracelet or leather strap – EUR 4,095 (leather strap) or EUR 4,545 (titanium bracelet)

Meistersinger bell hora

Another chiming hour watch on the more affordable end of the spectrum, and one closely tied to the Bel Canto, is the MeisterSinger Bell Hora. The module to make the Bell Hora chime is developed with CW’s Frank Stelzer, a name you’ve just familiarized yourself with. But where the Bel Canto puts its mechanism on full display, the Bell Hora hides it between the dial and movement, resulting in a far more classical watch. The button at two can put the watch in silent mode, but you’d want to hear that chime! Several versions are available, all with a single hand for the time and worn on a leather strap, with prices starting at EUR 4,250.

For more information, please visit MeisterSinger.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 12.95mm – stainless steel case, polished – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – medium blue dial – gold double digit numerals – central white lacquered hand – spiral-shaped pattern – MS Bell (Sellita SW200 with hour strike module) – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – hours indication with chiming function with on-off function – leather strap with alligator embossed pattern – prices starting at EUR 4,250

Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes

Upping the complexity and exclusivity, the Breguet Classique 7637 Répétition Minutes is one of the purest minute repeater watches. The luxurious gold exterior, in typical Breguet style, is paired with a deep black Grand Feu enamel dial with open-tipped Breguet hands, powdered silver numerals and a minutes track. The calibre 567.2 is wound by hand and made in-house using no less than 358 components. The beautifully finished movement chimes the time on demand, with two hammers striking a set of gongs when you activate the slider in the caseband. Worn on a black alligator leather strap, it comes with a price of EUR 264,700.

For more information, please visit Breguet.com.

Quick Facts – 42.5mm x 12.25mm – 18k pink gold case, fluted casebands – soldered lugs with screw pins – sapphire crystal front & back – glossy black Grand Feu enamel dial – Breguet numerals – open-tipped Breguet hands – calibre 567.2, in-house – manual winding – 358 components – 18,000vph – 40h power reserve – hours, minutes, minute repeater – black alligator leather strap with pink gold folding clasp – EUR 264,700

Speake Marin Minute Repeater Carillon

The Speake Marin Minute Repeater Carillon is a truly spectacular piece, exposing all of its mechanics front and back. It packs not one but three highly complex mechanisms into a single watch, as it boasts a minute repeater mechanism, a tourbillon escapement and a mechanical automaton. When you pull on the slider on the side of the case, the watch starts chiming the time, and the red Roman XII starts moving. And it’s not just single chimes for the hours and minutes, but a combination of three hammers hitting multiple gongs. This unique piece comes on a leather strap with a folding or pin buckle, and a price of CHF 360,000.

For more information, please visit Speake-Marin.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 16mm – Piccadilly case in titanium & platinum – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – openworked dial – carillon repeater mechanism, tourbillon escapement, automaton – spade & whip hands – peripheral hour & minute track – calibre SMAHH-02, manually wound – 536 components – 21,600vph – 72h power reserve – leather strap with folding clasp or pin buckle – unique piece – CHF 360,000

Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé

We continue the spectacle with the Hermès Arceay Duc Attelé and its high-beat movement regulated by a triple-axis tourbillon. But that’s not all, as the Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé rings out the time with a pair of horsehead-shaped hammers striking two gongs on demand. Even if you’re not a fan of the equestrian theme, it truly is a sight to behold! Time is read with two floating pointers rotating around a central disc, and the chimes are activated by the slider on the left. It’s limited to 24 pieces in polished titanium or 24 pieces in rose gold with an aventurine dial, both on a leather strap. The price is upon request, which means it’s probably astronomical.

For more information, please visit Hermes.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm diameter – asymmetrical grade 5 titanium or rose gold case – domed sapphire crystal – transparent caseback – 30m water-resistant – multi-level dial construction – floating chapter ring for hours & minutes – central triple-axis tourbillon – minute repeater mechanism – H1926 movement, manufacture – 563 components – 36,000vph – tuning-fork gongs – 48h power reserve – leather strap – limited to 24 pieces per case material – price upon request

Bulgari Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon

We round things off with the stupendous Bulgari Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon, which was redesigned earlier this year. Using an ultra-complex manual-wound movement consisting of 754 components, this Octo Roma Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon features two selectors. The one at 2′ is for the Grande or Petite Sonnerie, and the one at 4′ is for Chime or Silence mode. Both types of Sonnerie chime the hours and quarters in passing, but only the Grande Sonnerie repeats the hours with each quarter. On top of that, it’s also a minute repeater, capable of chiming the time on demand. The dial is finished in grey DLC and has a grid-like pattern, revealing the tourbillon escapement, hammers and gongs, and the central governor for the striking mechanism. Only 5 will ever be made, at a cool EUR 1,000,000.

For more information, please visit Bulgari.com.

Quick Facts – 45mm x 11.85mm – titanium case – crown with black ceramic insert – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – sandblasted openworked grey DLC-coated dial – rhodium-finished hands & indices – calibre BVV 800, in-house – manual winding – 754 components – 21,600vph – 72h power reserve – grande & petite sonnerie, minute repeater, 4-hammer chime, power reserve indications, tourbillon escapement – black alligator leather strap – limited to 5 pieces – EUR 1,000,000