Unveiled during the Watches and Wonders 2022 luxury watch event, the new interpretations of the Grande Complication Calibre 945 highlight Jaeger-LeCoultre’s enduring expertise in celestial complications.
The new masterpieces from this series are the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia in pink gold and the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Atomium in white gold. These new works celebrate La Grande Maison’s artistic creativity and mastery of the decorative crafts while reaffirming its technical ingenuity. Each model is offered in a limited edition of five pieces.
Having fully mastered sidereal time – the measurement used by astronomers to track the apparent movement of the constellations across the night sky – the JLC watchmakers are able to create one-of-a-kind calibres that reproduce these astronomical events on the wrist, bringing complications together in fascinating new ways.
Originally created in 2010, Calibre 945 unites a sky chart with a celestial vault, a zodiacal calendar and a minute repeater, and is further elevated by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Cosmotourbillon – a celestial flying tourbillon.
The new “Atomium” and “Galaxia” dials showcase the skills of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® atelier, introducing grisaille enamel to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s repertoire of rare artistic crafts for the first time.
A Cosmotourbillon makes a complete circuit of the dial in one sidereal day, and a Northern Hemisphere sky vault tracks the positions of the constellations in real time, as seen from the Vallée de Joux. The exquisite chimes of a minute repeater complement the celestial timekeeping.
Highlighting the astronomical aspect of time measurement, the watchmakers developed a mechanism able to display the passing of sidereal time, based on the stars. Set at the centre of the dial, the celestial vault maps the Northern Hemisphere night sky as seen from the 46th parallel – the latitude of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s home in the Vallée de Joux – tracking the position of the constellations in real time.
Enhancing this celestial display, the Cosmotourbillon is elevated beyond its purely technical function as a regulating mechanism, measuring the passing of time as it makes a complete, anti-clockwise circuit of the dial in one sidereal day.
With a duration of precisely 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds, a sidereal day is defined by Earth’s rotation measured in relation to more distant fixed stars, whereas the 24-hour solar day – our civil time – is measured by Earth’s orbit around the Sun.
A golden sun-shaped pointer set at the edge of the dial indicates the month of the zodiacal calendar and solar time on a 24-hour scale, which is necessary for setting the watch. The Dauphine-shaped hands indicate the minutes and 12-hour cycles of civil time, which are displayed on two concentric rings on the flange of the dial.
An exceptional movement merits an exceptional habillage and the new Master Hybris Artistica Galaxia and Master Hybris Artistica Atomium bring fresh artistic expression to this marriage of complications.
Hand-decorated by the artisans in the Métiers Rares® atelier of the Manufacture, the multiple-level dial amplifies the beauty of the celestial theme while also showcasing the Cosmotourbillon.
For the star map, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces grisaille enamel to its repertoire for the first time. A painterly technique that originated in 16th-century France, grisaille enamel is unique in creating a chiaroscuro effect, with an illusion of three-dimensionality created by half-tones and shading.
First, the enameller must perfect the dark background – traditionally blue or black – building the depth and intensity of colour by applying multiple layers, each of which requires firing. Then, using a super-fine brush, the image is added in white enamel, layer by painstaking layer, again with a firing after each stage.
Because thicker enamel creates lighter areas, its application must be controlled with the utmost skill to achieve the ethereal beauty and apparent depth that make grisaille so beguiling. Thanks to this rarefied technique, the dials of the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 depict with utmost artistry the sky that we see above us at night.
In a subtle allusion to the way the night sky seems to form a dome above us when we look at the stars, the dials are constructed on multiple levels, dominated by a domed structure that also wraps around the Cosmotourbillon.
Visible around the edge of the dome and beneath the tourbillon, the deepest level of the dial is a midnight blue or black disc (for the white gold and pink gold cases, respectively) decorated with translucent lacquer over opaline, with transferred white inscriptions for the names of the months, and the tourbillon seconds.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Complication Calibre 945 Galaxia
The dome is formed of two sections. On the black dial of the “Galaxia”, both the outer section of the dome and the inner celestial disc are made of gold, with grisaille enamel depicting the planets, and the star map and names of the constellations transferred over the enamel.
The “Atomium” takes its name from the delicate filigree of silvered metal that forms the outer section of the dome, its shape echoing the lines that link the stars to form constellations. Framed within this, on the domed celestial disc, midnight-blue grisaille enamel and a transferred star map amplify the visual connection to the cosmos.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Complication Calibre 945 Atomium
The dials of the “Galaxia” and “Atomium” are encircled by three concentric rings that carry the indices for solar time. The inner ring, for 24 hours, and outer ring, displaying minutes, are finished in opaline; between them, the hour ring is decorated with enamel over a hand-guilloché base, with applied indexes.
The Master Grande Tradition case is a perfect complement to the artistic dials and mechanical sophistication of these sumptuous pieces. Comprising more than 80 parts, its convex bezel is complemented by broad bevels on the lugs; the hollowed-out sides of the lugs add dynamic tension, while the repeater slide is tapered to harmonise with the curving case sides. Different surfaces are microblasted, polished and satin-brushed to maximise the play of light and emphasise the details.
This exceptional timepiece also takes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in chiming watches to new heights by uniting the astronomical complications with a minute repeater.
The technical difficulty of creating minute repeater lies in the complexity of the mechanism needed to transcribe the precise time shown by the hands into a series of perfectly programmed strikes, with different sounds for hours, quarters and minutes.
The artistic challenge is that, this being a miniaturised musical instrument, the chimes must be pure, harmonious and clearly audible. At Jaeger-LeCoultre, this continuing quest for the ideal sound has produced several patented innovations, including crystal gongs, trebuchet hammers and a silent governor.
In the minute repeater mechanism of Calibre 945, these inventions contribute a special magic that complements the romance of celestial timekeeping.
Case
Pink gold or white gold with micro-blasted, satin and polished finishes
Dimensions: 45mm x 16.05mm
Sapphire case-back
Water resistance: 5 bar
Movement
Manual mechanical Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 945
Frequency: 28,800
Power reserve: 40 hours
Functions
Hours/minutes, months, 24-hour indication; Cosmotourbillon indicating sidereal time; celestial disc with star chart indicating the constellations in the northern hemisphere in real time; minute repeater, zodiacal calendar
Dial
Black dial with grisaille enamel (in pink gold case) or blue dial with silvered laser-welded structure (in white gold case)
Patek Philippe has launched a high-jewellery version of the Ref. 5374 Grand Complication with minute repeater and perpetual calendar. The platinum case and bezel of the new Patek Philippe 5374/300P-001 are paved with baguette-cut diamonds.
This new reference comes with a stunning the blue-lacquered dial. The flange is set with baguette-cut diamond minute markers and baguette-cut blue sapphire hour markers.
The Patek Philippe 5374/300P-001 Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar is equipped with the self-winding caliber R 27 Q. Its Minute repeater mechanism with “cathedral” gongs emits a deep, rich sound.
The watch is adorned with a total of 228 baguette-cut diamonds (11.62 cts) and 13 baguette-cut sapphires (0.72 ct).
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5374/300P-001
Movement
Self-winding mechanical movement
Caliber R 27 Q
Functions
Minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs
Perpetual calendar
Day, date, month, leap year and 24-hour indication by hands
Moon phases
Case
Platinum case
Interchangeable solid and sapphire crystal case backs
Humidity- and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 12.28 mm
Dial
Blue-lacquered, black-gradient rim
Sapphire hour markers and diamond minute markers
18K gold dial plate
Bracelet
Alligator leather with square scales, hand-stitched, shiny dusk blue
Diamond-set fold-over clasp
Gem-setting
Bezel and flange: 120 diamonds (7.1 ct)
Flange hour-markers: 13 sapphires (0.72 ct)
Case-band and slide: 86 diamonds (3.5 ct)
Clasp: 22 diamonds (1.02 ct)
Total of 228 baguette-cut diamonds (11.62 cts) and 13 baguette-cut sapphires (0.72 ct)
Vacheron Constantin has created a unique Les Cabinotiers timepiece endowed with a minute repeater equipped with a centripetal flying strike regulator and a split-seconds monopusher chronograph.
Equipped with the new manual-winding in-house Calibre 2757, this unique Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph is in keeping with the grand tradition of Vacheron Constantin’s complicated watches.
The construction of this calibre, which consists of integrating an additional split-seconds chronograph mechanism into a basic minute repeater movement, represents a technical feat. The combination of these functions with a tourbillon has rarely been seen in the world of pocket watches, is almost non-existent in the world of wristwatches, and represents a first for Vacheron Constantin in a wristwatch.
This timepiece is also distinguished by a concern for the purity of the dial and the legibility of its chronograph functions. The tourbillon is visible only through the case back, while the off-centre display of the time and chronograph indications highlights the two central chronograph hands. The presence of a minute repeater is revealed by the slide-piece positioned on the left-hand side of the watch.
As early as 1819, Vacheron Constantin produced a pocket watch with independent deadbeat seconds and quarter repeater, at the time one of the first of its kind, which is now kept in the private collection of the Maison.
The deadbeat seconds mechanism, which allows the central second hand to advance in one-second jumps, played an important role in the measurement of short times. By making this mechanism independent by means of an additional gear train, watchmakers developed what is considered the ancestor of the chronograph towards the end of the 18th century. With such a device, it is now possible to stop the seconds hand without affecting the time indications.
The split-seconds chronograph was first introduced with a single-hand system in 1831, followed by the two-hand configuration in 1838. Vacheron Constantin quickly integrated these developments into the pocket chronographs of the time, as confirmed by an 1889 split-seconds timepiece dispatched to Buenos Aires for a horse racing enthusiast.
Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers have developed the 698-component manual-winding Calibre 2757. Such a large number of parts denote a rare degree of horological complexity. Even in the world of grand complications, calibres are often of simpler design and made with far fewer components.
Given this intensely technical nature, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers have nonetheless risen to the challenge of elegance by successfully arranging the complications of this timepiece within a remarkably slender movement measuring barely 10.4 mm thick and 33.3 mm in diameter.
Calibre 2757, operating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and endowed with an approximately 60-hour power reserve, enables short time measurement with 1/5th of a second precision appearing on the graduated minute-track. The unusual configuration of the dark grey dial has been designed to ensure optimum visibility of the split-seconds chronograph.
The hours and minutes are displayed on an offset subdial, leaving room for the 30-minute chronograph counter prominently placed at 2 o’clock. The layout is complemented by small seconds at 6 o’clock, indicating that the watch is in operation, thereby leaving plenty of space for the two central chronograph hands.
The very construction of the movement, particularly in terms of its chronographic functions, is based on the imperative of performance. In the watchmaking world, where many great inventions belong to the past, innovation often consists in optimising the operation of a calibre.
This approach begins with the development of the movement and continues with the use of new materials. This same approach is reflected in Calibre 2757, whose additional split-seconds chronograph plate has been specially designed to ensure efficiency thanks to the in-depth arrangement of its components.
This optimisation of volumes, despite the thinness of the calibre, is also accompanied by new materials. Some of the wheels in the going train have been made of titanium or electroformed in nickel- phosphorus with a toothing profile specific to Vacheron Constantin, the goal being to ensure better gear penetration so as to avoid any jerking of the seconds hand. Silicon, an ultra-light material that requires no lubrication, is also used for one of the split-seconds levers and its insulator.
These savings in component weight and friction thus reduce the loss of energy amplitude from the barrel, thereby maintaining a comfortable power reserve of up to 50 hours with the chronograph activated.
For short-time measurements, a function demanding extreme regularity in terms of precision, Vacheron Constantin watchmakers have opted for a construction with two column wheels: the first devoted to the chronograph and the other to the split-seconds mechanism. This chronograph is thus controlled by a single pusher at 2 o’clock for the basic functions (start/stop/reset) and by the one at 4 o’clock for the split-seconds (stop/reset).
Pressing the latter stops the seconds hand on an intermediate time while the first hand continues running. Pressing it again enables the split-seconds hand to join the first seconds hand in counting off time. Two scales further enhance the technical nature of this timepiece.
The tachymeter scale, screen-printed in white on a 1,000-metre base, enables the average speed in km/h to be calculated over the first minute of timekeeping; the telemeter scale in red is used to calculate distances of up to 20 km according to the speed of sound (340 metres/second).
The chronograph functions are complemented by a minute repeater, activated by the lever on the left-hand side of the case. An essential complication for musical watches, the minute repeater has been part of Vacheron Constantin’s watchmaking vocabulary for more than two centuries, sounding the hours, quarters and minutes on demand.
The first known mention of a Vacheron Constantin chiming watch in the production records dates back to 1806, with a gold quarter-repeater pocket watch. Since that date, chiming and repeater watches have been part of the Maison’s heritage that has continued to grow over the decades.
