In 1772, Michel-Joseph Ransonnet introduced a musical clock using steel teeth instead of bells — a breakthrough that paved the way for the classical music box.

In 1598, clockmaker Nicolas Vallin introduced a programmable pinned-barrel mechanism that allowed melodies to be changed — a key step toward the creation of the modern music box.

Discover how a 13th-century rotating cylinder with metal pins became the earliest form of mechanical music — the first step toward today’s handcrafted music boxes.