After years of working for other manufactures, notably Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, as well as restoring vintage and antique timepieces for auction houses and private clients, Philippe Dufour reached a decision that would change the course of modern watchmaking.
He decided to create watches under his own name. And when deciding what watch to make first, he thought “if you do something like everyone else, you cannot be recognized. When you are small, you must do something special to stand out.” And upon reaching this conclusion, he decided to stand out in a most spectacular manner – to create the first ever Grande and Petite Sonnerie wristwatch.
“The value of my timepieces is in the handwork and the craftsmanship. I put a part of myself in my watches, and the owner can feel that.”
—Philippe Dufour, as quoted In Watchmakers:
The Masters of Art HorologyHaving already created five magnificent Grande and Petite Sonnerie pocket watches for Audemars Piguet between 1982 – 1988, Dufour moved to miniaturize his creation to spectacular effect. But his inspiration goes beyond modern times, and like the Duality, which draws on a double escapement pocket watch made in the 1930s, the movement architecture of Dufour’s Grande and Petite Sonnerie pocket and wristwatch is based on ébauches created by Louis Elisée Piguet in the late 19th century and other watchmakers from La Vallée de Joux.
Movement image of Louis Elisée Piguet Grande & Petite Sonnerie pocket watch made for the South American market, circa 1895. Former lot 82 of The New York Watch Auction: X, 9th June 2024. Indeed, this inspiration from the past drives all of Philippe Dufour’s creations and the painstaking detail he dedicates to the finishing of movements. That includes the parallel Geneva stripes, the sharp points on the bridges made entirely by hand, anglage with deep interior angles, black polishing on the winding click, mirror-polished bevels and countersinks, and even the gilded gears have been finished so that no visible area hasn’t been treated to the most painstaking of hand finishing treatments.
Movement view of the present No. 7 Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatch In 1992, after three years of strenuous work, calculating tolerances, designing bridges, gears and pinions, testing chimes and functionality, Philippe Dufour presented a world premiere: a Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatch in yellow gold, with grand feu enamel dial. Then, in 1999, Dufour would up the ante, so to speak, by introducing an exquisite sapphire dial option, so that the finishing of the movement is visible not only through the caseback, but the front of the dial as well.
Macro image of the movement through the sapphire crystal dial, featuring the unique reddish-purple flame-blued handset and pink gold dial details. Despite the extremely complex movement, Dufour made the watch easy to use. The crown is wound one way for the movement and the other way for the striking mechanism. Minute repeating is activated on demand by pressing a coaxial button within the crown. The desired sonnerie mode (Grande Sonnerie - HQ, Petite Sonnerie - QO, Silent - SI, and Strike - ST) is selected by positioning the two small sliding levers on the center case band.
An incredibly complex sonnerie system chimes the hours and quarter hours at every hour and every quarter in grande sonnerie mode, and in petite sonnerie mode, it chimes the hours and quarters only on the hour with only the quarters at the quarter hour.
“I have no secrets as past watchmakers had. There are graveyards full of secrets and that's enough.”
—Philippe DufourEight total ébauches existed, and to date, they have all been cased. Five examples are cased in white, yellow, pink gold, or platinum with grand feu enamel dials, and three examples feature sapphire crystal “open” dials to reveal the movement within. We present below, for the first time, the complete list of all Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatches created by Philippe Dufour. We are indebted to Monsieur Dufour for generously providing us this information and allowing us to share it.
No other open dial Grande et Petite Sonnerie wristwatch has ever appeared on the market, and No. 07, the present watch, can be considered the most impressive example to exist. The case architecture is Dufour’s most elaborate and coveted – that of the earliest examples from the first run beginning in 1992, with a solid, hinged caseback and the switches that activate the sonnerie placed on the sides of the case, rather than switches on the bezel hidden by a hinged outer bezel. The present watch is the only example ever made with an open dial and hinged caseback, making it absolutely unique.