Calibre 2757 is the direct heir to this tradition, benefiting from the technical developments perfected within the Manufacture. These include an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator.
In a minute repeater watch, this mechanism regulates the duration of the musical sequence so that the notes can be heard distinctly and harmoniously. This system is distinguished by its two weights whose very special shape has been optimised to act as a brake by means of centripetal force acting on the governor’s rotating shaft, thereby evening out the energy released by the barrel and regulated by the tourbillon. This original device is also perfectly silent. Visible exclusively through the caseback, the tourbillon is distinguished by a carriage whose shape is inspired by the Maison’s Maltese cross emblem. Held by a delicately hand-chamfered bridge, this regulator carriage performs one complete rotation per minute.
Presented in a 45 mm-diameter 750/1000 5N pink gold case with an exhibition back and on an alligator leather strap with gold folding clasp, this watch represents a technical feat as well as epitomising extraordinary mastery in the field of watchmaking finishing.
A signature feature of Vacheron Constantin watches is that each component is finely decorated with hand-made finishes before being assembled, even when destined to remain hidden. These surfaces that is alternately bevelled, polished, satin-finished, frosted, circular-grained or engraved and beadblasted create a play of light that brings out all the magic of Vacheron Constantin’s calibres and contributes to the brand’s intrinsic anatomy of beauty.
The assembly, setting into operation and casing-up of this Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater split-seconds monopusher chronograph movement thus represents only one third of the time devoted to the watch, as opposed to two thirds devoted to the calibre finishing.
The contrast between the bridges and maintaining plate with Vacheron Constantin’s signature black coating and the “metallic” moving parts already acts as a revelation of this kinetic art, which takes shape thanks to the meticulous attention lavished on details.
On the dial side, the skeletonised bridges, with their hand-chamfered and straight-grained flanks feature a circular satin finish. The wheels, with their chamfered arms, are burnished and polished, a complex operation that requires special tools for the titanium wheels.
On the caseback side of the movement, the watchmaker in charge of the timepiece – who carries out all the assembly and finishing operations right the way through to timing and casing-up in the manner of 18th century cabinotiers – has created an original decoration, in keeping with this remarkable timepiece.
The blackened bridges featured a hollowed-out surface that has been sandblasted to a very fine grain by hand, topped by a mirror-polished sink. This magnificent execution, which plays on the reflections of light between the matt and the shiny, brings out the “musical” components of the movement. The strike governor is notably engraved with the initials J.M.C. in tribute to Jean-Marc Vacheron and features a bar whose delicate rounding off involves 12 hours of meticulous hand craftsmanship. The Tourbillon Bridge is engraved with Vacheron Constantin’s Maltese cross emblem.
The single-piece watch Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph features a concern for impeccable finishing and meticulous decoration of all watch components, even those that remain invisible, vividly illustrating Vacheron Constantin’s theme for 2022:”The Anatomy of Beauty®”.
Technical details
Model: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph
Reference: 9750C/000R-002C
Movement
Calibre 2757
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.30 mm diameter, 10.40 mm thick
Approximately 60 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
698 components
59 jewels
Poinçon de Genève
Functions
Off-centred/Offset hours and minutes
Chronograph
Split-seconds chronograph
Small seconds
30-minute counter
Minute repeater
Tourbillon
Case
18K 5N pink gold
45 mm diameter, 16.4 mm thick
Dial
Dark grey dial
Hours, minutes and seconds hands: 18K 5N pink gold, polished
Chronograph and split-seconds chronograph hands: gold-toned aluminium, matt
Strap
Black Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle 18K 5N pink gold folding clasp, Half Maltese cross-shaped
The single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus combines Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in grand complication watches with its mastery of artistic crafts. This double-sided wristwatch comprises 16 complications, essentially astronomical and calendar-related, powered by Calibre 2755 GC16 with minute repeater and tourbillon. A technical feat housed in an 18K 5N gold case whose middle is sculpted in bas-relief. In tribute to the Roman god of vines and wine, this “Bacchus” watch finds another source of inspiration in Johannes Kepler, resulting in a captivating association between mythology and astronomy.
The 18K 5N pink gold case of this Les Cabinotiers timepiece features a decoration composed of vine leaves interspersed with bunches of ruby grapes. The engraver’s work is complemented by that of the gem-setter on the outside of the case in giving life to figurative motifs, making this watch a piece of fine craftsmanship.
The case decoration continues on the bezel and case-back with a hand engraving depicting vine leaves. The difficulty implied by this intaglio engraving lies in the absence of a border or contour line. Hollowed out across the entire width of the bezel, the garland thus stands alone thanks to the metronomic regularity of the motif. This latter aspect is picked up on the two fastening options – folding clasp and pin buckle.
To create the movement of this highly complicated watch, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers took the Tour de l’Île as a reference, a timepiece presented in 2005 as a tribute to 250 years of watchmaking expertise cultivated by the Geneva-based Manufacture. In the same spirit, the Les Cabinotiers – Bacchus timepiece combines 16 complications, making it one of the most complex watches produced by the Maison. Its manual winding Calibre 2755 GC16 is equipped with a tourbillon regulator to compensate for the effects of the earth’s gravity on the mechanism.
Featuring a cage shaped like Vacheron Constantin’s signature Maltese cross emblem, the tourbillon completes one full rotation per minute, thus serving as a small seconds indicator. This watch also incorporates a minute repeater chiming the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. To avoid unnecessary noise as well as wear and tear on the mechanism, the striking of the gongs is equipped with an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator. This perfectly silent device regulates the duration of the musical sequences so as to obtain clear, distinct and regular sounds.
The calendar and astronomical functions play a starring role on both sides of the watch. On the front, where the mechanical ballet of the tourbillon can be admired at 6 o’clock, the perpetual calendar indications are displayed on three counters. Positioned in the upper part of the dial, they respectively show the date, day and month.
Designed to keep track of the Gregorian calendar’s vagaries without any need for adjustment until 2100, this horological complication is further enhanced by the indication of the leap-year cycle. The latter appears in a small aperture next to the hand indicating the torque of the minute repeater mechanism between 1 and 2 o’clock. This striking mechanism power reserve is matched by an indication of the movement power reserve, which can be read by means of a serpentine pointer coaxial with the day of the week hand.
The complex mechanics of this piece also provide an astronomical reading of time representing a tribute to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), regarded as one of the founders of modern astronomy for having discovered the laws of planetary motion, in perfect agreement with Copernicus’ heliocentric hypotheses. The first astronomical functions thus appear on this same opaline champagne-coloured dial, starting with the equation of time positioned between 10 and 11 o’clock.
As the Earth’s path around the Sun is not circular but elliptical, and since the Earth’s axis is inclined at 24° to the plane of its orbit, the time between two zenith passages of the Sun is not the same throughout the year. This difference between the (true) solar day and the (average) 24-hour civil day ranges from -16 to +14 minutes depending on the time of year and coincides only four times a year. Called the equation of time, or time correction in astronomical language, this differential is displayed by a dedicated pointer, while sunrise and sunset times – adjusted according to a reference city – appear at the bottom of the dial.
The sidereal time display finds its place the back of the watch in the shape of a rotating disc depicting the celestial vault with its constellations observable from the Northern hemisphere. Taking a fixed star in the sky as a reference point, the time required for the Earth to complete a full 360° rotation, or sidereal day, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds.
Since the Earth is both spinning on its axis and revolving around the Sun, it takes about four minutes less than a calendar day to return to its point of origin relative to a given star. On this model, the “celestial” disc thus performs a complete rotation according to sidereal time with the time displayed on the periphery, opposite the date appearing on the periphery of the mobile disc.
This same date is read off by a large central hand moving over the fixed outer flange bearing a scale graduated in five-day increments. This hand also indicates the sign of the zodiac, the season and the four dates corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes. Finally, the small central hand indicates the age of the moon.
Comprising 839 parts and measuring a total 33.90 mm in diameter and 12.15 mm thick, this extremely complex movement is endowed with a 58-hour power reserve. It displays all its functions in a perfectly legible manner on both sides. The balance oscillates at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz).
The 47 mm-diameter 18K 5N pink gold case has been specifically designed to provide the best possible sound quality for the minute repeater.
Technical details
Model: Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus
Reference 9700C/000R-B755
Movement
Caliber 2755 GC16
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.90 mm diameter, 12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
839 components
42 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Front side: Hours, minutes, small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage – Minute repeater – Tourbillon – Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year) – Power reserve indication – Equation of time – Sunrise time – Sunset time – Alarm torque indication
Back side: Sky chart – Age and phases of the moon – Sidereal hours and minutes – Seasons, zodiac signs
Crowns and pushers
Setting Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case
Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece
Case
18K 5N pink gold with bezel and back side hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and case band hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and gem-set with 113 rubies for a total weight of approximately 1.84 cts representing bunch of grapes
47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick
Strap
Dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle: 18K 5N pink gold folding clasp and buckle hand-engraved with a “vine leaves” pattern; Half Maltese cross-shaped
Box
Les Cabinotiers Prestige box
Accessories
Delivered with a corrector pen and a magnifying glass
A winder box
Edition
Single-piece edition
« Les Cabinotiers », « Pièce unique », « AC » hallmark engraved on caseback
Unveiled during the Patek Philippe “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibition, this grand complication watch with minute repeater and perpetual calendar features a white-gold case with a blue grand feu enamel dial. This new model replaces the Ref. 5374P-001 in platinum with a black grand feu enamel dial.
The Ref. 5374 with a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar was introduced in 2016 in a platinum version with a black grand feu enamel dial. Now, Patek Philippe is offering a new edition in white gold with a blue grand feu enamel dial.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The case shape shows the subtle and harmonious interplay of rounds and cambers. The bezel has a concave profile. The same finesse is encountered in the manually satin-finished recesses in the case flank. They contrast beautifully against the polished case segments and against the cabochons that decorate the ends of the lugs.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The blue grand feu enamel dial is high-gloss finished, and features applied white-gold Breguet numerals. The displays of the perpetual calendar – day, date, month, and leap year cycle – are placed on slightly enlarged subsidiary dials, complemented with a 24-hour display. The leaf-shaped hands in white gold are filled with a luminous coating for excellent legibility. The moon-phase aperture is executed with the champlevé technique and framed in white gold.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
This grand complication timepiece houses the self-winding caliber R 27 Q. The minute repeater mechanism strikes on two cathedral gongs, and their extended length of nearly twice the circumference of the movement produces a full, reverberant sound.
The shiny dusk blue alligator strap is secured with a white-gold fold-over clasp. The scope of delivery includes a sapphire-crystal case back and an interchangeable solid back.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Minute Repeater with a Perpetual Calendar, Ref. 5374G-001
Movement
Self-winding mechanical movement
Caliber R 27 Q
Diameter: 28 mm
Height: 6.9 mm
Parts: 467
Bridges: 12
Jewels: 39
Power reserve: min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
Minirotor in 22K gold, unidirectional winding
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Spiromax®
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs
Perpetual calendar
Day, date, month, leap year and 24-hour indication by hands
Moon phases
Case
White gold
Interchangeable full back and sapphire-crystal case back
Case is humidity and dust protected only (not water resistant)
Case diameter: 42 mm
Height: 12.2 mm
Strap
Alligator leather with scare scales, hand-stitched, shiny dusk blue
Fold-over clasp
About Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibitionin June 2021, Patek Philippe launched six exceptional wristwatches featuring artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonné enamel, grand feu champlevé enamel, grand feu flinqué enamel, manual guilloching and gemsetting.
Adorned with 80 baguette diamonds, this new rose-gold version of the Patek Philippe Minute Repeater and Retrograde Perpetual Calendar watch belongs to the Geneva Maison’s “Rare Handcrafts” series. This new grand complication watch features a transparent sapphire crystal dial, allowing the wearer to admire the movement from the front side of the watch.
The first Patek Philippe grand complication with a transparent sapphire-crystal dial was launched as the Ref. 5104 in 2006; it had a platinum case with rose-gold intarsias. From 2014 to 2018, it was followed by the Ref. 5304 in rose gold with white-gold intarsias.
Now, Patek Philippe has released a new haute joaillerie version in rose gold. Its bezel, lugs, and fold-over clasp sparkle with the fire of 80 flawless Top Wesselton baguette diamonds (~6.22 ct).
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
For this timepiece, Patek Philippe developed an ingenious system for displaying the day, month, and leap year cycle with transparent sapphire-crystal disks in which the respective displays stand out in white against the black background of the small apertures beneath them. To attach the extremely thin sapphire-crystal disks to their minuscule steel arbors, it was necessary to develop an exclusive, patented assembly process.
