Blancpain has just unveiled its most complex modern-day watch, the Grande Double Sonnerie, to mark its 190th anniversary. This CHF1.7 million grand complication signals Blancpain’s return to the highest tier of haute horlogerie.

One of the most technically ambitious chiming wristwatches ever made, the Grande Double Sonnerie incorporates traditional complications: grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater, flying tourbillon, and retrograde perpetual calendar, but also offers an unexpected twist with two distinct chiming melodies, a Westminster chime plus a a bespoke sequence composed for Blancpain by Eric Singer of rock band Kiss.

Initial thoughts

It has been some time since Blancpain unveiled a truly headline-grabbing complication. The manufacture made its name in this arena with the ref. 1735 of 1991, but in the decades since, its output has leaned toward more conventional high-end offerings — perpetual calendars, tourbillons, carrousels, and chiming watches — while its commercial momentum has come largely from the Fifty Fathoms and Villeret triple calendar.

The unexpected Grande Double Sonnerie is therefore a reminder of what Blancpain can do at the very top level of watchmaking. The Le Brassus-based manufacture tends to be overlooked when speaking of high horology today, but the Grande Double Sonnerie should remind enthusiasts how sure-footed Blancpain is in this regard.

Even before considering the many complexities of the timepiece, the watch impresses from the first sight: a sea of polished levers, gears and hammers fitted with eccentric sub-dials and a wide tourbillon aperture.  

It takes a moment to get acquainted with the Grande Double Sonnerie’s dial; there is a set of central time telling hands, a thin date sector paired with a pointer hand, a day of the week indicator and a co-axial leap year cycle and month indicator — hinting at a perpetual calendar complication. Despite this complexity and metallic palette, the dial is surprisingly legible once you get used to it. 

But the true centrepiece is the chiming mechanism. Although the name “Double Sonnerie” might suggest the familiar pairing of grande and petite sonnerie, here it refers to the ability to sound the time in two different melodies: the traditional Westminster chime or a bespoke sequence written exclusively for Blancpain.

The composer behind that second melody will surprise many: Eric Singer, best known as the long-time drummer and occasional vocalist for Kiss. Blancpain approached him to create a signature tune for the watch — an unlikely meeting of classic haute horlogerie and hard-rock pedigree, made more unexpected by the fact that Singer was tasked with composing a soft, lyrical melody.

This collaboration might be one of the most unexpected of recent times. Blancpain, an utterly classic manufacture, working with a famous hard rock drummer would seem unlikely — especially since said drummer was tasked with coming up with a soft sonnerie chime. 

The result is a chiming watch unlike any before it. Owners can switch freely between the two melodies, in addition to selecting the various striking modes, and they can also activate a minute repeater. These are familiar elements of high-end striking watches, but the ability to alternate between two distinct chiming patterns is genuinely novel.

At 47 mm the watch is large, yet it’s surprisingly slim and comfortable enough on the wrist — an encouraging sign for a complication of this scale. The case is deliberately understated, allowing the mechanics to take centre stage, while the finishing throughout is at Blancpain’s highest level, on par with many independents.

Two versions are offered, in 18k white or rose gold, with output capped at two pieces per year. Between the two versions, the one in rose gold looks more luxurious, although I personally prefer the more restrained white gold version. The colder, crisper look of white gold and grey hues seems to suit the complicated piece better. The price of CHF1.7 million (taxes included), reflects the rarity and ambition of the project.

The two precious metal versions side by side.

A most modern sonnerie

Watchmakers and collectors alike hold the grande sonnerie in especially high esteem. True clockwatches like this remain rare.

Blancpain brings something new to the small circle of brands that have managed to produce this complication: the ability to choose the specific tune on command, using a simple pusher on the case that, when actuated, switches between the classic Westminster carillon to Blancpain’s own Singer-composed tune. 

The Westminster chime (also known in clockmaking as “Cambridge quarters”) refers to a specific chiming sequence, which makes use of four different hammers and four different gongs to sound the time each quarter of an hour. The name comes from the Westminster clock tower, better known as Big Ben.