Lucky number 7 The layout of the dial, applied delicately in pink gold to the sapphire crystal, is decidedly more modern in appearance than other Dufour wristwatches. It is both unexpected and breathtaking, lacking the traditionalism and restraint of the grand feu enamel dials with elongated black Roman numerals, or even the guilloché dials found on the Simplicity wristwatches. The hours and minutes are depicted on the outermost portion of the dial with tiny arrow-like markers, with an Explorer-style layout of 12, 3, and 9 o’clock. The handset is a particular departure from the classic Breguet or faceted sword hands typically seen in a Dufour timepiece. They are far more curvaceous, no doubt to improve visibility against the gleaming steel and brass components underneath. Each handset is tipped with an arrow that perfectly echoes the hour and minute markers.
A unique configuration for both the dial and case style. Such an incredible wristwatch is an unprecedented appearance and Phillips is honored to present another milestone of Philippe Dufour’s miniscule production. This uniquely configured Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatch with sapphire dial, cased in sumptuous white gold, is offered by the original owner who purchased it directly from Dufour in 2016, and is preserved in exemplary condition complete with its original certificate and presentation box.
Original owner, complete with certificate and presentation box. The Dufour Grande & Petite Sonnerie is the rarest of all models ever made by Philippe Dufour, and was a milestone watch in the history of watchmaking. With the present unique example being the only one combining the early style hunter case and sapphire crystal “open” dial, it is most certainly amongst the most important timepieces ever produced, and an ultimate trophy watch to crown the world’s important collections.
PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER
Manufacturer:
Philippe Dufour
Year:2016
Case No:No. 7
Model Name:Grande & Petite Sonnerie Sapphire Dial
Material:18K white gold
Calibre:Manual, cal. 12, 35 jewels
Bracelet/Strap:Crocodile
Clasp/Buckle:18K white gold Philippe Dufour pin buckle
Dimensions:41mm Diameter
Signed:Dial, case, movement, and buckle signed.
Accessories:Accompanied by Philippe Dufour international guarantee and certificate of origin dated 8 December 2016, fitted presentation box, and outer box.
Literature:Philippe Dufour is prominently featured in Twelve Faces of Time: Horological Virtuosos by Elizabeth Doerr and Ralph Baumgarten pp. 10-25 and in Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking by Michael Clerizo pp. 72-91. Literature
Philippe Dufour is prominently featured in Twelve Faces of Time: Horological Virtuosos by Elizabeth Doerr and Ralph Baumgarten pp. 10-25 and in Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking by Michael Clerizo pp. 72-91.
Artist Biography
Philippe Dufour
Swiss • 1989
Philippe Dufour is a modern master creating some of the most coveted timepieces available today. His watches feature clean, classic lines fitted with high-grade in-house movements and stunning finish and polish. His Simplicity model is near-perfect hand craftsmanship, produced entirely in a traditional manner without the use of modern industrial tools. Over a 12-year period he created approximately 200 examples often customized to the client's wishes. Today it is considered one of the finest mechanical time-only timepieces produced. Also highly sought-after is the Duality, a highly complicated masterpiece made in only 9 examples. Dufour worked for some of the top names in watch manufacturing including Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet and Gerald Genta. In 1978, he opened his own workshop creating all his own parts. He is both the man and the brand, and by keeping his production numbers limited, Dufour maintains absolute control over quality and is therefore considered one of the most important independent watchmakers today.
Σ12
An astounding, unique, and historically important white gold two-train minute repeating grande and petite sonnerie wristwatch with sapphire dial, hunter caseback, certificate, and presentation box; numbered 07
2016
41mm Diameter
Dial, case, movement, and buckle signed.
In excess of $2,000,000
Sold for $3,690,000
Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman, Watches, Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
watchesny@phillips.com
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com
The New York Watch Auction: XI
New York Auction 7 - 8 December 2024
119
This lot is no longer available.