The pierced leaf-shaped hands in black-lacquered white gold also enhance the view of the movement and its steel parts with beveled and polished edges that stand out beautifully against the rose gilt plates decorated with perlage. The flyback date display features a hand with a crescent moon tip that marks the numerals on a scale at the outermost edge of the dial. The perpetual calendar is complemented with a moon-phase display at 6 o’clock and a subsidiary seconds dial.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
To further refine the appeal of this timepiece, Patek Philippe integrated delicate white-gold inlays with engraved leaf motifs in the case flanks and the repeater slide.
The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the magnificent views of the self-winding caliber R 27 PS QR LU movement, especially the minute repeater mechanism with two gongs or the centrifugal governor beneath the pierced Calatrava cross motif. The recessed off-center minirotor in rose gold is decorated with a leaf motif and rhodiumed sinks.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Minute Repeater with a Retrograde Perpetual Calendar, Ref. 5304/301R-001
Movement
Caliber R 27 PS QR LU
Self-winding mechanical movement
Diameter: 28 mm
Height: 7.23 mm
Parts: 517
Bridges: 12
Jewels: 41
Power reserve: min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
22K gold off-center mini-rotor
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Balance spring: Spiromax®
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater with classic gongs
Perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand
Day, month and leap year in apertures
Moon phases by hand
Small seconds
Dial
Transparent sapphire, date and minute markers printed in white with golden powdered dots
Case
Rose gold
Sapphire crystal case back
Humidity- and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 13.3 mm
Gem-setting: 58 baguette diamonds: ~5.25 cts. (bezel and lugs). 22 baguette diamonds: ~0.97 ct. (clasp). Total of 80 baguette diamonds: ~6.22 cts.
Strap
Alligator leather with square scales, hand-stitched, shiny black
Diamond-set fold-over clasp
About Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibitionin June 2021, Patek Philippe launched six exceptional wristwatches featuring artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonné enamel, grand feu champlevé enamel, grand feu flinqué enamel, manual guilloching and gemsetting.
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibition, Patek Philippe released a new iteration of its Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon watch featuring a hand-engraved rose-gold case with a brown dial in grand feu champlevé and cloisonné enamel
Debuted in 2001, the Ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon is Patek Philippe’s second most complicated wristwatch. It is one of the grand complications most coveted by collectors and connoisseurs.
From 2013 to 2016, this double-face wristwatch was available in a rare handcrafts version with a white-gold case and a blue enamel dial (reference 6002G-001). It was followed in 2016 by a new version with a black enamel dial (reference 6002G-010).
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The new iteration released during “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” combines the warm shimmer of rose gold with brown grand feu enamel. The periphery of the dial, the moon-phase aperture, and the moon of the rotating disc are executed in champlevé enamel. With this technique, the base metal must first be precisely milled out so that individual elements such as the minute scale remain relieved.
Then, the recesses are manually filled with enamel compound. The center of the dial features a decor in grand feu cloisonné enamel that was created with the help of thin flat gold wire. The case, the crowns, the repeater slide, and the fold-over clasp are manually engraved with a motif of volutes and arabesques on all sides. The master engraver invests more than 100 hours of work and considerable patience to complete the process to the highest standards.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The Sky Moon Tourbillon combines 12 fascinating complications, including a tourbillon and a minute repeater that strikes on cathedral gongs. The front dial shows a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date, a moon-phase display and the leap year cycle.
The other side shows a celestial chart on which the apparent motion of the moon and the stars can be viewed from the northern hemisphere. To orchestrate the grand ballet of the celestial bodies, Patek Philippe developed a system of three superposed discs that move in different, precisely calculated trajectories.
Image Credit: Patek Philippe SA
The new Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon is delivered with hand-engraved cufflinks in rose gold. It replaces the Ref. 6002G-010 in white gold with a black grand feu enamel dial.
Technical details
Movement
Mechanical manually wound movement
Caliber R TO 27 QR SID LU CL
Third wheel in gold
Flywheel
Diameter: 38 mm
Height: 12.61 mm
Parts: 705
Bridges: 24
Jewels: 55
Power reserve: min. 38 hours, max. 48 hours
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Spiral: Breguet
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater with “cathedral” gongs
Tourbillon
Perpetual Calendar
Display
Front side: Perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand. Day, month, leap year in apertures. Hours and minutes of mean solar time. Moon phases
Reverse side: sidereal time, sky chart, phases and orbit of the moon.
Dial
Grand Feu champlevé and cloisonné brown enamel, gold applied Roman numerals
18K gold dial plate
Case
Rose gold
Sapphire-crystal case back
Humidity-and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Case diameter: 44 mm. Height: 17.35 mm.
About Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection
On the occasion of the “Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021” exhibitionin June 2021, Patek Philippe launched six exceptional wristwatches featuring artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonné enamel, grand feu champlevé enamel, grand feu flinqué enamel, manual guilloching and gemsetting.
Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers department has been renowned for bespoke mechanical timepieces that represent the pinnacle of fine watchmaking and artisanal skills of the Geneva Maison.
Among the recent masterpieces from the Les Cabinotiers department, the the Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer is a stand-out horological marvel. A project first undertaken in 2013, this bespoke pocket watch was made according to an esteemed client’s wish. This timepiece embodies art and beauty, exceptional mechanics and technical mastery.
This magnificent micromechanical wonder is equipped with a new in-house movement, Calibre 3761 with Grande Sonnerie and tourbillon, specially developed by the team of watchmakers who designed the Reference 57260 watch.
The craftsmanship adorning this timepiece is equally extraordinary. The case is hand-engraved on its bezel, back and sides using various artisanal techniques, as well as topped by a bow adorned with two hand-sculpted lion heads. The officer-type caseback is stunningly enhanced by a miniature enamel reproduction of Vermeer’s famous painting Girl with a Pearl Earring, created by enameller Anita Porchet.
Vacheron Constantin Reference 9910C/000J-B413 Pocket watch, Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer
Les Cabinotiers is a department in its own right within the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin, dedicated to creating single-piece editions. Following in the footsteps of the Geneva master-watchmakers known as cabinotiers in the Age of Enlightenment, the team took up the challenge of giving substance to the dream of a passionate collector who wanted a pocket watch that was technically and aesthetically exceptional, reflecting the noblest traditions of 18th century Haute Horlogerie. To create this highly complex mechanical pocket watch, it took approximately eight years.
The Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer pocket watch is powered by a new 806-part manual winding calibre, regulated by a tourbillon and comprising Grande and Petite Sonnerie Westminster chimes, coupled with a minute repeater. Within the range of watchmaking complications, Grande Sonnerie models have always enjoyed a special aura, not only because of the inherent complexity of these mechanisms striking several gongs, but also because of the musical qualities required.
Grande Sonnerie watches have a centuries-old tradition within the Maison. Among the oldest timepieces preserved to date, the first travel clock housing such a complication dates back to 1820. When it comes to pocket watches, the oldest model with Grande and Petite Sonnerie in the Vacheron Constantin private collection is dated 1827.
It was followed by several timepieces equipped with such mechanisms, some of them representing landmark creations endowed with an array of extremely sophisticated complications, such as the “Packard” presented in 1918 or the King Fouad I watch completed in 1929.
More recently, the world’s most complicated pocket watch, Reference 57260, was presented in 2015 on the occasion of the Maison’s 260th anniversary, affirming the expertise of the Maison in the realm of exceptional watchmaking.
The client who commissioned this model wanted a real Westminster chime pocket watch with striking five gongs with five hammers, featuring a Grande and Petite Sonnerie and adorned with miniature enamel. The Calibre 3761 measures 71 mm in diameter and 17 mm thick. It is regulated by a tourbillon majestically enthroned on the lower part of the movement, visible through the caseback and performing one full revolution per minute.
The tourbillon is driven by a 2.5Hz balance (18,000 vibrations per hour). The Westminster chime with which the movement is equipped with one of the most complicated striking mechanism to build, as it requires a sequence of five gongs struck in perfect harmony by their respective hammers controlled by four racks.
In wristwatches, Grande Sonnerie (grand strike) mechanisms are usually operated by a single rack, mainly for reasons of miniaturisation. The four rack and snail solution, with four racks for the hour and quarter chimes and one rack for the minute repeater, enhances the sequencing of the melodies and, as an added subtlety, enables different melodies to be played when passing the quarters.
The term ‘Westminster chime’ refers to the world-famous bells of Big Ben, the British Tower of Parliament in London: a four-bar melody consisting of four notes played at different frequencies. In “Grande Sonnerie” mode, the watch chimes the quarters in passing, with the hour repeated at each quarter, meaning three bars of the Westminster melody followed by five single notes for 5.45 am.
In “Petite Sonnerie” mode, it strikes the quarters at each change of quarter without repeating the hours; and at each change of hour, it strikes the fourth quarter – “the carillon” – as well as the hours. The strikework can be activated at any time by means of the slide on the side of the watch. The watch then functions as a minute repeater that chimes the quarters, minutes and hours in sequence. The selector switch positioned at 9 o’clock thus offers three possible modes.
In “Sonnerie” (strike) mode, the watch is automatically activated each time the quarters change, like a clock. In “Night Silence” mode, a special feature specifically developed and adapted to this 3761 calibre according to the time zone chosen by the customer, the alarm is deactivated between 11 pm and 9 am, thus saving energy as well as ensuring peace and quiet at night. The third and last “Silence” mode completely suspends the striking mechanism.
A second selector, positioned between 10 and 11 o’clock, serves to switch from Grande Sonnerie to Petite Sonnerie as preferred. The two barrels ensure an autonomy of approximately 16 hours for the musical mechanism in “Grande Sonnerie” mode and 80 hours for the time indications, with stable torque guaranteed until the end of the power reserve.
Calibre 3761 is equipped with a centripetal strike governor ensuring perfect regularity of the musical sequences, of which the notes must be both distinctly audible and pleasing to the ear. The system is characterised by a pair of weights whose very special shape has been optimised so as to generate a kind of “engine-braking effect” – by centripetal force – on the regulator’s pivot axis, thereby evening-out the energy released by the barrel.
This unique and original device is also perfectly silent. In another special feature regarding the flow of time, the calibre houses a double-wheel system with clearance adjustment. Given the size of the hands, in order to avoid any potential jerking of the seconds hand positioned at 6 o’clock, such a mechanism ensures its smooth flow thanks to a system based on two coaxial toothed wheels linked by a spring serving to eliminate gear play.
This Les Cabinotiers model demonstrates high standards and attention to detail in terms of movement finishing. All the components are thus hand-finished – from the completely engraved balance bridge to the bridges buffed with diamond paste to achieve a mirror-polished finish, as well as the galvanic treatment of the plates adorned with Côtes de Genève and featuring a soft champagne colour – creating an overall effect evoking the noblest watchmaking traditions.
The work on the ratchet wheel and the two barrel wheels is an excellent example of these meticulous tasks. The wheels first underwent surface treatment in the form of sandblasting and then sunburst finishing, before the teeth were glazed on all five gear portions. This type of finishing consists of chamfering the teeth and giving them a mirror-polished finish on the flat parts, a skill formerly used in watchmaking and that the Maison is committed to preserving. A week of patience and meticulous care was needed to decorate these three components.
The tuning of the gongs also requires a perfectionist’s spirit. First tested before being cased-up, they are shaped in such a way as to obtain the right note for each of them. This inevitably requires touching up with a file to achieve a perfect sound. There can however be surprises once the chiming mechanism is cased up. On this model, two of the five original gongs had to be replaced for the sake of harmony. By modifying the steel alloys, the sound of the two new gongs acquired a more crystal-clear entirely in tune with the other three.
This “tuning” of the Grande Sonnerie thus requires several successive casing-up procedures, since the mechanism has to be removed for any adjustments during the “trial runs” of the mechanism. These are indeed not the only elements of the assembled movement that undergo retouching during these various phases, which is why the latter take place even before the case is decorated. An additional difficulty with this single-piece edition was that it was impossible to case up the entire finished movement and part of the final assembly had to be done directly inside the case.
Given the level of finishing and decoration of each component, including the case, as well as the fact that any handling manipulation could potentially impair the quality, the ten operations involved in fitting the calibre – which had to be removed the same number of times for retouching – followed by the final assembly required an uncommonly deft touch. In the end, a very small team of specialised watchmakers conducted the making of this Calibre 3761, from the development, manufacturing and finishing of the various components to the final assembly and casing-up of the movement.
The client expressed the wish that the cover of the officer-type caseback should feature a miniature enamel painting by enameller Anita Porchet. The work chosen was Girl with a Pearl Earring, painted circa 1665 by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.