A grande sonnerie chimes every full hour and then the hour and quarter, every quarter. A petite sonnerie chimes the full hour on the new hour, and then only chimes the quarters on the quarters without repeating the hours. Notably, while most clock watches only chime the hours on the new hour, the Grande Double Sonnerie chimes out all four quarters, like a real grandfather clock.

Having four hammers and four gongs provides the complication with a richer and more nuanced sound, compared to simpler chiming watches with only two or three hammer and gong pairs. With this arrangement, the movement can play four distinct notes. In the Grande Double Sonnerie’s Calibre 15GSQ those notes are E, G, F, and B. This palette naturally raises the question: could another melodic sequence be created from these four pitches? As it turns out — yes.

Eric Singer is a drummer and watch collector, famously part of the Kiss. He’s also collaborated with Black Sabbath, Gary Moore and Brian May throughout his career. Also a friend of Blancpain chief executive Marc Hayek, Mr Singer was a fitting choice for “orchestrating” Blancpain’s alternative chime. The artist accepted the challenge of composing a special melody — which turned out to be a real challenge, since four notes may be a lot for a movement, but apparently quite constraining for a musician. 

Blancpain says the watch took more than eight years to develop, resulting in 21 patent applications and 13 patented solutions incorporated into the final construction. The key innovation is the mechanism that allows the user to switch between two musical sequences — a system that required entirely new components and multiple safety devices to prevent damage during operation.

The symmetric rounded pushers are for changing the chime melody and for actuating the minute repeater. A conventional slider for selecting the sonnerie mode: Petite, Grande and silent.

Without diving too deeply into the mechanics of chiming watches, it’s helpful to outline the basic principle behind the melody switching. In simple terms, a watch chimes because a toothed rack, driven by the movement, engages the hammers in sequence. Each tooth lifts a hammer and then releases it onto its gong, producing a note. The melody is determined entirely by the arrangement of teeth on the rack.

This basic explanation shows that the tune depends solely on the rack’s tooth pattern — much like the pinned cylinder of a music box. Change the pattern, and you change the melody. That, in essence, is what Blancpain has achieved, albeit in a highly sophisticated form.

The figure below is extracted from patent EP3136188 and shows a glimpse of the simplified selector mechanism. As we’ve established, two differently-toothed racks make for two different chiming patterns. Blancpain went to implement a double-levered rack, with each level encoded with a specific melody: one with the Westminster chime and the second with Mr Singer’s bespoke composition. 

Each of the four hammers has a set of hooks, which can take up different positions. The hooks are arranged on two levels and are independent. The hooks on each level can be either active or inactive — meaning they are either raised and can be engaged by the toothed rack or they sit flush with the hammers. 

Two long lever arms engage with the hook pieces. The lower lever controls the lower hooks and the upper lever the upper hook members respectively. The gist of this interaction is that cam-like profiles in the levers synchronously force the hooks in either their active or inactive positions. 

The column wheel and two-level racks are visible on the caseback side.

The levers are moved by a column wheel—similar to the control system of a chronograph—which ensures that the two positions (active and inactive) are complementary. In other words, only one set of hooks can be active at any given time; the two sets are never active simultaneously.

As the chiming starts, the double-level rack glides over and engages whichever set of hooks is active. Thus, it is either the Westminster chime that is played or Mr Singer’s. During the chiming sequence, one level of the rack engages the hammers in its preprogrammed sequence, while the other simply glides over the inactive hooks. Clever geometry was also employed to make sure that each toothed sector on the rack engages only the right hammer, so the rack profile has decreasing radii. 

An underside view of the double level rack.

Some more patents cover the safety system which assures the user can’t switch up melodies mid-chime, which would probably either break or bind the hook assemblies. Other more “common” safety implements assure the sonnerie works are isolated during chiming, such as blocking time setting or the actuation of the minute repeater. In total, there are five distinct safety mechanisms protecting the Grande Double Sonnerie.

