Audemars Piguet Grande Sonnerie Carillon 25936BA

Audemars Piguet Grande Minute Repeater Carillon, Service Papers
Serial: E28790 / mvt 456616
Circa: 2001
Reference: 25936BA

DIAL: Silver guilloché dial with gold applied markers

CASE: 39mm, 18K yellow gold, pusher for repeater, slide for Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie and Silent modes, sapphire caseback

MOVEMENT: Caliber 2890, manual wind, twin barrel with differential winding, minute repeater with carillon on three gongs, Grande Sonnerie and Petite Sonnerie, 55 jewels

BRACELET: Black alligator strap with 18K AP yellow gold filing buckle

CONDITION REPORT: Excellent overall condition. Movement fully overhauled by Audemars Piguet in November 2023.

NOTES: The Grande Sonnerie is among the most complex forms of chiming watchmaking. Unlike a conventional minute repeater, which strikes the time only on demand, a Grande Sonnerie can also chime automatically as time passes. In Grande Sonnerie mode, the watch strikes the hours and quarters every fifteen minutes, similar to a tower clock. In Petite Sonnerie mode, it strikes only the full hours, while Silent mode disengages the chiming mechanism entirely.
The present Audemars Piguet reference 25936BA is fitted with the calibre 2890 “Grande Sonnerie Carillon” minute repeater, incorporating a three-gong carillon striking system. Produced between 1997 and 1999, the reference was manufactured in only 13 examples across all metals, including five in yellow gold.
The calibre 2890 itself was produced in just 48 examples and represented a significant technical achievement for wristwatch horology. Integrating Grande and Petite Sonnerie functions with a minute repeater and three-gong carillon mechanism in a wristwatch format had long been considered impractical due to the complexity and space required. Audemars Piguet developed the system during the mid-1990s, resulting in one of the most sophisticated chiming wristwatch calibres of its era.