The sound and shape of time: why mechanical watches are wearable art

So much so that, while perpetual calendars, tourbillons and even rattrapante chronographs can be made on a large scale, the creation, assembly and fine-tuning of a full sonnerie or repeater watch remains painstaking. It demands not only a keen eye and steady hand, but also a trained ear. A telling example of the high standards demanded for minute repeaters is Patek Philippe. The company, from its mechanical watches workshops in the Vallée de Joux to its executives in Geneva, maintains that every minute repeater is personally inspected, tuned and adjusted by its president, Thierry Stern. Whether one believes the story or not does little to change the fact that the most revered of the Holy Trinity has consistently offered a rich repertoire of chiming watches, from simple to complex. The prestigious Grandmaster Chime, in particular, has become a coveted emblem for those enchanted by the music that marks every fleeting moment.

But when it comes to the musical world of mechanical marvels, we are not confined to the chiming function alone. In fact, there is more than one type of chime to discover, and an even wider range of tones to enjoy. There is the Westminster chime of four gongs and four hammers that echoes the sound of Big Ben; the cathedral chime, defined by elongated gongs that resonate like those of a church; and the carillon, the collective name for any gong-and-hammer mechanism with more than two gongs, which allows for more intricate melodies. The materials might be steel, gold or crystal, and the resonance can range from a soft vibration felt on the wrist to a sound strong enough to be heard 50 metres away, as in Patek Philippe’s “Advanced Research” Fortissimo Ref. 5750P.

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The creativity of artisans has gone further than using sound merely to mark the time, bringing instead actual music to the wrists of collectors. That is how Jacob & Co. redefined the watch, weaving the melody of the classic film The Godfather into the Opera of the same name, or, in another version, the tune “Bolivia” from the legendary film Scarface. Though the performance lasts only 30 seconds, the watch is transformed into a living concert, turning the simple act of wearing it each day into a private recital.

To be frank, I have not often met collectors who own more than a handful of chiming watches, partly because of the price, the long waits, and the level of investment needed to secure such rare creations, and also because not many pursue this path as part of their everyday lives. Yet I frequently encounter a passion for art expressed in another way: watches that embody rare crafts, unique works filled with personality and singular beauty.

Just last year I met a Vietnamese collector who owned three watches from Patek Philippe’s “Rare Handcraft” collection – not to mention exceptional handcraft pieces from other maisons. If chiming watches are like an orchestra, with the artist concealed deep within the movement, then this represents another world: a museum of wearable art where uniqueness and supreme skill are displayed in full view, gloriously presented to the world.

Unlike chiming watches, whose stories can be traced back through history to the sounds that once marked the passage of time, the narrative of decorative crafts belongs to a broader heritage. Every engraving, line, or stroke of colour reflects a journey handed down through generations. Whether known as Rare Handcrafts or Métiers d’Art, engraving, enamelling, guilloché, wood micromarquetry and gem-setting are the crystallisation of centuries of artistry across cultures, shaped by exchanges and separations, and preserved through the mastery of only a few highly skilled artisans. Names such as Yamada Heiando with urushi lacquer, or Anita Porchet with her miniature enamelling, have become guarantees of excellence, whatever maison their creations may grace.

If I mentioned earlier that chiming and tonal variations were plentiful, I must apologise. For anyone venturing into the variations of the five rare craft families, only a very free spirit could find the time. Engraving alone encompasses dozens of techniques, each requiring specialised tools and a long, demanding process of mastery. Look closely at the Métiers d’Art masterpieces of different maisons and you will notice they often employ just a handful of variations. After all, who could ever gather enough artisans in one place to practise them all?

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And this is before mentioning the endless possibilities of combining techniques: from the “simple” touches like Piaget’s Palace Décor bracelets, Vacheron Constantin’s “snow setting” for diamond-studded jewellery watches, or the miniature enamel and cloisonné beloved by Patek Philippe in its annual collection… to more extraordinary creations such as the flower gardens blossoming on the dials of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Lady Arpels, or the sinuous serpent on Louis Vuitton’s Escale Cabinet of Wonders Snake’s Jungle. Each combination opens up infinite possibilities. Because every piece is shaped by rare artisans, each watch, exquisite and singular, becomes unique, impossible to replicate in a lifetime.

In truth, it is not only sound or imagery that create the harmony of watchmaking. Over time, every detail of these time machines has been entrusted with meaning. In an era when smartphones dominate and AI provides instant answers, what could be more romantic than a moon-phase complication on the wrist? And when every detail of a movement can be studied online, why else would one be drawn to admire the mechanical skeleton of a watch other than for pure delight?

Would you rather have the chime of bells wake you in the morning, or a miniature enamel smaller than the back of a JLC Reverso finer than any Van Gogh exhibition projected onto vast walls? To wear a mechanical watch is already to embrace an art form. Each owner has chosen for themselves the highest luxury: the satisfaction of possessing a hand-crafted, refined and deeply personal masterpiece.

In a world where technology can count every millisecond and artificial intelligence can reproduce any image or sound, mechanical chiming watches and rare artisanal creations remind us that sophistication is not always digital. A chime born of a mechanical movement, or a dial painted by hand over hundreds of hours, represents the highest spirit of craftsmanship, the love of refinement and, above all, the preservation of timeless values.

Not everyone needs a chiming watch. Not everyone has the patience to appreciate an enamel miniature that takes half a year to complete. But for those who have once heard the music of a mechanical heart, or studied a dial like a living painting beneath a loupe, the moment is more than an experience; it is a profound encounter with art.

The article was originally published in the August 2025 issue of Tatler Vietnam.

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