Philippe Dufour
Grande & Petite Sonnerie
Ref. Grande & Petite Sonnerie
1992–2016 · 41mm · caliber Philippe Dufour in-house, manual-wind: two independent gear trains (timekeeping and striking), each with its own barrel, wound in opposite directions from the crown; free-sprung, adjustable-mass balance; grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, and an on-demand minute repeater activated by a button in the crown; 35 jewels; entirely hand-made and hand-finished by Dufour, each watch taking close to two years to complete; only 8 examples made
Variants
| Reference | Dial | Bezel | Bracelet | Case | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | openwork (sapphire) | n/a | n/a | n/a | From 1999, Dufour also made a small number with a clear sapphire dial exposing the full striking mechanism instead of the grand feu enamel dial. Four examples of this variant are known, in white and rose gold. |
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Movement tier: unclassified
Medium-large: suits wrists 6.5 in+ (16.5 cm+)
41 mm case. Wears confidently on average to larger wrists. May overhang on slender builds.
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Authentication
The Grande & Petite Sonnerie is Philippe Dufour's first wristwatch and his most complicated work. Only 8 examples exist. This is an institutional-level acquisition; authentication is a matter for the handful of specialists who have handled one, not a checklist a buyer can run alone.
Known issues in the market
- With only 8 examples known (four with grand feu enamel dial, four with an openwork sapphire dial), any claimed example must have a clear, documented ownership and auction/dealer history. There is no "unknown example" that plausibly surfaces without provenance.
- The watch predates widespread internet sales by decades; expect thick supporting documentation (certificate of origin, international guarantee, original box) with any legitimate example.
- Because each watch took close to two years to hand-make, no two examples are identical in finishing detail; small differences between examples are normal, not a red flag on their own.
| Area | What to check | What is correct | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| movement | Twin gear-train, twin-barrel construction | Two separate barrels, one for the timekeeping train and one for the striking train, each wound in a different direction from the crown; both barrels carry the grande-sonnerie-style winding click (a serrated ratchet with hooked springs) | A single-barrel movement, or a movement where both directions of crown rotation wind the same train |
| movement | Function selectors and repeater activation | Two hand-engraved sliding selectors hidden under the hinged case band control sonnerie mode (Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, Silent, Strike); the minute repeater is activated on demand by a button set into the crown | Missing or non-functional slide selectors; a repeater activated by a case-side slide rather than a crown-set button |
| movement | Hand-finishing quality matching the Simplicity/Duality standard | Anglage, perlage, and Geneva striping finished to the same extraordinary level as Dufour's other work; hand engraving (visibly slightly irregular where done with a manually operated pantograph) on the strike-train bridge | Any surface finish that reads as machine-produced or merely "very good" rather than exceptional; laser-engraved rather than hand-engraved text |
| case | Hinged hunter case construction | 18k gold or platinum case with a hinged case back that snaps shut over a press-fit sapphire display back; slightly tapered lugs that were hand-soldered; 41mm diameter across all known examples | A snap-on or screw-down case back instead of a hinged hunter back; case dimensions inconsistent with the known 41mm diameter |
| dial | Grand feu enamel dial (enamel-dial examples) | Glossy, bright white fired enamel in two parts (main dial and recessed sub-dial), with Roman numerals and Breguet hands; typography matches vintage pocket-watch convention, including the seconds-register numerals | A printed or applied-decal dial presented as fired enamel; flat appearance under magnification where enamel should show depth |
Common legitimate replacements
- No standard replacement parts exist; any modification, repair, or replaced component should be fully documented by the seller or a specialist.
Expert resources: This is not a watch to authenticate independently. Full auction house authentication (Phillips, Christie's, Sotheby's) is required for any transaction; Phillips in particular has handled multiple documented sales, including movement No. 1 (2021) and the unique open-dial No. 07 (2024), and its specialists have direct handling experience with the reference.