The four circular gongs were designed specifically for this calibre, with a novel construction and geometry (also the subject of a patent) which makes them easier to tune to the desired frequency. In this particular embodiment, two gongs are concentric and stem from the same fixture, with two other arranged underneath, in a more classical fashion. Blancpain engineers tried out multiple alloys for the best acoustic response and seem to have ultimately settled on a rose gold alloy.  

Custom construction of one-piece pair of gongs.

Another patented feature is the 5N gold acoustic membrane that connects the main case body with the sapphire glass fixture. Manufactured through electro-forming, the membrane works as a mechanical amplifier of sound. 

Interestingly, the sapphire front glass is not set directly into the bezel or case body, but is rather supported directly by the gold membrane through a dedicated fixture. Thus the sapphire glass and its fixture are allowed to vibrate slightly inside the bezel. 

The four hammers are fully visible on the dial side along with a glimpse of the gold gong assembly.

A very modern implement inside this movement is the magnetic governor, which regulates the chiming speed. In any sort of chiming watch, spring power is directly discharged into the strikeworks and there is a need for a device to regulate the striking speed. 

Early centripetal governors were even used in gramophones, to regulate the speed at which vinyls were played. They work by acting as a sort of mechanical capacitor, braking the fast-rotating gears by harnessing angular kinetic energy.

The magnetic device used here is a silent governor, braking the discharge speed of the barrel by having a rotor slowed down by moving in a magnetic field. As it revolves, the governor rotor generates an electric potential, which encounters resistance from the magnetic field. The assembly looks a little like a stator, which is a sort of electric generator. Such a system was first used by Breguet in La Musicale, reflecting the innovation shared inside the Swatch Group.

Since the sonnerie function draws its power from its own separate barrel, the minute repeater can also be run from the same source, so there is no need for a sprung slider to arm the complication. As such, it can be activated on demand by a simple pusher on the case. The dedicated barrel stores sufficient energy for a full 12 hours in grande sonnerie mode. 

Retrograde perpetuity 

Integrated within this impressive sonnerie calibre — and visible on the dial side — is a compact retrograde perpetual calendar. Although the Grande Double Sonnerie is built around its chiming mechanism, the perpetual calendar is an achievement in its own right.

At first glance it appears to be a fairly conventional perpetual calendar, albeit with an unconventional layout. A large sector on the left displays the retrograde date, while two smaller sub-dials show the day of the week and a co-axial leap-year and month indicator. Where Blancpain could have employed a traditional perpetual calendar paired with a snail cam and rack system, its watchmakers instead chose to rethink the mechanism altogether.

The compact perpetual calendar mechanism is barely discernible on the dial side.

The subject of a couple of patents, Blancpain’s new retrograde perpetual calendar is built to improve some issues associated with both traditional perpetual calendars and generic retrograde indicators. Blancpain engineers argue that in snail cam and rack indicators, the hand is under no direct tension and especially for small increments (like those on a 31-incremented date sector) it may not index properly and over- (or under) shoot its mark. 

Blancpain began by reworking the retrograde mechanism itself, replacing the traditional setup with a ratchet wheel, gear train, and linear spring. The retrograde hand is mounted on one of the intermediate gears, so it is never idle and always kept under tension. A conventional date finger engages the large ratchet wheel, advancing it by one step each day.

Just like with the sonnerie function, Blancpain went for a very complex and refined construction for the perpetual calendar, but the gist is simple enough to make out. The system takes advantage of the retrograde’s indication tendency to always snap back to the “1” indication. 

A feeler lever engages with a fairly ordinary month cam, reading the months’ lengths. In the case of 31-day months, it triggers part of the ratchet mobile, causing the spring to intension and snap the retrograde back to “1”. In the case of 30, 28 and the occasional 29-day months, the feeler lever simply engages the ratchet trigger earlier and snaps the retrograde hand.

The action is simple in theory, but took a lot of springs, fingers and gear calculations to get right. The concept is not dissimilar to the MB&F LM Perpetual, but this present version bears more resemblance to the George Daniels’ original design used in the Grand Complication. The concept is basically the same, although Blancpain’s construction is definitely the more refined between the two. Setting of the perpetual calendar is done in classic Blancpain style, with concealed collectors under the lugs, which are integrated directly within the movement.

