HOROLOGICAL WORLD PREMIERE:
DISCOVER THE BINAURAL SOUND OF
THE SONNERIE SOUVERAINE
In horological World Premiere, discover the binaural sound of the Sonnerie Souveraine F.P.Journe, recorded in the anechoic chamber of the EPFL. A unique experience which provides a total immersion in the heart of this exceptional striking watch’s movement.
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Binaural is a recording technique performed to create a three-dimensional sound. For the binaural recording of the Sonnerie Souveraine, F.P.Journe used artificial ears with microphones. In the choice of components up to the shapes and proportions, everything is designed in this device to reproduce a sound as close as possible to a human experience.
For this horological World Premiere, F.P.Journe invested the EPFL anechoic chamber in Lausanne. The EPFL is one of Switzerland's two federal polytechnics school, and the most innovative and productive scientific institution in the world. All the walls (including the floor) of the 200 m2 anechoic chamber is entirely covered with 1 meter high glass wool dihedral, allowing an optimal absorption of sound.
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In order to delve into the heart of the mechanics of the Sonnerie Souveraine F.P.Journe and reach the soul of this marvel of technicality, we invite you to download the file and to wear headphones to truly live this unique experience.
The SONNERIE SOUVERAINE F.P.Journe
The Grande Sonnerie watch with minute repeater is the most complex of horological creations, one that demands the very utmost in both technical and artistic virtuosity for the watchmaker in charge of its assembly. In the past, it has always been risky to use a Grande Sonnerie watch. The slightest error – for example, adjusting the time while the watch is chiming – could seriously damage the watch’s delicate mechanisms.
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Therefore, the first entry in F.P.Journe’s specification book for this watch was: “make the watch so that an eight year old child can manipulate it safely without damaging it. To meet this challenge I had to construct a movement based on new mechanical principles". Thus, according to the brand’s motto, ten patents testify to the “Invenit” of this work of watchmaking art, while the “Fecit” took six years of research and development.
GRAND-STRIKE CLOCKWATCH
AND MINUTE REPEATER
The privilege of a Grande Sonnerie watch is to translate time in music. The Maison Journe who became an expert in the mastery of the resonance striking watch, is aware of the importance of acoustic waves in the art of the time measurement. It demonstrates its mastery when it comes to retransmit time in sounds.
The sound signal emitted by the extra-flat gongs of 3/10 of a millimeter has been treated with as much importance as the function mode of this mechanism which requires a very specific hammer strike. Indeed, the striking weight of the hammer of the Grande Sonnerie is of 0.3 grams. This force is, to give an estimate, between 10 and 15 times less than that used to strike a classical minute repeater.
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However, because the acoustics work has been particularly meticulous and the technical solutions perfectly adapted to this type of complication, the Sonnerie Souveraine F.P.Journe produces a better sound than any equivalent striking timepiece. In addition, a new selection mode by the 4-hour button allows you to choose between three options: Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie and Silence. The pusher at 2 o'clock activates the Minute Repeater on demand.
For its striking watches, F.P.Journe has exceptionally abandoned precious metals for its cases for a noble cause, to ensure the best possible striking tones that make optimal use of the crystalline structure of Steel.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
10 Patents for the SONNERIE SOUVERAINE
Barrel
A single barrel drives both the going-train and the strike-train from each end of the mainspring.
The barrel’s drum, fixed to the outer end of the mainspring coil, has a toothed edge to drive the going-train. The barrel’s arbor, fixed to the inner end of the mainspring, turns a toothed wheel that drives the strike-train through unidirectional gearing.
Power reserve indicator
A mainspring that unwinds both through the barrel and the arbor requires a sophisticated power-reserve indicator.
The power-reserve indicator has three coaxial differentials. The top differential forms the link between the arbor and the barrel. The lower differential moves according to the winding or unwinding of the arbor. A third differential forms the link between the first two differentials to show the mean power-reserve of the mainspring.
Winding and setting system
The compact winding and setting system does away with the long stem and sliding-pinion, and finds its place under the dial.
In this system, the crown-wheel is permanently meshed with the transmission-wheel mounted coaxially on a rocking arm. The winding-stem slides through a square in the centre of the crown-wheel.
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Pulling out the winding-stem makes the pullout piece pivot the arm to mesh the intermediate-wheels with the minute-wheel for setting the hands.
With the stem in the winding position, the torque produced by the winding action on the transmission wheel, swings the rocking arm to mesh intermediate wheel with the winding ratchet.
Strike selection
Controlled by a column wheel, the mechanism to select and indicate the strike mode performs its duties with the minimum of parts.
