Our official time partner Vacheron Constantin recently visited Studio Two for a unique, one-of-a-kind project that involved capturing the sound of their latest chiming wristwatches.
Recording Les Cabinotiers Chiming Wristwatches in Studio Two
Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers timepieces are considered by many to be the pinnacle of fine watchmaking, and the chiming mechanism is one of the most complex of all watch functions that only a small group of watchmakers are capable of creating.
To celebrate and capture the sound of La Musique du Temps, an assortment of one-of-a-kind models created within the Les Cabinotiers collection as a tribute to the musical arts, Vacheron Constantin headed to Abbey Road for a one-of-a-kind recording session in Studio Two.
Studio Two, perhaps the most famous studio in the world, has seen some of the biggest milestones in the recording industry: from the first ever stereo recording in 1935 to the pioneering quadrophonic recording of The Dark Side of The Moon. Because of the room's rich history in music technology, it was the perfect fit to showcase Vacheron's shared passion for craftsmanship and innovation.
Abbey Road senior recording engineer Andrew Dudman was in charge of recording the piece and told us: “Our priority was to ensure we captured the sound of the timepieces, rather than the room and surroundings, so it was essential that we created the quietest possible recording environment and Studio Two was the perfect choice.”
“The main challenge was isolating the chime from any extraneous noises, so we used highly sensitive microphones with high signal to noise ratio. You can hear every detail, including breathing, so Vacheron Constantin’s watchmaker had to hold his breath after he had triggered the chime on every take. We had a microphone on the watch itself to capture the high frequency direct noise, super low-noise DPA mics to capture all the detail, and we also experimented with a variety of vintage mics. So, it really was a case of trying various options and seeing which ones worked best.”
For now, the recordings will be archived, but Andrew says that this may not be the last we hear of them: “Given the tonality of the chimes, it would be great to one day see them incorporated into a piece of new music in some way, and that is something we are keen to explore further in the future.”
The partnership with Abbey Road Studios and Vacheron Constantin was announced last year with the international launch of the exclusive Fiftysix® collection at Abbey Road, featuring a unique performance by artist Benjamin Clementine, who premiered his specially recorded time-inspired composition ‘Eternity’ at the event.