Shapes and finishes

Blancpain has done an impressive job making Calibre 15GSQ not only a technical achievement but also visually appealing. Chiming complications are inherently classical, and such movements are typically paired with closed dials that conceal most of the striking works.

When watchmakers choose to reveal the sonnerie racks and levers beneath a translucent dial, legibility often suffers and the watch can appear overly technical. Striking the right balance between visual openness and elegance is therefore difficult.

The cal. 15GSQ was clearly constructed with complete openness in mind, never meant to be hidden away under a closed dial; both sides of the complex movement are equally visible and thoughtfully arranged. The dial side is especially appealing, since all the supporting bridges are generously cut-out, revealing the various gears and springs underneath. 

The dial is just a ring of 5N gold, with raised numerals and a broad sector showing the month dates. The sector is plenty legible, occupying almost half of the precious ring dial. Smaller dials for the perpetual calendar are coarsely brushed, offering some nice contrast with the rest of the polished components.

The four hammers are on full display, mirror-polished with rounded anglage. The magnetic governor is visible as well, framed by a rounded Blancpain name plate. When any of the chiming functions are running, the user can admire the hammers striking and the dynamic dance of the governor on full display. 

The bridges and mainplate are not merely plated, but are instead made out of solid 18K white or pink gold, with most visible surfaces mirror polished. The steel parts are finely brushed, as are the gears. All gears have the sporty and intricate spoke design unique to Blancpain, a subtle nod to the manufacture’s past collaborations with Lamborghini. 

All visible edges are sharply beveled and the movement contains no less than 135 interior angles. Using gold instead of other metals gives a certain warmth and gravitas to the movement. The bevelling, along with the rest of the decoration, is done by hand the traditional way in a workshop focused solely on finishing high-end complications. For anglage, that means a file to carefully shape the bevels.

One of my favourite parts of the dial side is the the large aperture showing the flying tourbillon. The delicate complication is the latest embodiment of the original inverted flying tourbillon designed by Vincent Calabrese for Blancpain in the late 1980s. Upon its debut, its eccentric design prompted many to erroneously classify it as a carrousel, but it is in fact a tourbillon, albeit one with an off-centred balance wheel. 

The modern design has a broad, mirror polished cage and a large free-sprung balance. The regulator beats at a modern 4 Hz frequency and features a silicon hairspring. While the modern material might seem out of place in such a classic timepiece, the tourbillon sits very close to the magnetic governor, so the need for non-magnetic materials is a true necessity.

Blancpain isn’t the only brand that uses a silicon hairspring for its range-topping products; Patek Philippe does the same for the ref. 6301P. The Grande Double Sonnerie runs for about 96 hours on a full wind, which is frankly impressive, coming from a single barrel. 

The back of the movement reveals the intricate, multi-layered rack system, including the mechanism that switches between chimes. The high level of finishing continues here, with Geneva stripes on the barrel bridge, black-polished steel components, and two large sonnerie-style click wheels — a nod to traditional chiming clockwatches.

The back also features two discreet power-reserve indicators: one for the chiming functions and another for the timekeeping train. The two barrels are independent — one drives the tourbillon and perpetual calendar, while the other powers all of the striking mechanisms.

Each Grande Double Sonnerie is assembled by one of two dedicated watchmakers, who leave their personal mark on the piece. A hand-engraved name plate bearing the watchmaker’s signature is affixed to the reverse side of the movement. It’s a poetic way of connecting the owner with the craftsman — a gesture common among independent makers but rare for a large manufacture.

Key facts and price

Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie
Ref. 15GSQ 1513 55B
Ref. 15GSQ 3613 55B

Diameter: 47 mm
Height: 14.5 mm
Material: 18k white or pink gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 10 m

Movement: Cal. 15GSQ
Functions: Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon seconds, perpetual calendar, grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater and chime selector
Winding: Manual winding
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 96 hours

Strap: Crocodile with matching folding clasp

Limited edition: No, but production will be limited to 2 pieces each year
Availability: At Blancpain boutiques
Price: CHF1.7 million, taxes included

For more information, visit Blancpain.com.

