I have several of these and all of them will wake me up, sounds like an old Big Ben. I also have the Shellman and the Citizen Eco Drive repeater. The repeater function is not very loud but have the alarm go off in a meeting and you can hear it just fine. Of these all the Shellman is the loudest, but the Bellmatic rattles as well as rings so it wakes the best. Of course the JLC's are excellent but pricey. The Shellman's repeater function can actually be heard due to some holes in the back that allow the sound out, no, they do not compare to my pocket watch as far as authenticity of the ring, but it isn't bad for quartz and was about 7,000 dollars less.