Above and beyond the challenge of reproducing the work of a great master, the size of the 98 mm-diameter surface implied additional difficulties. This size of watch, corresponding more to that of historical carriage watches than to a pocket model, requires a degree of dexterity all the more accurate in that the slightest irregularity is glaringly obvious.
The result is reminiscent of the grand miniature enamel painting tradition in which Geneva came to specialise. Acknowledged since the late 16th century for its production of high-quality enamels, Geneva in fact lent its name to several terms referring to the quality of the work of its craftsmen. “Geneva enamels”, a term commonly used since that time, refers to painted enamels covered with a flux known as the “Fondant de Genève”.
This technique consists of adding a final transparent and colourless protective coating to the layers of vitrified enamel, thereby giving brilliance and depth to the artist’s work. This invention greatly benefited the timepieces of the period, which were subjected to repeated friction as pocket watches.
Only a few rare master enamellers still master these techniques. One need only think of the fact that a single layer of enamel on the young girl’s oriental turban requires at least two weeks of work given the size of the model.
The colour palette is similarly complex, notably including a composition of seven shades to obtain black, as well as 20 or so firings in the kiln required to stabilise the colours. In all, seven months of intermittent work were necessary to bring this portrait to life. The research and development work – notably relating to the pigments and enamels to be used – began in 2018 and the final result was completed in 2020.
While the decoration of watches and clocks using the various enamelling techniques strongly contributed to the reputation of the Fabrique de Genève which encompassed all the watchmaking and jewellery trades in the 18th century, the term “Geneva enamels” refers above all to enamel miniature painting.
This process consists of painting colours – based on metallic oxides ground to powder and then mixed with an oil-based binder – onto a layer of white enamel coating a copper or gold leaf base. Much like in gouache or oil painting, the master artisan then applies colours to a canvas, enabling a meticulous depiction – these days under a binocular microscope – of even the smallest details. After each phase, the colours are stabilised by successive firings in the kiln, with no chance of touch ups.
The main watch dial is Grand Feu enamelled in an eggshell colour with blue enamelled Roman numerals.
The style of the engravings adorning the case was carefully studied by Vacheron Constantin’s engraver in order to blend harmoniously with Vermeer’s painting. After several proposals and discussions with the client, she chose a main ornamental theme composed of acanthus leaves running along scrolls and flowers with a pearl heart. This motif echoes the theme of The Girl with the Pearl Earring with its classical and feminine decoration.
The talents of Vacheron Constantin’s master-engraver have created a visually striking result. Her work began by outlining the décor using a scriber. She then proceeded to create a champlevé effect by flat-hollowing around the motifs, creating volume and depth by carving them with a burin.
Observation and analysis of the pattern is essential to understand the volumes before cutting into the metal. To keep the rhythm and flexibility of the acanthus leaves along the accompanying line, the curves must be stretched. The facets and stripes are then cleaned and polished. This work requires time and patience.
Polishing is indeed a delicate operation to find the right balance between the shimmer of the metal and the volumes of the sculpture which lose their dynamic appeal if they are too rounded. In order to accentuate the shadows and to add details to the leaves and flowers, slender hollow lines are made on each of them using the fine line engraving technique involving incising or hollowing out the material.
The last operation, the point-by-point hand-chasing of the background, accentuates the contrast between the matt chased champlevé surface and the polished motifs. This operation improves legibility and highlights the decoration by its shimmering appearance. Chasing creates a decoration or a texture by striking the material, unlike engraving and sculpture which involving removing material.
The adornment of the case middle is further emphasised by a double ‘pearl’ border, a reference to the painting by Johannes Vermeer. The creation of this border begins with an even distribution of engraved squares running around the bezel and caseback. Then the engraver transforms these squares into half-beads using a beading tool with a spherically hollowed tip leaving an imprint serving to form the half-beads of metal.
Handling this instrument requires a steady, rhythmical touch. The small 0.8 mm beads are then polished by hand using a brush coated with diamond paste. The effect must be regular, while maintaining the personal deft touch that gives life to the result thanks to similar yet unique reflections. This beaded or ‘pearl’ decoration that was particularly in vogue in the early 20th century requires peerless mastery and dexterity.
Like an extension of this delicate craftsmanship performed on the case middle, the bow is a work of art in itself with its two roaring lions. At the client’s request, these three-dimensional ronde bosse sculptures are inspired by classical statues. Incredibly realistic, sculpted in a block of gold, they embody a rare degree of mastery.
Before working the material in its raw state, the Vacheron Constantin engraver made several 3D prints to determine the right volumes that would enable her to express her art. To craft the lions’ heads, which are similar yet not identical in terms of their manes, she drew with a tracing point the outlines of the two profiles, from the front and from above. It is above all a question of understanding the volumes of the head in three dimensions, before starting the sculpture, which gradually makes her lose the previously traced reference points.
The head of the animal must be imprinted in her mind as an infallible reference point throughout the process in order to give it life and character. Observation and precision are essential in creating such an animal sculpture whose expression can be totally distorted by an excessively strong touch.
The engraver first used a milling cutter to rough out the material and then several burins for increasingly fine and accurate work. The details of the satin-brushed, matt and polished textures were obtained using specific tools, some created for the occasion. A total of five months of extremely meticulous craftsmanship was required to engrave and sculpt the various elements of the pocket watch.
In the interests of safety, particular attention was paid to the design of the hinged officer-type caseback. An internal mechanism inside the case facilitates access by enabling the user to half-open the caseback by pressing the crown-integrated pusher. A cone-shaped titanium pin serves as the hinge, concealed by gold screws, while a spring using approximately 90° of the case angle slows down the closing of the enamelled and engraved caseback.
The extraordinary length of the hands – the minutes hand is 35 mm long – is also a challenge, particularly when it comes to finishing the polished surfaces and ensuring an even surface. To enhance lightness, they are made of pfinodal, an alloy of copper, nickel and tin, and then gilded.
Technical details
Model: Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie –Tribute to Johannes Vermeer
Reference 9910C/000J-B413
Movement
Calibre 3761
Developed and crafted by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical manual winding
71 mm (31 ½’’’) diameter, 17.05 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 80h
Strikework power reserve (Grande Sonnerie mode): approximately 16 hours
2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
806 components
58 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Hours, minutes, small seconds
Tourbillon, minute repeater, Westminster carillon
Case
18K 3N yellow gold, engraved with acanthus leaves on the case sides and with tulips and “pearl” decor on the bezel and the caseback
Bow sculpted with two lion heads
Officer-type cover, Grand Feu miniature enamelling depicting Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring painting, handmade by Anita Porchet
98 mm diameter, 32.60 mm thick
Dial
Grand Feu eggshell-coloured enamelling
Blue enamelled numerals
Golden pfinodal hands
Presentation Box
Les Cabinotiers model exclusively developed for this timepiece
During the Watches and Wonders 2021 digital event, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque), the world’s first watch with four faces. This grand complication watch incorporates a total of 11 complications, including perpetual calendar, minute repeater, indications of the synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycles (never before presented together in a wristwatch), requiring 12 patents.
The most complicated timepiece ever presented in the Reverso collection, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is the result of over six years of development, combining key areas of expertise at Jaeger-LeCoultre with innovative new astronomical indications.
Uniting the brand’s unchallenged mastery of chiming watches, precision mechanisms, astronomical complications and ultra-compact watchmaking, it is the world’s first wristwatch with four functioning display faces. It incorporates three displays of lunar information on the interior face of the iconic Reverso cradle: the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle.
With these functions, the Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque can predict the next global incidence of astronomical events such as supermoons and eclipses — the world’s first wristwatch to provide such astronomical indications.
Having a multitude of complications in a watch is pointless unless they can be legibly and comprehensibly displayed, and the watch can be reasonably worn. Liberated by the unique design of the iconic Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre has created a world’s first: a double-faced case continuously driven by the in-house Calibre 185, and a double-faced cradle with indications synced and updated by the primary movement every day at the stroke of midnight by an ingenious mechanical system proprietary to Jaeger-LeCoultre.
If accomplished through conventional mechanical means, the 11 complications of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque would result in a timepiece far more suited for a desk than a wrist. Thanks to nearly two centuries of expertise and a thoroughly modern approach to innovation, the Maison has accommodated the extremely complex mechanism in a wristwatch with a 51mm x 31mm x 15mm case.
The history of Jaeger-LeCoultre is rooted in the pursuit and attainment of precision. One of the earliest inventions of founder Antoine LeCoultre was the millionometer, the first instrument able to measure the micron.
Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre is an undisputed pioneer and leader in creating exceptional executions of the tourbillon, a mechanism designed to enhance the chronometric performance of a timepiece. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Gyrotourbillon 2 (2008) stunned audiences and won chronometry awards with its multi-axial revolving balance, and the Reverso Hybris Mechanica à Triptyque (2006) remains unique in its use of a tourbillon with a high-precision ellipse isometer escapement.
Occupying the 7 o’clock position on the recto face of the case, a flying tourbillon makes one rotation a minute, continuously varying the position of the balance in order to achieve a single corrected average time measurement.
The balance beats in regular cadences of 4Hz (28,800vph), every eight beats mark the passing of one second. The seconds accumulate into minutes, into hours, days, weeks, months and years. The recto face of the Quadriptyque case shows the indications of a perpetual calendar. It also takes leap years into account, displaying a 29th day in the month of February every four years.
Highlighting the precision of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 185 construction, the perpetual calendar indications are instantaneous, changing at the stroke of midnight. In addition, the complexities of the Calibre 185 construction required the date to be displayed at the 5 o’clock position on the dial. At Jaeger-LeCoultre, only the perfect legibility of a grande date was considered acceptable for a watch of such prestige, which necessitated the creation of a new system of date display discs in order to accommodate the dimensions of the flying tourbillon at 7 o’clock.
There are extremely few watchmaking manufactures that possess in-house expertise in sonnerie wristwatches. Jaeger-LeCoultre is the only one watchmaking manufacture that has over 200 chiming watch calibres in its historical and modern inventory. The verso face of the Quadriptyque case is a virtuoso tour de force of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s patrimony as a master and innovator of chiming watches.
With the slide of a lever located just above the crown, the Quadriptyque unleashes its melody. First, a series of low notes, correlating to the number of hours. Second, an alternating couplet of high and low notes, corresponding to the quarter-hours. And concluding the melody, a succession of high notes, indicating the number of minutes to be added to the elapsed quarters. In concert, the hours-quarters-minutes chime plays the current time in musical code.
The striking works of the Reverso Quadriptyque are completely exposed alongside a secondary time display, indicating the same time as the recto dial, but in a jumping-hours and peripheral-minutes format. As the Quadriptyque strikes the time, setting a symphony of springs, cams, hammers and gongs into motion, their acoustic report confirms the visual display of the secondary dial.
Visible through apertures on the movement plate hand-decorated with the guillochage motif known as clous de Paris are elements of the chiming mechanism uniquely associated with the sonnerie expertise of Jaeger-LeCoultre. These include the silent chime governor, patented by the manufacture in 1895 to eliminate the buzzing noise created by the older anchor system.
More recent in-house innovations showcased in the Quadriptyque are the crystal gongs (first seen in the Master Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre of 2005) that attach the repeater gongs directly to the sapphire crystal to exploit the material’s optimal acoustic properties, the square cross-sectional profile of the gongs themselves that maximise contact and energy transmission between the hammers and gongs (a mainstay of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s repeating watches since 2006), and the articulated trebuchet hammers (developed for the 2009 Hybris Mechanica Duomètre à Grande Sonnerie) that deliver a clean and strong strike to the gongs. In totality, these innovations allow Jaeger-LeCoultre minute repeaters to produce some of the loudest and clearest chiming wristwatches today.
Debuting in the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is a completely novel engineering of the chiming components to create a seamless chime with no pauses in between the hours, quarters and minutes. The conventional minute repeater mechanism utilises special pivoting racks that read the time off a series of cams and then proceed to activate each group of chimed notes in turn. This often results in silent gaps between the groups of chimed notes, especially when there are only hours and minutes to be struck, with no intervening quarters.
The Hybris Mechanica Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (2014) and Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019) made exceptional strides in chiming know-how by reducing these silent gaps, but the Reverso Quadriptyque has reached the ultimate stage of expertise in this area. By refining and inverting specific steps in this mechanical sequence, the Quadriptyque has succeeded in eliminating these gaps entirely.
As a watch manufacture with close to two centuries of fine watchmaking expertise, Jaeger-LeCoultre has mastered all aspects of time expression, from the quotidian to the esoteric. One of the hallmark complications of Jaeger-LeCoultre is the display of sidereal time, time that is determined with reference to the stars instead of the Sun, first presented in the Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication (2010).