The uniform of high complications almost invariably includes a leather strap. While there are noteworthy exceptions from the likes of F.P. Journe and Audemars Piguet, a metal bracelet remains an uncommon pairing. Christie’s Hong Kong, however, brings an abundance of complicated watches on bracelets for collectors who prefer metal, including notable examples from Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne.

This season’s sale is anchored by two major private collections, most prominently Part II of The Chronicle Collection, the first half of which was dispersed earlier in the spring. The consignor began collecting in the 1990s, a fact reflected in the depth of neo-vintage highlights throughout the catalogue.

Lot 2442 — Patek Philippe ref. 3448⁄8 with Possibly Unique Ruby Dial

The Patek Philippe ref. 3448 was the first self-winding perpetual calendar produced in large numbers. According to movement numbers, 586 were made in total — this lug-less example was one of the first made.

Beyond its historical interest, the ref. 3448 is underpinned by one of – if not the – most beautiful automatic movements ever made: the cal. 27-460 Q. Looks aside, it was one of the most technically competent automatics of its era, with an overcoil hairspring, free-sprung balance, and bi-directional winding using a cam and pawl system. Atop this worthy base calibre, the ref. 3448 adds the iconic windows perpetual calendar by none other than Victorin Piguet.

The ‘/8’ suffix denotes the style of bracelet, which Patek Philippe sourced from a specialist Pforzheim or Vicenza. Both cities remain important sources of precious metal bracelets to this day; Patek Philippe’s modern chain-style bracelets are made in Pforzheim by Wellendorff – remember that name. Unfortunately, bracelets of this sort cannot be (non-destructively) resized, though the “ladder” style clasp allows for some adjustment.

While the watch was born with a normal dial, Patek Philippe exchanged it for the present gem-set dial at the owner’s request in 1991. While almost unthinkable now, Patek Philippe reworked a number of ref. 3448s at the behest of important collectors. For example, another ref. 3448 had its yellow gold case exchanged for a platinum one, and a sapphire-index dial installed in 1997.

Today, most collectors profess a strong preference for originality, though that will go right out the window in this case. The estimate is a conservative HK$2-4 million (~US250,000-500,000). For context this watch sold for HK$1.5 million the last time it appeared in 2008.

Lot  2493 — Patek Philippe ref. 5136/1J-001

At first glance the ref. 5136 appears to just be a bracelet-borne ref. 3940, but it is actually a completely different watch. While the ref. 3940 is famously slim – under 9 mm – the ref. 5136 is over 2 mm taller, with a much larger crown to match.

The bracelet is surprisingly substantial, and more in line with sports watch bracelets. The end links include extenders for the pin-pushers in the case band, allowing the perpetual calendar to be set without removing the bracelet.

The yellow gold ref. 5136 carries an estimate of HK$240,000-480,000 (~US$30,000-60,000).

Lot  2494 — Patek Philippe ref. 5136/1G-001

Also on offer is the same reference in white gold. While the dial takes after the ref. 3940’s dial, the lettering is noticeably heavier, a detail that pairs well with the more robust case. In a way, the ref. 5136 was something of a prelude to Patek Philippe’s first (and only) perpetual calendar sports watch, the ref. 5740.

Inside is Patek Philippe’s slim workhorse cal. 240 Q micro-rotor automatic, which debuted in the ref. 3940 but still powers multiple references in the current catalogue, including the Nautilus perpetual calendar.

The estimate stands at HK$240,000-480,000 (~US$30,000-60,000), the same as its sibling in yellow gold.

Lot 2463— A. Lange & Söhne Langematik Perpetual on Wellendorff Bracelet

A. Lange & Söhne’s first automatic movement, the Sax-0-mat, is arguably its best – “Sax” for the state of Saxony and “mat” meaning Automatischer, while the 0 refers its most unusual feature.

