Audemars Piguet Supersonnerie and Grande Complication: Minute Repeaters Explained

Last reviewed on October 19, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Specifications are from audemarspiguet.com; Bizak prices are that day's asks, not quotes. Bizak & Co. is independent of Audemars Piguet. Sources: Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak collection page and its Hi-Care Programme page, which sets out the warranty and service terms that apply to a chiming Royal Oak.

AP's Supersonnerie watches at a glance

AP's site lists five model lines with the technology, all rated to 20 m.

AP labels the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie 26577TI RD#1; it went on sale in 2016 in limited production, and the later 26577IO adds a black ceramic bezel (both are in the Royal Oak Concept collection). The Code 11.59, revealed in 2019, puts the Calibre 2953 in a round case; the Code 11.59 collection lists our 26395, 26397 and Universelle references.

Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie 26591: every version

Every current 26591 has AP's 42 mm case, 14 mm thick, and the Calibre 2953: 362 parts, 32 jewels, 3 Hz and 72 hours of power reserve. AP first made a handful of limited editions; the smoked grey titanium 26591TI.OO.1252TI.03 joined the boutique range in 2021 at CHF 324,500 before tax, as reported at its launch, and black ceramic followed in 2023.

“Earlier” rows are no longer on AP's site; their details come from our listings.

How the Supersonnerie works

A minute repeater plays the time on demand: low notes for the hours, both notes for each quarter and high notes for the minutes, 720 sequences in all by AP's count. In a wristwatch the challenge is volume: conventionally the gongs are fixed to the movement's plate, where the sound is absorbed.

AP worked on it for eight years with EPFL in Lausanne and musicians, presented the RD#1 prototype in 2015 and sold the first Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie in 2016. The patents cover three parts:

• The gongs are fixed to a separate soundboard instead of the mainplate; AP compares it to the body of a guitar, which amplifies the vibration instead of absorbing it.
• The case is a new construction that avoids absorbing the sound; newer Code 11.59 references name a “Supersonnerie soundboard caseback”, and the Universelle hangs its gongs on a 0.6 mm sapphire membrane.
• The striking regulator has a more flexible anchor that removes unwanted noise, and AP says the system gives a sharper tempo.

So a Supersonnerie is not a sonnerie: the 26577, 26591 and 26395 chime only on demand, and only the 26397 and the Universelle strike the hours and quarters by themselves.

Code 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie

Calibre 2956 (498 parts, 48 hours) adds the bell-tower function: in grande sonnerie mode it strikes the hours every hour and the hours and quarters every quarter. A second crown selects petite sonnerie (hours only) or silence, and a pusher at 10 o'clock repeats the time on demand. “Carillon” means three gongs and hammers instead of two, so each quarter sounds as three notes: high, middle and low. AP says only a handful of its watchmakers can assemble and adjust a grande sonnerie.

The first versions had enamel dials by Anita Porchet. In February 2023 AP added sapphire-dial versions with a black ceramic case middle in pink (26397NR), yellow (26397QA) and white gold (26397NB); Bizak asks start at $406,277. For its 150th anniversary AP made five unique pieces, including the harlequin opal 26397OR.OO.D417CR.01 and the platinum and white gold 26397PN.OO.D008KB.01 ($499,999); a unique piece changes hands only when its owner sells. AP names some later references, such as the sand gold 26397QS.OO.D002KB.02 ($849,999), simply Grande Sonnerie Supersonnerie.

Audemars Piguet Grande Complication

By AP's definition, a Grande Complication combines a minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and a perpetual calendar. Its first Grande Complication wristwatch came in 1996 in a Jules Audemars case, the Royal Oak version in 1997. One watchmaker assembles each watch over up to eight months, and AP makes about eight a year. Current references use the selfwinding Calibre 2885 (648 parts, 45 hours) with a week display; AP lists a minute repeater, not a Supersonnerie.

Round-cased versions are in the Jules Audemars collection, alongside AP's classical chiming watches: the openworked Jules Audemars Minute Repeater with jumping hours 26356PT ($378,799) and the 39 mm platinum Grande Sonnerie Carillon 26344PT. The 47 mm Millenary Minute Repeater 26371OR ($419,799) is in the Millenary collection.

Before you buy a chiming Audemars Piguet

• Hear it. Ask for a video of the repeater at a stated time; 12:59 plays the longest sequence, 12 hours, three quarters and 14 minutes.
• Match the full reference. 26591CE.OO.D002CA.01 has white gold markers and .02 baguette diamonds; each 26397 suffix is a different metal or dial, several of them unique.
• Check the warranty date. AP's five-year warranty covers watches bought through its authorised network from January 1, 2017.
• Ask about service. Repeaters and sonneries need specialist servicing; ask when and where it was last done and see the record.

Quick answers

What is the Audemars Piguet Supersonnerie?

AP's patented chiming technology, presented in 2015: the gongs sit on a soundboard instead of the mainplate and the striking regulator is redesigned, so the repeater sounds louder and clearer. AP uses it in the Royal Oak Concept, Royal Oak and Code 11.59.

Is the Supersonnerie a grande sonnerie?

No, the name describes the acoustics. The Royal Oak 26591, Royal Oak Concept 26577 and Code 11.59 26395 are minute repeaters that chime on demand; only the Code 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie 26397 and the Universelle also strike the hours and quarters by themselves.

How much is the Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie?

The titanium 26591TI.OO.1252TI.03 launched in 2021 at CHF 324,500 before tax, as reported at launch. On October 19, 2026 Bizak asks ran from $237,149 for it to $437,750 for the black ceramic 26591CE.OO.D002CA.02 with baguette diamonds.

What movement is in the Royal Oak Supersonnerie?

The hand-wound Calibre 2953, with 362 parts and a 72-hour power reserve, also used in the Code 11.59 26395. The Royal Oak case is 42 mm wide, 14 mm thick and water-resistant to 20 m.

What makes an Audemars Piguet a Grande Complication?

A minute repeater, a split-seconds chronograph and a perpetual calendar in one watch. One watchmaker assembles each over up to eight months and AP makes about eight a year; the current Royal Oak Grande Complication 26605 uses the 648-part Calibre 2885.

How much is an Audemars Piguet Grande Complication?

On October 19, 2026 Bizak asks started at $576,879 for the Tradition 26567TI and $836,999 for the black ceramic Royal Oak Offshore 26582CE; the current Royal Oak Grande Complication 26605 started at $1,425,999 in white ceramic.

Related reading: AP complications: Royal Oak vs Jules Audemars · Code 11.59 guide · AP tourbillons · Patek Philippe complications.