This year, for the first time ever in the history of mechanical horology, Jaeger-LeCoultre unites three displays of lunar information — the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle — in a single wristwatch. This unique micromechanical combination of indications, located on the interior face of the cradle of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185, allows the determination of eclipse events (both solar and lunar) and rare lunar phenomena such as supermoons.
Occupying the top half of the interior face of the cradle of the Reverso Quadriptyque is a massive representation of the phases of the moon in the Northern Hemisphere. A laser-engraved moon is progressively covered and revealed by a mobile blue lacquer disc with gold glitter décor, corresponding to the age of the moon in the synodic cycle. While conventional displays of the moon phase accumulate one day of error after 32.5 months, the moon phase display of the Quadriptyque requires only one adjustment after 1,111 years.
Just below the moon phase display, on the left, is a counter with a three-dimensional micro-sculpted pink-gold sun orbited by a tiny hemispherical moon. This counter shows the draconic cycle, showing when the path of the Moon intersects with the orbit of the Earth around the Sun (known as the ecliptic). Such an intersection takes place twice in each cycle, indicated by the horizontal alignment on the counter of the moon and the sun.
At this time, the Moon, Earth and Sun are all on the same plane; however, they may not be aligned. For them to be aligned, a phenomenon known as syzygy, an additional condition must be fulfilled — the Moon must be either in its new or full phase. When that happens, an eclipse event happens on Earth, either a lunar eclipse if the Moon is in its full phase, or a solar eclipse if the Moon is in its new phase. However, the actual visibility of the eclipse is dependent on various factors such as the geographical position of the viewer.
To the right of the draconic cycle counter is a domed representation of the Earth, micro-painted in enamel, with a hemispherical moon in eccentric orbit around it. This counter represents the anomalistic cycle, showing the varying distance between the Earth and Moon. At its apogee, the Moon is at its furthest distance from the Earth and is closest at its perigee. When the Moon is in its full phase near or at the perigee, an event known as a supermoon occurs, in which the Moon can appear to be up to 14 percent larger than usual in the sky.
The display of the synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycle together in a wristwatch is unprecedented in horology, with the latter two indications protected by patent, making the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 the only watch ever made to provide such depth of information about astronomical phenomena.
The Hybris Mechanica family of timepieces at Jaeger-LeCoultre began with the 2003 Atmos Mystérieuse and has since grown to encompass close to 20 groundbreaking horological creations, including the Master Hybris Mechanica Gyrotourbillon 1 (2004), the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Grande Complication à Triptyque (2006), the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon (2014) and the Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel (2019).
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was born in 1931. The original Reverso bore a single time-telling face, with a mobile case that could be turned over within its cradle, revealing a solid caseback. The next generation of the Reverso featured another dial on its caseback, either in a different design to accommodate the wearer’s aesthetic preference (Duetto) or displaying a second time zone (Duoface) to offer additional functionality when travelling. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica à Triptyque (2006) represented an evolutionary leap in horological innovation, with a third display positioned on the interior face of the Reverso cradle.
This year, the world’s first wristwatch with four faces premieres in the form of the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 (Quadriptyque), the ultimate expression of the Reverso concept. On the last face of the Quadriptyque, the exterior face of the cradle, a representation of the phases of the Moon in the Southern Hemisphere is shown.
Most indications of the moon phase are of the Northern Hemisphere perspective, and the Quadriptyque’s display of the Southern Hemisphere moon phase on its fourth face is the fulfilment of the Reverso’s fundamental dualism. A star-flecked sky chart, engraved and lacquered in a gradient of blue shades forms the backdrop to the pink-gold moon, all of which are created in the Atelier des Métiers Rares® of Jaeger-LeCoultre.
The secret to the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Quadriptyque’s four functioning display faces lies in a solution first used in the 2006 Reverso Hybris Mechanca Grande Complication à Triptyque. Every day at midnight, a pin extends out of the main case movement to activate a mechanical corrector in the cradle, which then advances the cradle displays.
The mechanism driving the cradle displays is set directly into the cradle itself, without any additional movement plates that would increase the thickness of the watch. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s expertise in ultra-compact watchmaking makes the Quadriptyque, despite its multiple indications and complications, one of the most wearable high-complication watches of our time.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 comes in an exceptional presentation box with a built-in mechanism that allows the wearer to quickly and intuitively set all the calendar and astronomical displays of the watch after a period of being unworn.
A two-position crown on the side of the box is used to first set the number of days that have elapsed since the watch was last worn. With the Quadriptyque set within the correction support frame, the box corrector crown can then be extended to its second position and wound to rapidly bring the watch to the current date for all calendar and astronomical indications. There is no risk of overcorrecting the watch or damaging the movement, since the entire process is controlled by the box corrector mechanism.
Case
Material: White gold
Case dimensions: 51.2 x 31 mm
Thickness: 15.15 mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Movement
Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 185
Power reserve: 50 hours
Functions
Face 1: Hour – Minute, Tourbillon (indicating the Second), Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar, Grande Date, Day, Month, Leap Year, Night & Day
Face 2: Jumping Digital Hour, Minute, Minute Repeater (with system avoiding dead time)
Face 3: Northern Hemisphere Moon Phase, Draconic Lunar Cycle (height of the moon), Anomalistic Lunar Cycle (apogee and perigee), Month, Year
Face 4: Southern Hemisphere Moon Phase
Vacheron Constantin presents a one-of-a-kind grand complication timepiece powered by a new Manufacture calibre with a total of 24 horological complications.
A double-sided watch, “La Musique du Temps®” Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Split-seconds Chronograph – Tempo is one of the most complicated wristwatches ever produced by the Maison. This creation belongs to “La Musique du Temps®»: an array of one-of-a-kind timepieces produced in Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers department as a tribute to the art of music.
This one-of-a-kind double-sided timepiece displays the chronograph hours and measurements on the front, along with a perpetual calendar. The back is dedicated to astronomical functions, including indications of solar time, equation of time, sunrise and sunset, day and night duration, as well as the age and phase of the moon. This watch featuring a tourbillon regulator is also equipped with a minute repeater. A total of 24 perfectly legible complications are orchestrated by the new in-house 1,163- part 2756 calibre.
Chiming watches hold a special place within the world of horological complications. For more than two centuries, these complex mechanical devices have been given pride of place by Vacheron Constantin. In 2019, the Maison’s Les Cabinotiers department chose to pay tribute to them through one-of-a-kind models grouped under the theme “La Musique du Temps®».
Les Cabinotiers split-seconds chronograph – Tempo is the crowning embodiment of this approach. In addition to the minute repeater function, which involves a «musical» structure that must take into account the positioning of the gongs and their harmonious sound when struck, the front side also displays timekeeping and calendar indications in addition to the split-seconds chronograph. The perpetual calendar indications are provided by the two lower subdials: one for the day and date, the other for the month and leap year.
The symmetrically placed upper subdials are dedicated to marking off time. The hours appear on the left hand subdial with an inner 24-hour disc that can be used to display a second time zone; while the right hand subdial shows the minutes on the outer disc and carries the chronograph 30-minute counter on the inner disc. Given that the chronograph is doubtless one of the most complex horological complications to be integrated into a calibre, the watchmakers of the Maison wanted to express the true measure of its nobility by creating a split-seconds chronograph equipped with a column wheel.
The split-seconds system with two central hands enables intermediate (split) times to be calculated by stopping one of the two hands which, once restarted, «catches up» with the first. With these initial functions, however, the 1,163-component 2756 calibre has revealed only half of its technical prowess.
The timepiece must be turned over to reveal the full scope of this accomplishment. With its perfectly symmetrical case and thanks to the ingenious removable strap attachment system, Les Cabinotiers split-seconds chronograph is perfectly reversible and can be worn on either side, according to the mood of the moment.
On the reverse watch face, the central hands, including the minutes hand with the sun symbol, indicate true solar time. Based on the apparent displacement of the Sun, the latter differs from civil time due to the inclination of the Earth’s axis and the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit. Mean solar time – the civil time that punctuates our daily lives – and true solar time coincide only four times a year, with maximal variations ranging from -16 minutes and 23 seconds to +14 minutes and 22 seconds.
The difference is what is known as the equation of time, which, on this timepiece, is of the “running” variety, given the simultaneous nature of the two readings of time on either side of the watch. This information is complemented by indications of sunrise and sunset times as well as the duration of day and night, respectively positioned at 3 and 9 o’clock.
The lowest part of the dial features a display of the age and phase of the moon by means of a retrograde hand sweeping over a semi-circular subdial. Here too, watchmakers have not taken the easy path with this high-precision moon-phase display, which requires only one correction every 1,000 years. To ensure the visual harmony of this second dial, the tourbillon is majestically enthroned at 12 o’clock with its carriage shaped like a Maltese cross – the emblem of the Maison – topped by the central pointer-type power reserve indicator.
This timepiece with its multiple functions and displays represents an authentic watchmaking challenge.
Firstly, on a technical level, with this calibre developed by the same team as that behind Reference 57260 and in which the smallest detail has been taken into consideration. Witness the split-seconds lifting lever, designed to save energy for a timepiece that thus enjoys a remarkable power reserve of 65 hours and still lasting up to 40 hours even with the chronograph activated.
Secondly, in order to ensure perfect legibility of the two slate grey dials with sunray and guilloché finishes around the circumference. It was indeed the aesthetic options linked to the display that dictated the construction of the calibre within a multidisciplinary approach. The result is an exceptional watch whose generous 50-millimetre diameter and 21-millimetre thickness are softened by the curves of the pink gold case. The alligator leather strap sets the finishing touch to the aesthetic appeal of this watch.
Les Cabinotiers: one-of-a-kind creations
In the Vacheron Constantin universe, Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of models and to unique creations. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, a time when master watchmakers were called cabinotiers and worked in ateliers bathed in natural light, known as cabinets and located on the top floors of Geneva’s buildings. In the hands of these learned artisans, open to the new ideas of the Enlightenment, exceptional timepieces were born, inspired by astronomy, mechanical engineering and the arts. This expertise, which constitutes the great Geneva watchmaking tradition, has been flowing through Vacheron Constantin’s veins since 1755.
Vacheron Constantin and chiming watches
Chiming watches occupy a special place among horological complications. For more than two centuries, these complex mechanisms have been highlighted by Vacheron Constantin. Today, Les Cabinotiers department has chosen to pay tribute to them through one-of-a-kind creations on the theme “La Musique du temps®”.
Born from the need to tell the time in the dark in an age when people had to rely on candlelight, chiming watches have taken various forms: repeating on demand the hours, quarters or half-quarters, as well as the minutes depending on the versions; Grande and Petite Sonnerie (sounding the hours and quarters in passing, with or without repeating the hour on each quarter) ; and finally those with an alarm (programmable chime). While each of these complications has its own distinctive characteristics, they all combine an integrated and complex mechanism with the finely crafted nature of musical instruments in terms of their resonance, acoustics and harmonics. Featuring watch cases equipped with complex movements as their only means of musical expression, these creations represent a magnificent feat of miniaturisation.
At Vacheron Constantin, the first mention of a chiming watch dates back to 1806: a gold repeater pocket watch registered by the founder’s grandson Jacques Barthélemi Vacheron, in the very first production register kept in the company’s archives. Ever since, sonnerie or repeater watches have been an integral part of the Manufacture’s proud heritage, steadily enriched over the decades.
A sound print certified by Abbey Road Studios
Sound and music have always played a role in the Maison’s partnerships, the latest of which is with Abbey Road Studios, a name closely associated with iconic artists such as The Beatles, Adele and Oasis. In collaboration with the studios, Vacheron Constantin launched its Fiftysix® collection, backed by the “One of not Many” campaign. The partnership also has a role to play for “La musique du Temps””, as Vacheron Constantin entrusts Abbey Road Studios with recording the unique sound of each model.
For the first time, the repeater watches from “La Musique du Temps®” range have a unique sound print, recorded and certified by Abbey Road Studios.
Technical details
Collection: “La Musique du Temps®”, Les Cabinotiers: one-of-a-kind creations
Model: Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Split-seconds chronograph – Tempo
Reference 9740C/000R-B692
Movement
Calibre 2756
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin mechanical manual-winding
33.3 mm (14 ¾’’’) diameter, 16.35 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 65 hours
2.5 Hz (18,800 vibrations/hour)
1,163 components
40 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Front: Off-centre hours and minutes – Minute repeater (hours, quarters and minutes on demand) – 2nd time zone / 24H time zone – 30-minute counter chronograph – Split-second chronograph – Perpetual calendar (date, day, month and leap year)
Back: Regulator tourbillon – Retrograde phase and age of the moon – Running equation of time – Sunrise and sunset time – Day / Night length – Power reserve indication
Case
18K 5N pink gold
50 mm de diameter, 21 mm thick
Dial
Sunray slate opaline for the upper central part
Guilloché central ring
Sunray slate grey external ring
White painted indications
Strap
Brown Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
18K 5N pink gold folding clasp and 18K 5N pink gold buckle; Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Presentation box & accessory
Les Cabinotiers model
Rarity
One-of-a-kind timepiece
”Pièce unique” and “Les Cabinotiers” inscriptions engraved between the lugs of the timepiece
Les Cabinotiers Astronomical striking grand complication – Ode to Music offers a fresh demonstration of Vacheron Constantin’s technical mastery in the creation of horological grand complications. As part of the range poetically named “La Musique du Temps®”, which includes a collection of exceptional chiming watches – all one-of-a-kind collector’s pieces –, this new creation is based first and foremost on a minute repeater which determined the construction of the entire calibre.