When the crown is pulled out to set the time, the seconds hand immediately resets to zero, using a hammer and heart cam. The zero-reset seconds has since become a Lange signature, found in several models, and remains an unusual feature in the wider landscape.

From the back, the movement’s most distinctive feature is the off-centre 3/4 rotor, which is one of the most decadently constructed winding masses in the industry – solid 21k gold with a platinum weight along its perimeter. Launched in 2001, the Langematik Perpetual was the young brand’s first attempt at a perpetual calendar. It combines the Lange outsized date with a precision moon phase and a quick correction system that painlessly advances all the calendar indications in sync.

But what makes this example even more special is the exquisite platinum bracelet made by Wellendorff of Pforzheim. While Wellendorff continues to manufacture watch bracelets, the relationship with Lange ended over a decade ago, which makes these bracelets even more sought after. And this particular style is the most attractive of all the Wellendorff bracelets – at least to me.

An estimate of HK$480,000 – 950,000 (US$60,000-120,000) is quite reasonable for an example of this outstanding reference, which broke new ground for Lange and for the broader category of perpetual calendar wristwatches.

Lot 2581 — Patek Philippe ref. 5204/1R-001 

Lost in its predecessor’s shadow, the ref. 5204 is among the best modern watches from Patek Philippe. Unlike the Lemania-based movement in the ref. 5004, the cal. 29-535 PS Q inside the ref. 5204 was built from the ground up to be a perpetual calendar split-seconds chronograph, making it more polished and reliable than the ref. 5004 – at least according to its maker.

Despite the reverence the rattrapante enjoys today as a high complication, it can be made in a way that is quite simple mechanically and amenable to mass production. However, Patek Philippe’s rattrapantes are another matter entirely. In most rattrapantes, balance amplitude decreases when the hands are split. Patek Philippe’s, however, uses a sophisticated isolator system, which completely negates this issue.

Unlike the ref. 5004, Patek Philippe offered the ref. 5204 on a bracelet as a regular production model, though only in rose gold, only for a few years, and only for the brand’s preferred clients. The bracelet suits the watch, which takes inspiration from the famed ref. 2499 with a concave bezel and fluted lugs.

The market has yet to fully recognise the substantive quality of the ref. 5204, so the estimate is just HK$1.2 – 2.4 million (US$150,000-300,000), well below any of the (many) ref. 5004s in the catalogue.

Lot 2560 — Patek Philippe ref. 5131/1P-001 World Time with Cloisonné Enamel Dial

Patek Philippe was once in the habit of seeing off aging models with a platinum iteration prior to replacement, the most famous examples being the ref. 5070 and 5170. The ref. 5131 was in production for twelve years, and the platinum swan-song iteration was introduced three years before its discontinuation.

Each cloisonné enamel dial is unique, as hand made things tend to be. The yellow gold iteration, launched in 2008, depicts the world centred on the Atlantic Ocean, depicting the Americas, Europe and Africa. The white gold model pans east, revealing east Asia but losing the Americas, while the rose gold model focuses on the Pacific Ocean.

Finally the platinum model centres on the North Pole. The limited production of cloisonné enamel dials meant the ref. 5131 had a wait list even during the days when you could still negotiate a discount on a new Rolex.

That is reflected in the rather high estimate of HK$900,000-1.8 million (US$100,000 – 200,000)

Lot 2359 — Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars ref. 25885BC Grande Sonnerie Répétition Minutes Carillon

At Baselworld 1994, Audemars Piguet launched the first-ever purpose-built grande sonnerie wristwatch. While grande sonnerie movements small enough to fit inside a 39 mm case have existed since the late 1800s (for use in ladies’ pocket watches) Audemars Piguet was the first brand to commercialise a blank sheet design for a modern wristwatch.

While impressive, the first generation suffered from two limitations: the grande sonnerie had a mere 10-hour power reserve, and it could only repeat the time to the quarter. With the next generation, to which this watch belongs, Audemars Piguet managed to add a minute repeater and a third hammer and gong, while simultaneously extending the power reserve to 22 hours in grande sonnerie mode.

