STRIKING MECHANISMS
At the origins of mechanical horology, clocks did not display the time by one or more hands moving around a dial, but simply struck the full hours or those of a particular event (prayers, Noon cam, etc.). Whether monumental clocks or worn watches, chimes have always been part of the world of horology. Striking watches today fall into three main categories:
Alarms
They strike at a predefined time in order to wake the user or to signal an event that is to take place at that time. Although we make the distinction here, alarms can be considered as passing strikes.
Passing strikes
Like tower clocks, they strike “in passing”, at the very least the full hours, or even the half hours or quarters
On-demand strikes
To know the time without consulting the watch dial (for example at night), the user can operate a slide or a Pusher activating a mechanism that will strike the current time with more or less precision (quarter repeaters, half-quarter repeaters, minute repeaters).
Some mechanisms, such as the Grande sonnerie, combine passing strikes and on-demand strikes. The development, manufacturing, Assembly and Regulation / Adjustment of such mechanisms are among the most complex used in horology.
THE ALARM
Although we treat it distinctly, the Alarm is a type of Passing strike. Because of the energy it requires, it is generally given its own Barrel and its own Train (wheel train). Its operating principle is generally very similar, although many variants are known.
PASSING STRIKE
This type of mechanism strikes the full hours with one or more strokes without indicating the value of the hour. Sometimes, such watches also strike the half-hours in a way distinct from the full hours.
THE MINUTE REPEATER
This is an on-demand striking mechanism allowing the user to have the current time chimed without having to consult the watch’s dial. By activating a slide or a pusher, the watch will strike the hours, the quarters, then the minutes on two gongs (one high-pitched, the other low-pitched). For example, if it is 8:52, the watch will first strike the hours, meaning 8 strokes on the low gong (8X dong), then the following quarters on two gongs (i.e. 3X ding-dong for 8:45), and finally the minutes following the quarter on the high-pitched gong (i.e. 7X ding for 7 minutes after 8:45, meaning 8:52).
THE PETITE SONNERIE
This is a passing strike mechanism that strikes the value of each hour (e.g.: 8 strikes at 8 o’clock) on the full hours, then only the quarters without repeating the hour value.
THE GRANDE SONNERIE
This is a passing strike that sounds at every quarter hour, the hour value and any quarters. For example, at 8:45, the watch will strike 8 times on a low-pitched chime (8X dong), followed by 3 strikes on the low and high-pitched chimes (3X ding-dong).
THE WESTMINSTER CHIME
This type of passing strike owes its name to the chime of the clock of the Palace of Westminster tower (Big Ben). At every quarter hour, such a mechanism strikes a melody variation built on four notes (chimes) whose duration increases (at the 1st quarter, the shortest melody; on the full hours, the longest melody). On the full hours, the hours are struck on a single chime following the chime’s melody.
CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISMS
The striking mechanism, along with the display of time, constitutes one of the two fundamental functions of the mechanical clock. From the appearance of the first foliot movements in the Middle Ages, horologists sought to make the hour heard by means of a chime or a bell, thus complementing the visual reading of the Dial with an audible signal. This function met an obvious practical need before the widespread use of artificial lighting: it made it possible to know the time at night from a distance, without having to consult the dial.
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