Boegli Grand Opera: Chiming the World’s Most Famous Pieces of Classical Music

By Montredo in Lifestyle
April 26, 2021
Boegli Grand Opera: Chiming the World’s Most Famous Pieces of Classical Music

If you recall our article How A Young Swiss Company Managed To Revive An Almost Lost Art, you will already be familiar with the young watch brand Boegli. Ever since it was founded in 2000, the Swiss newcomer has made it its mission to keep the century-old tradition of musical watches alive.

Particularly interesting is the brand’s flagship collection, which is named Grand Opera and pays tribute to some of the greatest composers to have ever lived – from Verdi to Chopin and Beethoven. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of this collection.

For audiophiles and mechanic enthusiasts alike

Already at the first glance, the division of the dial makes it clear to the viewer (or wearer) that the musical aspect is given the same relevance as the horological aspect. The sub-dial at 9 o’clock is therefore almost equally sized as the musical movement’s aperture on the right-hand side, signifying their equal importance both functionally and aesthetically.

The watches of the Grand Opera collection all follow the same structure: The 47mm case features two crowns and a pusher, which is all you need to precisely control the watch’s functions. The crown at 3 o’clock is dedicated to the musical movement and used to wind the mechanism. Once enough energy has been stored, the pusher in the 5 o’clock position can be used to start the cylinder. Moving our focus to the left-hand side of the watch, the crown at 9 o’clock controls the time display as well as the date, both aspects that the off-centered dial combines nicely.

From a technical point of view, this in-house development was realized by the automatic caliber ETA 2671, which was of course completely redesigned by Boegli’s watchmakers in Biel. Due to the additional level of complication, the case measures a height of 14.80mm, which is still flatter than most chronographs out there, but potentially too high to make it pass as a dress watch.

Boegli's Grand Opera Collection
Note the subtle guilloche dial.

The greatest music classics on your own wrist

Upon activating the pusher, a melody of your choice will chime for precisely 60 seconds. This is realized via a rotating cylinder, which strikes 17 different comb tines. The result is a captivating melody consisting of 54 notes.

The selection includes – and this can be said without exaggeration – five of the world’s most famous pieces of music history. In addition to Chopin (Tristesse), Verdi (Aida) and Vivaldi (The Four Seasons), the Grand Opera musical watches can also play classics such as Beethoven (Für Elise) and Mozart (The Magic Flute). In a sense, the watches thereby pay tribute to two arts at once: that of the age-old tradition of musical watches, or horology in a broader sense, and that of classical music.

Boegli's Grand Opera Collection
The model M909 features elements that are ion plated with yellow gold.

Boegli Watches at Montredo

All Grand Opera watches are made of stainless steel, but on request they can be additionally be ion plated with yellow gold or black ion coated, the choice is yours. Each timepiece comes in a solid wooden gift box, with a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty and a price tag of 3,500 EUR.

As an authorized dealer, all Boegli watches are available directly at Montredo. If you would like to take a look at our large selection of Boegli musical watches, we invite you to do so under the following link.


This is a sponsored article by Montredo for Boegli. 


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