As part of the range of exceptional chiming watches named “La Musique du Temps®”, this new one-of-a-kind creation is based first and foremost on a minute repeater which determined the construction of the entire movement. Redesigned to accommodate a range of astronomical functions, the new 1731 M820 calibre is equipped with 19 complications, notably displaying civil, solar and sidereal time – each with its own gear train in addition to that of the minute repeater.
The starting point was the famous Manufacture 1731 movement, due to its extreme slimness for a minute repeater mechanism. At just 3.90 mm thick, the 1731 calibre also has an impressive 60-hour power reserve and a magnificent sound quality, thanks in particular to the development of an entirely silent flying strike governor. This movement has therefore been reworked to accommodate the astronomical complications that make this timepiece an exceptional watch.
With the new 1731 M820 calibre, this timepiece is thus equipped with 19 complications – a feat in itself – housed in a space barely 7.84 millimetres thick, without straying from the spirit of the ultra-thin base movement. One of the great challenges was to index the running equation of time to the minute repeater while maintaining extreme slenderness.
This watch is equipped with a perpetual calendar that is harmoniously expressed on the blue opaline dial. The date is indicated by a serpentine hand in a snailed counter at 3 o’clock for the sake of legibility. The days, months and leap years are discreetly displayed in windows between 12 and 2 o’clock. The date is indicated by the precision moon phases and age, but also the day / night indication which is coaxial to the moon phases, a logical and lyrical complement to the perpetual calendar.
The lower part of the dial is occupied by the pointer-type display of sunrise and sunset times, complemented by a linear indication of the length of day and night. A 4 o’clock aperture also reveals a disc bearing the signs of the zodiac, seasons, solstices and equinoxes.
As heralded by the latter functions, this piece is first and foremost an astronomical watch which, in addition to the civil time indicated by the two central hands, also displays the particularities of solar time.
Since the Earth’s path around the Sun describes a trajectory that is not circular but instead elliptical, and given that the Earth’s axis is inclined at 24° to the plane of its orbit, the time between two solar zenith passages is not the same throughout the year. This difference between the solar (true) day and the civil (average/mean) 24-hour day ranges from -16 to +14 minutes depending on the time of the year, coinciding only four times in 12 months.
Known as the equation of time, or time correction in astronomical parlance, this information has long fascinated watchmakers. The fact that these variations are rigorously identical from one year to the next makes it possible to programme them mechanically via an annual cam that controls the display of this time differential. For this timepiece, the company’s master watchmakers have chosen the rarer and more complex solution of a running equation of time.
This consists in also displaying solar time by means of a central minutes hand, in this instance symbolically serrated, and thus enables instantaneous reading of both civil and solar time.
The sidereal time is precisely what can be viewed on the back of this timepiece, with a sky chart ingeniously formed by two superimposed sapphire discs. Taking a fixed star in the sky as a reference point, the time it takes the Earth to complete a full 360° revolution, or sidereal day, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. Since the Earth both spins on its axis and revolves around the sun, it takes about four minutes less than a calendar day to return to its point of departure in relation to the given star. On this model, the first lower mobile disc is rimmed by a sidereal time scale punctuated by the cardinal points, which thus rotates in step with sidereal time.
Still on the same disc, an off-centred blue ellipse serves as a transparent indicator of the constellations of the celestial vault, which are positioned on the fixed upper disc. This mechanical ballet thus reveals the vision of the sky in motion as seen from a given point on Earth. This same second disc also bears a white ellipse for the celestial equator and a red ellipse for the ecliptic. While the first is a projection of the equator onto the celestial sphere that takes into account the Earth’s approximately 24° inclination, the second represents – from a heliocentric point of view – the plane of the Earth’s orbit serving as a reference for celestial coordinates. Finally, one notes an intense blue dial bearing the months of the year.
The difference between the sidereal day and the mean or average day means that the movable lower disc will accelerate daily by some four minutes in relation to the fixed outer disc, so as to indicate the current month at exactly midnight by means of a yellow arrow.
Housed in a pink gold case measuring 45 mm in diameter and barely 12.54 mm thick, perfectly designed to accommodate the sky chart corrector and the minute repeater slide on the case middle, this calibre is one of the very few movements to offer simultaneously a minutes repeater and the civil, solar and sidereal time.
This extreme level of complexity is matched by the exceptional finishing of this timepiece, including the Côtes de Genève that can be admired through the transparency of a movement that appears to be floating in the stars. A midnight blue alligator leather strap with pin buckle rounds off the elegance of this captivatingly complex timepiece.
Les Cabinotiers: one-of-a-kind creations
In the Vacheron Constantin universe, Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of models and to unique creations. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, a time when master watchmakers were called cabinotiers and worked in ateliers bathed in natural light, known as cabinets and located on the top floors of Geneva’s buildings. In the hands of these learned artisans, open to the new ideas of the Enlightenment, exceptional timepieces were born, inspired by astronomy, mechanical engineering and the arts. This expertise, which constitutes the great Geneva watchmaking tradition, has been flowing through Vacheron Constantin’s veins since 1755.
Vacheron Constantin and chiming watches
Chiming watches occupy a special place among horological complications. For more than two centuries, theses complex mechanisms have been highlighted by Vacheron Constantin. Today, Les Cabinotiers department has chosen to pay tribute to them through one-of-a-kind creations on the theme “La Musique du temps®”.
Born from the need to tell the time in the dark in an age when people had to rely on candlelight, chiming watches have taken various forms: repeating on demand the hours, quarters or half-quarters, as well as the minutes depending on the versions; Grande and Petite Sonnerie (sounding the hours and quarters in passing, with or without repeating the hour on each quarter); and finally those with an alarm (programmable chime).
While each of these complications has its own distinctive characteristics, they all combine an integrated and complex mechanism with the finely crafted nature of musical instruments in terms of their resonance, acoustics and harmonics. Featuring watch cases equipped with complex movements as their only means of musical expression, these creations represent a magnificent feat of miniaturisation.
At Vacheron Constantin, the first mention of a chiming watch dates back to 1806: a gold repeater pocket watch registered by the founder’s grandson Jacques Barthélemi Vacheron, in the very first production register kept in the company’s archives. Ever since, sonnerie or repeater watches have been an integral part of the Manufacture’s proud heritage, steadily enriched over the decades.
A sound print certified by Abbey Road Studios
Sound and music have always played a role in the Maison’s partnerships, the latest of which is with Abbey Road Studios, a name closely associated with iconic artists such as The Beatles, Adele and Oasis. In collaboration with the studios, Vacheron Constantin launched its Fiftysix® collection, backed by the “One of not Many” campaign. The partnership also has a role to play for “La musique du Temps”, as Vacheron Constantin entrusts Abbey Road Studios with recording the unique sound of each model. For the first time, the repeater watches from “La Musique du Temps®” range have a unique sound print, recorded and certified by Abbey Road Studios.
Technical details
Collection: « La Musique du Temps®»
Model: Les Cabinotiers Astronomical striking grand complication – Ode to music
Reference 6620C/000R-B656
Movement
Calibre 1731 M820
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
36 mm (16’’’) diameter, 7.84 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 60 hours
3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
600 components
36 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Functions
Front: Hours, minutes, Minute repeater (hours, quarters and minutes on demand), Perpetual Calendar (day of the week, date, months and leap year), Running equation of time, Precision moon phases, Age of the moon, Day / Night indication, Sunrise/ Sunset indication, Day / Night length indication, Tropic and zodiac disc (seasons, equinox, solstices and zodiac signs)
Back: Celestial hours and minutes, Transparent sky chart of the northern hemisphere with indication of the Milky Way, of the ecliptic and celestial equator
Case
18K 5N pink gold
45 mm diameter, 12.54 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Dial
Blue opaline
18K 5N pink gold applied baton-shaped hours-makers
Strap
Blue Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales; 18K 5N pink gold folding clasp
Delivered with an additional 18K 5N pink gold buckle; Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Presentation Box & Accessory
Les Cabinotiers model
Rarity
One-of-a-kind timepiece
« Pièce unique » and « Les Cabinotiers » inscriptions engraved on the back of the timepiece
After the success of the prototype’s sale at the Only Watch auction, F.P.Journe presents the final version: Astronomic Souveraine. It is a grand complication watch in a steel case, housing 18 complications including tourbillon and minute repeater. This exceptional creation was unveiled on 14 November in Tokyo at first flagship boutique of the brand.
The Astronomic Blue, the prototype of this grand complication, developed specifically for Only Watch 2019 Charity auction, was sold for the amount of CHF 1’800’000.-, a new world record for an F.P.Journe watch.
The 18 carat rose Gold movement of the Astronomic Souveraine is totally novel and very finely decorated. The white Gold dial, whose sub-dials are embellished with clou de Paris decoration, and the moon phases, with a hyper realistic moon that was traced from a NASA photograph.
At 3, there is the mean time (or civil time) dial, with a blue hand indicating a second time zone. At 9, there is the sidereal time dial, which allows the observation of the stars. Next to it, the mean time seconds are shown on a disc. Between the two are the central minutes and the power reserve indication, which remains optimal up to 40 h. Above all this is a blue aperture showing the sunrise and sunset. Here, metal shutters lengthen or shorten the days.
On the reverse there is the equation of time and a full annual calendar encircled by the signs of the zodiac. It is on this side that the dance of the tourbillon may be admired. In all, this watch, which also strikes the hours, the quarters and the minutes, possesses 18 functions and complications.
It is made up of 758 components, in addition to the case. However, the case is no larger than 44 mm in diameter and 13.80 mm thick. Only a very few pieces of the Astronomic Souveraine will be produced each year.
Technical Specifications
Movement
Calibre 1619
Manual winding (34 turns of crown)
In 18K Rose Gold
Power reserve: 40h
Dimensions of the Movement
Overall diameter: 37.00mm
Cased-up diameter: 36.40mm
Height movement: 10.75mm
Height of winding stem: 4.59mm
Diameter of stem thread: S1.20mm
Main Characteristics
Tourbillon with remontoir d’égalité
Minute repeater
Sidereal hours and minutes
2nd time zone
Moon phases
Annual calendar
Equation of time
Sunrise and sunset
Natural dead-beat second
All settings via the crown
Indications
Front: Hours and 2nd time zone at 3
Minutes in the centre
Sunrise and sunset at 12
Sidereal hours and minutes at 9
Power reserve at 6
Moon phases at 5
Second on disc at 7
Back
Equation of time in the center
Annual calendar at 10
Escapement
15 teeth escape wheel
90° Anchor fork
Decorations
Circular waves on bridges
Partly circular grained baseplate
Polished screw heads and chamfered slots
Pegs with polished rounded ends
Case
Steel
Diameter: 44.00mm
Total height: 13.80mm
Number of parts
Movement without dial: 758
Cased on leather strap: 817
Jewels: 68
To support the Only Watch 2019 charity auction, F.P.Journe donates a unique prototype of its proposed Astronomic grand complication watch. The unique movement, the unique blue chrome dial and its unique case in Tantalum makes the F.P.Journe Astronomic Blue a masterpiece horological creation.
This grand complication watch incorporates 18 complications including tourbillon, minute repeater, equation of time, sidereal time, sunrise and sunset, moon phases, 2nd time-zone and annual calendar.
Technical details
Model: F.P.Journe Astronomic Blue Prototype Unique Piece for Only Watch 2019
Case
Case in Tantalum, unique piece developed exclusively for Only Watch
Diameter: 44 mm / Thickness: 13.75 mm
Dial
Blue chrome dial, unique example developed exclusively for Only Watch, with Silver parts.
Indications
Front side: Hours, minutes and seconds of average time, 2nd time zone, Hours and minutes of sidereal time, Sunrise and sunset, Day and night indication, Moon phases and Power reserve
Back side: Annual calendar and Equation of time
Movement
Exclusive manual winding prototype calibre 1619 in 18K rose gold.
Double barrel, minute repeater, tourbillon with « Remontoir d’égalité » performing a complete rotation in 60 seconds, dead-beat second.