And this particular example is better still, as it comes on a rarely seen bracelet reserved for the Grande Sonnerie and Grande Complication. It was likely a one-off for an important client, as it is numbered “1” on the solid case back. It also comes with a resonance box, which is arguably more useful and less gimmicky paired with a self-striking watch than it is with a minute repeater.

The estimate is HK$600,000 – 1.2 million (US$80,000-160,000).

Lot 2423 – Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 “Paul Newman” Yellow Gold

Last is a complicated watch isn’t currently on a bracelet, but probably will be soon. As the lot essay points out, the yellow gold ref. 6239 “was always presented on a strap rather than a gold bracelet” – though Rolex also sold gold bracelets with the 6239-specific type 71 end links. However, bracelets with the more common type 57 end links fit too, and as a result most gold ref. 6239s have found their way onto bracelets. And there isn’t any reason not to do so, since it doesn’t affect the originality of the watch.

The exotic “Paul Newman” dial needs no introduction; these slivers of printed brass have become cult favourites among Rolex collectors. And while many Paul Newman Daytonas have passed through auction houses numerous times, this example is fresh to the auction block. Exotic dial Daytonas are not all that rare, but this configuration certainly is. Gold only accounts for some 2% of the ref. 6239 production, and not all of them featured exotic dials.

Unsurprisingly, this Paul Newman Daytona carries a strong estimate of HK$4-8 million (US$500,000-1 million)

Preview and auction

The sale and preview exhibition will take place at The Henderson on Murray Road in Hong Kong.

Preview

Open Daily from November 22-25: 10:30 am – 5:30 pm

Auction

(All times are local to Hong Kong, GMT+8.)

The Henderson
6th Floor
2 Murray Road, Central, Hong Kong

For the full catalogue, visit Christies.com.

This was brought to you in partnership with Christie’s.

One of Tudor’s most affordable models equipped with an in-house movement (the base model costs under CHF3,000), the Ranger is functional watch with a design based on the 1960s model of the same name.

Originally available only with a 39 mm case and black dial, the Ranger is now also available in a 36 mm that’s truer to the vintage original.

Also new is the unusual “dune white” dial. The pale dial with black markings is a subtle reference to historical sports models with similar dials often nicknamed “albino” by collectors.

Initial thoughts

The larger Ranger was facelifted in 2022, and though good value, it was a little chunky for the style. And the black dial was traditional, but also a bit plain. The smaller size and beige dial add a bit more vintage flair to the model, which should resonate in particular for those who appreciate such things.

The tweaks to the model won’t likely make it a watch with mainstream appeal like the Black Bay, but the Ranger remains a strong proposition at its price.

An explorer’s watch

The vintage Ranger was Tudor’s equivalent of the Rolex Explorer, and hence shares a similar design. This style has been ported over onto the modern remake.

The new “dune white” retains the same style, but with adjustments for the colour. So the hour markers are printed in black, with the luminous markers being dots on the edge of the dial instead.

The rest of the watch remains unchanged, except for the size. The steel case is entirely brushed, while the crystal is slightly domed.

The larger, 39 mm size continues in the collection, though it is now available in “dune white” as well.

The smaller size is essentially identical, though scaled down. It has a necessarily smaller movement, though performance is not compromised as the calibres in both the large and small models are part of the same family (basically the same movement in different sizes).

Both movements have a 70 hour power reserve, COSC certification, and a silicon hairspring, putting the Ranger amongst the highest-spec watches in its price range.

Key facts and price

Tudor Ranger
Ref. 79950 (39 mm)
Ref. 79930 (36 mm)

Diameter: 39 mm or 36 mm
Height: 12 mm or 11 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: MT5402 or MT5400
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 70 hours

Strap: Steel bracelet, or fabric strap

Availability: Now at Tudor retailers
Price: CHF2,875 for 36 mm on strap, rising to CHF3,275 for 39 mm on bracelet

For more, visit Tudorwatch.com.