The rotating column-wheel acts on three levers: the lever to select grand strike or small strike, the lever to select silence and the sprung rocking-arm that indicates the selected strike mode on the dial via a rack and pinion.
Pressing the strike-select button makes rocking-arm lift the sprung pawl. The pawl pulls the 12-toothed wheel step by step to rotate the column-wheel through consecutive cycles of actions.
The striking racks
The construction of the movement, with the hours and minutes off-centre, allows the striking-racks to be mounted in the centre of the movement. This in turn makes possible outsize racks for greater precision and control.
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The strike sequence
The hours-rack has a toothed sector where it is engaged by the strike-train. The teeth are permanently meshed with a free pinion, rotating coaxially on the fixed pinion of the strike-train. To lift the rack, the rocking clutch-pinion engages the free and fixed pinions, locking them together, and transferring the drive from the strike-train to the rack.
When the clutch-pinion disengages, the sprung-rack brings the rack’s finger down on the cam.
Strike release
Every quarter hour, a tooth on the star-wheel pivots the trigger against its spring to set in motion the chime in passing. The trigger acts through sprung levers to disengage the rocking arm from the pivoting clutch. This frees the pinion to allow the racks to fall on their cams. The spring then returns the rocking arm against the pivoting clutch (o re-engage pinion to lift the racks.
The minute-repeating strike is released by pressing button. The pivoting levers act on the rocking arm to disengage the clutch and allow the racks to fall.
Chiming gongs
This new design produces a louder, clearer sound from gongs that are just three-tenths of a millimetre thick. Mounting the gongs on the movement instead of around it increases the diameter of the movement.
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Blocking the strike automatically
The chimes are automatically blocked to reserve the last 24 hours of the mainspring’s energy to the movement.
A cam, working off the power-reserve differential, switches the pivoting lever when the power reserve falls to 24 hours. The blocking device keeps the clutch-pinion meshed with the driving pinions of the rack, thus preventing the racks from falling to start the chime.
When the power-reserve exceeds 24 hours, the cam releases the blocking mechanism, returning the pivoting clutch to the control of the rocking arm.
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This safety system prevents the winding-stem from being pulled out when the strike is operating, and it blocks the strike when the stem is pulled out.
A locking-cam can be pivoted in two positions: one to block the manual strike-release button, the other to lock the winding-stem by acting on. Pulling the winding stem out pushes the lever to the left, pivoting the locking-cam so that it blocks the manual strike-release.
The locking cam is also switched by a pivoting sprung arm connected to the hours-rack. As soon as the rack moves to begin the strike, the arm pivots the cam so that it engages the stem-blocking device and prevents the stem from being pulled out to set the time.
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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Collection: SONNERIE
Model: SONNERIE SOUVERAINE Minute Repeater
Movement
Caliber 1505
Manually wound
Gold baseplate and bridges
42 jewels
Movement dimensions:
Overall diameter: 35.80mm
Casing diameter: 35.00mm
Frame height: 6.25mm
Overall height: 7.80mm
Height of stem axis: 3.41mm
Stem-thread diameter: S1.20mm
Balance:
- Free-sprung
- 4 adjustment weights
- Flat Anachron balance-spring
- Fixed stud-holder
- Pinned stud
- Spring pinned to the collet
- Frequency: 21,600 v/h (3Hz)
- Inertia: 11.00 mg/cm 2
- Angle of lift: 52°
Dial up, fully wound: > 340°
Dial up, 24 hours: > 300°
Escapement: Linear escapement
15-tooth escape-wheel
Visual indications:
- Hours and minutes, off-centre
- Small seconds at 6 o’clock
- Power reserve
- Strike mode selection
- Striking hammers
Grand strike, small strike on the quarters in passing
Strike silent
Minute-repeater on demand
Autonomy:
- 120 hours without chime
- Approx. 48 hours with grand strike
- Approx. 24 hours after strike runs down
Circular grained baseplate
Circular ribbing on the bridges
Polished and bevelled screws
Pegs with rounded, polished ends
Steelwork decorated by hand
3D engraving
Case
Steel
Diameter 42.00mm
Overall height 12.55 mm
Controls:
- Two position winding and setting crown
- Pushbutton to release the minute-repeater at 2 o’clock
- Pushbutton to select the strike mode at 4 o’clock
Movements without dial 422Cased-up, on leather 441Cased-up, steel bracelet 558
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Press release - 2018
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MONTRES JOURNE SA
Brigitte Bocquet-Makhzani - Communication
International PR & Events Manager
17, rue de l’Arquebuse – 1204 Geneva – Switzerland
Tel : +41 (0)22 322 09 09
Fax : +41 (0)22 322 09 19
e-mail: bmakhzani@fpjourne.com
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www.F.P.Journe.com