Functions and complications: 18
To support Only Watch 2019 Charity auction, Patek Philippe has created a steel version of its Grandmaster Chime watch.
Exclusively presented for Only Watch 2019 and bearing reference number 6300A-010, this unique timepiece is the one and only Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime made in stainless steel.
The Grandmaster Chime is the first Patek Philippe grande-sonnerie wristwatch ever added to the company’s current collection.
The grand complication Ref. 6300A-010 unites accomplishment and elegance in this new and unique stainless steel version boasting two dials in rose gold and black ebony. The reversible case, adorned with a guilloched hobnail pattern, is notable for its patented reversing mechanism.
This exceptional grand complication features 20 complications in its stainless steel case, including no fewer than five chiming modes, two of which are patented world firsts: an acoustic alarm that strikes the preselected time and a date repeater sounding the date on demand.
The shine of steel, rarely used with a Patek Philippe Grand Complication, is particularly striking when combined with the hand-guilloched hobnail pattern which perpetuates the tradition of rare handcrafts.
The special words “The Only One”, which appear at 12 o’clock on the auxiliary dial, further enhance the exclusive value of this unique timepiece.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime reference 6300A-010, Unique Piece for Only Watch 2019
Case
Stainless steel, Reversible case with guilloched hobnail pattern, Humidity and dust protected only (not water resistant).
Diameter: 47.7mm
Thickness: 16.07mm
Dial
18K solid gold dial plates. Time side: rose gold, gold applied Breguet numerals, hand-guilloched hobnail center, « The Only One » inscription in the alarm sub-dial Calendar side: black ebony.
Movement
Manually wound mechanical movement. Caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM. Strikework isolator indicator. Second time zone. Second time zone day/night indicator. Day, date (on both dials), month, leap-year cycle by hands. Four-digit year display in an aperture. 24-hour and minute subdial. Crown position indication (R,A,H).
Flagship of the commemorative pieces presented on the occasion of the manufacture’s 175th anniversary in 2014, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime (reference 5175) entered the regular collection in 2016.
Presented at the Basel-world 2016 exhibition, the Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300 was endowed with a white-gold case and black and white dials. Its timeless style now extends to a new white-gold version with two elegant blue opaline dials.
The first Patek Philippe wristwatch with grande and petite sonnerie, this double-face reversible model also stands out as the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch in regular production.
Its 20 complications include five chiming modes, including two patented world firsts: an acoustic alarm that strikes the preselected time and a date repeater sounding the date on demand.
The case, adorned with a hand-guilloched hobnail pattern, is notable for its patented reversing mechanism enabling the watch to be worn with either dial on view.
The front side, with its center decorated with a hand-guilloched hobnail motif, displays the on/off indications for the acoustic functions, together with civil time, a second time zone, the moon phases, the date, and the power-reserve indicators for the movement and the strikework.
The reverse side is devoted to the perpetual calendar, with a central four-digit year display surrounded by four subsidiary dials (analog date, leap-year cycle, day, month and 24-hour indicator).
Between the two 18K gold dials beats the caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM manually wound movement comprising 1,366 parts.
The drive energy is stored in two double barrels, one for the movement, the other for the strikework. Isolator mechanisms make the watch easy to use and exclude all risk of damage from accidental mishandling.
The new Ref. 6300G-010 with blue dials replaces the previous version in white gold with black and white dials.
It is accompanied by white gold cuff links with blue opaline centers, decorated with a hand-guilloched hobnail pattern.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300G-010, New White Gold Version with Blue Opaline Dials
Movement
Caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM
Manual winding
Grande and petite sonnerie
Minute repeater with classic gongs
Strikework mode display (S G P)
Alarm with time strike
Alarm on/off indication
Date repeater
Movement and strikework power reserve indication
Strikework isolator indication
Second time zone
Second time zone day/night indication
Instantaneous perpetual calendar
Day, date (on both dials), month, leap-year cycle by hands
Four-digit year display in an aperture
Moon phases
24-hour and minute subdial
Crown position indication (R A H)
Diameter: 37 mm
Height: 10.70 mm
Number of parts: 1366
Frequency: 25,200 semi-oscillations/hour (3.5 Hz)
Power reserve: movement: 72 hours; strikework: 30 hours
Displays
Hour hand
Second time zone hour hand
Minute hand
Subsidiary dials:
– 24-hour and minute indication
– Alarm with time strike
– Movement power reserve
– Strikework power reserve
– Strikework mode indication S G P (silence/grande sonnerie/petite sonnerie)
– Crown position indication R A H (winding [R], alarm [A], time setting [H])
– Date (on both dials)
– Day of the week
– Month
– Leap year cycle Apertures:
– Second time zone day/night indication
– Moon phases
– Alarm on/off indication
– Strikework isolator indication
– Four-digit year display
Pushers
Minute repeater on demand
Date repeater
Alarm “on”
Adjustment of second time zone (press once = +1 hour)
Adjustment of second time zone (press once = -1 hour)
Correctors
Date correction
Day-of-week correction
Month correction
Chime selection (S G P)
Year correction (press once = +1 year)
Year correction (press once = -1 year)
Moon-phase correction
Three-position crown:
1. Winding the movement (clockwise)
Winding the strikework (counterclockwise)
2. Alarm time setting and alarm “off”
3. Setting the time
Dials
Time side: blue opaline, gold applied Breguet numerals, hand-guilloched hobnail center
Calendar side: blue opaline
18K solid gold dial plates
White gold pear-shaped hands
Case
White gold
Reversible case adorned with handguilloched hobnail pattern
Diameter: 47.7 mm
Height: 16.07 mm
Humidity- and dust-protected only (not water-resistant)
Strap
Alligator leather with square scales, hand-stitched, shiny navy blue
Fold-over clasp
Cuff Links
Blue opaline center adorned with hand guilloched hobnail pattern
White gold
Delivered with the watch
Last year, Jacob & Co. turned watchmaking on its ear by introducing the Twin Turbo Furious, a grand complication that combined of a twin accelerated triple axis sequential tourbillon, a minute repeater and a mono-pusher chronograph.
To take the Twin Turbo Furious, Jacob & Co. has done what comes naturally to the brand – add baguette gems to this spectacular timepiece. The case of this timepiece is in 18K White Gold and is set with 344 Baguette Diamonds (~16.7cts). Even the clasp of this timepiece is set with 22 Baguette Diamonds (~1.4cts).
Jacob & Co.’s Twin Turbo Furious, which was three years in development, sets itself apart from this distinguished lot, incorporating two accelerated triple axis sequential tourbillon into its striking design. The tourbillons fly their courses at a rhythm of one rotation in 24 seconds on the first axis, in eight seconds on the second, and in 30 seconds on the third. The tourbillon cages housing the regulating organs sweep over all the positions in half a minute and compensates the effects of gravity on the chronometric precision of the movement.
The benefit of the connection between the two tourbillon cages is to stabilize the entire system. In case of impact, if either one of the two tourbillons were to be affected by the shock, the other would instantly compensate the potential discrepancy and maintain the movement’s perfect accuracy.
Minute repeaters are also the most difficult complication for watchmakers to conceive. Nevertheless, Jacob & Co. sought to push the boundaries of what was considered technically feasible when bringing the Twin Turbo Furious to life. In order to simplify the aural indication of time, the Twin Turbo Furious chimes every ten minutes, a so-called decimal repeater that is very rare in high watchmaking.
The power reserve is displayed on the dial side at 6 o’clock. Thanks to an ingenious planetary system comprising a differential gear mechanism; the hand points to a full power reserve on the left, then moves to the right as the 50 hours of reserve winds down. The watch is wound up through the crank placed on the crown at 3 o’clock.
With the Twin Turbo Furious, Jacob & Co. goes even further by adding a very specific chronograph function. Embodying the Swiss House’s determination to always seek new solutions or to create never-before-seen functions, the Twin Turbo Furious is equipped with a “reference time” indicator. The reference time indicator offers instant reading inspired by the timekeeping panels used in motor racing; with each lap, the panels displayed on the side of the track would tell the drivers the time difference between their time and the lap reference time.
The Twin Turbo Furious display is located in the center of the dial, which indicates the difference in seconds in comparison to a reference time.
Technical details
Movement
Caliber: Manufacture Jacob&Co. Manual Winding JCFM05
Size: 34x46mm
Height: 13.7mm
Components: 832
Material: Titanium
System: Double Triple Axis Sequential High-Speed Tourbillon:
• Internal Cage Flying: in 24 seconds
• Intermediary Cage Flying: in 8 seconds
• External Cage Flying: in 72 seconds
Regulator between the Triple Axis High-Speed Tourbillon Carriers; Patented Double Mechanical Safety℗ Feature During a Chiming Sequence; Integrated Chronograph, Horizontal Column-Wheel, Mono Push Start-StopReset
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Frequency: 21’600 vib/h (3Hz)
Jewels: 75
Finishing: Hand Angled and Polished Plate and Bridges; Flank Draw, Circular Graining; Circular Barrel and Plate; Polished Screw; Conical Pinions; 4 Mechanical Ball Bearing Devices; 2 Screw Balances
Functions
1. Hours, Minutes; Small Second Indicator at 9 O’clock
2. Mono Push Chronograph: Minute Counter at 3 o’clock, Centered Second Hand
3. Reference Time Minute and Second displayed at 6 O’clock Aperture; Reference Time Differential, displayed by Chronograph Second Hand on Dial-Trained Pit Board
4. Decimal Minute Repeater: Hours, 10 min. and minutes; 2 Hammers at 12 O’clock
5. Double Triple Axis Sequential High-Speed Tourbillon
6. Power Reserve Indicator at 6 O’clock
Case
Diameter: Dimensions: 57x52mm
Height: 17mm
Material: 1.18K Rose Gold and Carbon Fiber; 18K Rose Gold Bezel set with 154 Baguette Diamonds (~8.06cts) and 190 Baguette Rubies (~9.81cts) ( 2. White Gold; White Gold Bezel set with 344 Baguette Diamonds (~16.7cts)
1. TT800.40.BR.AA.A
2. TT800.30.BD.AA.A
Crystal: Anti-Reflective Domed Sapphire Crystal
Case Back: Sapphire Crystal
Crown: 1.18K Rose Gold; 2. White Gold Crank-handle with Rubber Insert; Integrated Mono-Push Chronograph
Water resistance: 30m
External Parts: Complex shaped case, 88 components
Dial
Smoked Sapphire with “Jacob&Co.” Logo, Red Neoralithe Inner Ring with Second Graduation; Red Neoralithe Indexes with White Superluminova
Hands: 1. 18K Rose Gold; 2. White Gold; White Superluminova
Strap
Black Leather
Clasp: 1.18K Rose Gold deployment clasp set with 22 Baguette Rubies Dégradé (~1.4cts); 2. White Gold deployment clasp set with 22 Baguette Diamonds (~1.4cts).
As a preview of the upcoming SIHH 2019 haute-horlogerie exhibition, Vacheron Constantin presents Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Phoenix, a one-of-a-kind twin-dial model created by the watchmakers of the Les Cabinotiers Department.
Equipped with the famous Calibre 2755, a manual wound movement dedicated to grand complications, this timepiece incorporated 15 horological complications including a minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar and equation of time.
The “Cabinotiers”, is the name given to the prestigious and cultivated watchmakers who worked in workshops on the top floors of Geneva’s buildings. The expertise of these accomplished masters was backed by vast scientific knowledge, fired by a curiosity for new ideas and nurtured by the philosophy of the Enlightenment. Their deft hands craft exceptional timepieces of rare technical and aesthetic complexity, inspired by astronomy, science and the arts.
Vacheron Constantin continues to take on these highly technical and creative challenges within its Les Cabinotiers department, which gives rise to one-of-a-kind models intended for clients and collectors, along with specifically commissioned bespoke timepieces. Engineers, designers, watchmakers and craftsmen unite their imagination, expertise and passion in bringing this extremely refined watchmaking excellence to life.
Taking its named from the legendary phoenix bird, this watch boasts 15 complications. Visible on both sides of the watch, an array of indications – including perpetual calendar, equation of time, sunrise and sunset, sky chart, seasons, signs of the zodiac, age and phase of the moon, solstices, sidereal hours and minutes, power – endow it with nobility and prestige.
A minute repeater and a tourbillon complete this exceptional list of functions. The watchmakers of the Les Cabinotiers department have succeeded in accommodating all these functions within the limited space of the case by maximum miniaturisation of all components, while preserving their reliability.
The numerals and hands stand out clearly against the slate-grey colour of the two dials on either side of the watch, beautifully offsetting the pink gold case. The optimal legibility of this complex model is also ensured by the layout of the additional counters and the various time indications.
The Calibre 2755 powering this extremely complicated watch is movement endowed with a 58-hour power reserve.
Epitomising a subtle balance between innovation and the transmission of ancestral skills, this exceptional model also pays tribute to a pair of engraving art techniques that few artisans still master: pounced ornament – or bas-relief – for the case-band; and fine line engraving for the bezel and case-back.
Given the extreme care lavished on details that constitutes a Vacheron Constantin signature, the wings of the legendary Phoenix bird appear to be literally ready to unfurl on the case-band, while the movement of its slim neck extends elegantly and gracefully to the very tip of its beak.
Technical details
Model: Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Phoenix Reference: 9700C/003R-B187 – Hallmark of Geneva
Movement
Caliber 2755
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin – Mechanical, manual-winding – 33.9 mm diameter,
12.15 mm thick – Approximately 58 hours of power reserve – 2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour) – 839 components
40 jewels
Indications
Hours, minutes, Small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage
15 complications:
1. Minute repeater
2. Tourbillon
3-6. Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year)
7. Power reserve
8. Equation of time
9. Sunrise time
10. Sunset time
11. Sky chart
12. Age and phases of the moon
13. Sidereal hours and minutes
14. Seasons, zodiac signs
15. Striking mechanism torque
Setting
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions) – Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case – Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case – Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece
Case
18K 5N pink gold with case-band hand-engraved with “Phoenix” sculpture, bezel and case back handengraved with an ornamental pattern – 47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick
Swiss luxury watch manufacture Frederique Constant celebrates its 30 years anniversary, by launching a limited edition Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Manufacture timepiece with the new automatic FC-975 in-house movement.
In 2004, Frederique Constant introduced – after three years of research and development- the first in-house patented manufacture movement: the award-winning Heart Beat Manufacture Caliber. Four years later, the brand unveiled its first in-house manufacture Tourbillon based on the Heart Beat Manufacture. In 2016, Frederique Constant created another grand complication: the manufacture Perpetual Calendar. In honor of the brand’s 30 years anniversary, the Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Manufacture represents the outcome of all the knowhow the Brand gathered during the development of its in-house manufacture movements resulting in this grand complication.
This grand complication bears simultaneously: a silicium escapement wheel and anchor, a smart weight balance wheel, and a Tourbillon cage. These timepieces are impressive in horological terms as the Tourbillon has been developed in an industrialized process to the last detail. It’s the accumulation of watchmaking knowledge over the years which allowed this timepiece to emerge. The Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Tourbillon guarantees an exceptional level of performance and the highest standards of craftsmanship distinguished by the features mentioned above.
Innovative techniques overcame the obstacles of using traditional escapement wheels and anchor with the use of materials such as silicium. It benefits the mechanism of the Tourbillon, enabling good friction properties and a gain in efficiency for the energy required in the caliber. This type of material is light, durable, antimagnetic and extremely resistant to temperature changes and achieves a remarkable progress in precision. The friction property is so high that the oil becomes irrelevant. As the escapement wheel activates the “ticking of the watch” and controls the release of energy stored in the mainspring. A lighter escapement wheel enables a reduced inertia and guarantees a greater reliability and accuracy. This ensures an increase of chronometric results over time.
Frederique Constant patented the perfectly balanced cage composed of 80 components all produced with a precision of 1-2 micron (0.001-0.002 mm) by the CNC machine in the Manufacture’s ateliers. In order to achieve the highest degree of precision, small weights are added in the Tourbillon’s cage to obtain a perfect balance. When the Tourbillon is constructed, the balance in the cage is slightly unequal, as the escapement wheel and anchor are decentered. Frederique Constant added a “smart screw” system on the outer edge of the Tourbillon to equalize the weight and deliver a perfect balance in the cage. This results in a more stable amplitude and rate.
Frederique Constant’s Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon mechanism holds a 38 hours power reserve, while running at 4 Hertz with its balance wheel beating 28’800 times per hour. The Tourbillon consists of a mobile cage, driven by a gear train carrying the balance wheel and its escapement. At each impulse received by the balance wheel, the cage rotates slightly with all the components. The gear train moves forward 691,200 times in four years which represents over one billion impulses. This is in high contrast with the Perpetual Calendar system of our movement, which has a wheel turning only once in the same period of four years.
The tourbillon’s cage sits resplendently in an aperture on the dial visible at 6 o’clock, with its incorporated seconds hand that rotates once per minute. Each cage is sequentially numbered on the top plate in the center of the cage, matching the limited edition number on the case. This combination showcases the limited edition of 88 pieces for the stainless steel version and 30 pieces for the 18k rose gold case and displays a unique timepiece number for each collector. The limited 30 pieces edition reflects on the 30 years of the manufacture’s history.
The timepieces range are presented in a substantial 42mm diameter 3 part case, available either in polished stainless steel, in 18k rose gold plated stainless steel or in 18k rose gold with a see through case back. The Swiss-made calibers include 33 jewels and the movements are protected by a 5 ATM case for the stainless steel versions and a 3 ATM case for the 18k gold cases. Two of the timepieces display a breathtaking skeleton silver color dial which boast the aesthetic of a bold design with printed roman numerals.
The watch owner can glance at the elegant perlage hand decorated components of the Perpetual Calendar through the skeleton dial. To complete the look of these timepieces, they bear a brown alligator strap with the rose gold plated stainless steel 3 part case or in a polished stainless steel case with a black alligator strap. The sapphire see-through case back allows the watch owner to admire the delicate Côtes de Genève decoration.
The other two versions display a very clean and refined silver colored dial, with Clous de Paris guilloché decorations and printed Roman numerals. These magnificent timepieces are available in 18k rose gold plated and stainless steel case with a brown alligator strap or in a polished stainless steel case with a black alligator strap.
Technical details
QP Tourbillon Manufacture
Movement
FC-975 Manufacture caliber, automatic tourbillon &perpetual calendar
Perlage &Côtes de Genève decoration on movement
33 jewels, 38 hours power reserve, 28’800 alt/h
Silicium escapement wheel and anchor
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, date, day, month, leap year
Versions
QP Tourbillon Manufacture, Reference: FC-975MC4H6
Polished stainless steel 3-parts case
Diameter of 42mm
Convex sapphire crystal
See through case back
Water-resistant to 5ATM
Silvered color dial, Clous de Paris guilloché decoration, with printed roman numeral indexes
Hand polished black hands
Black alligator strap
Limited edition: 88pcs
Price: 19’495 CHF/ 19’495 EUR/19’995 USD
QP Tourbillon Manufacture, Reference: FC-975MC4H4
Rose gold plated polished stainless steel 3-parts case
Diameter of 42 mm
Convex sapphire crystal
See through case back
Water-resistant to 5ATM
Silvered color dial, Clous de Paris guilloché decoration, with printed roman numeral indexes
Hand polished black hands
Brown alligator strap
Limited edition: 88pcs
Price: 19’995 CHF/ 19’995 EUR/22’995 USD
QP Tourbillon Manufacture, Reference: FC-975S4H6
Polished stainless steel 3-parts case
Diameter of 42mm
Convex sapphire crystal
See through case back
Water-resistant to 5ATM
Skeleton silvered color dial
Hand polished black hands
Black alligator strap
Limited edition: 88pcs
Price: 20’995 CHF/ 20’995 EUR/19’995 USD
QP Tourbillon Manufacture, Reference: FC-975S4H9
18K Rose gold polished 3-parts case
Diameter of 42mm
Convex sapphire crystal
See through case back
Water-resistant to 3ATM
Skeleton silvered color dial
Hand polished black hands
Brown alligator strap
Limited edition: 30pcs
Price: 29’995 CHF/ 29’995 EUR/32’995 USD
Presented at SIHH 2018, the new 44mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication watch models feature ceramic push-pieces and crowns, push-piece guards, cases, and case-backs for a high tech metal look.
Black ceramic is reinforced with yttrium oxide, making it seven times harder than steel. White ceramic on the other hand is reinforced with aluminium oxide which gives it a high gloss finish and makes it even harder than black ceramic and nine times harder than steel.
Equipped with the Manufacture Calibre 2885 automatic movement, the new Audemars Piguet grand complication watch incorporates Minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and split-seconds chronograph.
The new ceramic editions of the AP Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication watch come fitted with black or white rubber strap with titanium pin buckle.
Technical details
Model: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication
Movement
Self-winding Manufacture Calibre 2885
Total diameter 31.60mm (14 lignes)
Total thickness 8.55mm
Number of jewels 52
Number of parts 648
Minimal guaranteed power reserve 45h
Frequency of balance wheel 2.75Hz (=19,800 vibrations/hour)
Functions
Minute repeater, perpetual calendar, chronograph, split-seconds chronograph
Reference: 26582CB.OO.A010CA.01
– Case: White ceramic case, 44mm, glare-proofed sapphire crystal and caseback, white ceramic and titanium push-pieces and crown, white ceramic push-piece guards, water-resistant to 20m
– Dial: Sapphire dial, white counters, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands, silver-toned inner bezel
– Bracelet: White rubber strap with titanium pin buckle
Reference: 26582CE.OO.A002CA.01
– Case: Black ceramic case, 44mm, glare-proofed sapphire crystal and caseback, black ceramic and titanium push-pieces and crown, black ceramic push-piece guards, water-resistant to 20m
– Dial: Sapphire dial, black counters, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands, black inner bezel
– Bracelet: Black rubber strap with titanium pin buckle
Chopard presents two versions – in platinum and rose gold – of the exclusive and ultra-complicated L.U.C 150 All-in-One watch that was originally introduced in 2010 in white gold edition to mark the company’s 150th anniversary.
The L.U.C All-in-One watch encompasses 14 indications on its two faces, including perpetual calendar and astronomical functions, as well as a tourbillon.
Entirely crafted in the Chopard Haute Horlogerie workshops, this tourbillon watch with perpetual calendar and astronomical indications comes in two 10-piece limited series: 10 in platinum and 10 in 18-carat rose gold.
Platinum version of the L.U.C All-in-One watch features an elegant hand-guilloché dial in a grey-blue colour and the rose gold model comes with an eye-catching hand-guilloché dial in a verdigris colour obtained by galvanic treatment.
Combining extreme complexity with the assured and distinctive elegance of the L.U.C collection, these timepieces bear the prestigious Poinçon de Genève stamp certifying Chopard’s exclusive craftsmanship and in-house manufacturing capabilities.
Designed for contemporary gentlemen, sure of their taste and fascinated by exceptional mechanisms, the L.U.C All-in-One is a symbol of Fine Watchmaking for the Maison Chopard. This grand complication watch subtly proclaims its horological sophistication on both sides and throughout the entire seven days of its exceptional power reserve.
The Chopard L.U.C All-in-One grand complication watch is equipped with L.U.C Calibre 05.01-L. With its 516 components, this movement comprises the largest number of complications ever offered within a single L.U.C watch. Its 14 indications spread between its twin faces sum up the broad range of skills mastered by Chopard Manufacture. Equipped with four barrels, this mechanical hand wound caliber can deliver seven days of exceptional power reserve.
The L.U.C All-in-One is graced with exceptional finishing throughout. The 46 mm case with its polished and satin-brushed surfaces is extremely ergonomic and thus makes a perfect fit on the wrist. All the case-back inscriptions are hand-engraved.
The dial is a solid gold plate with a guilloché motif radiating out from the large date at 12 o’clock. It is then coloured in grey blue to match platinum, and in verdigris for a bold combination with 18-carat rose gold. Even more meticulous concern for detail has been lavished on the 516 movement components, hand-crafted in accordance with the noblest traditional techniques.
The ergonomic and horological quality of the L.U.C All-in-One is also apparent in the legibility of its numerous complications. Each sector, indicator and gauge is perfectly sized. All clearly and generously display their respective information on exceptionally finely crafted dials.
On the front side, the perpetual calendar with large date display appears through large apertures and subdials, alongside a magnificently wrought tourbillon.
On the back, the equation of time, power reserve and sunrise and sunset times frame the orbital moon-phase indication.
Limited to 10 pieces, the L.U.C. All-in-One Rose Gold version is fitted with a brown alligator leather strap where as the Platinum variant (also limited to 10 pieces) come with a blue alligator leather strap.
Technical details
Model: Chopard L.U.C All in One 18-carat Rose gold, Limited edition of 10 pieces
Case
18-carat rose gold
Diameter: 46.00 mm
Thickness: 18.50 mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
18-carat rose gold crown with L.U.C logo: 8.50 mm
Vertical satin-brushed case middle
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
Polished bezel and case-back, hand-engraved case-back
Exhibition case-back with fitted glareproofed sapphire crystal
Movement
Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 05.01-L
Number of components: 516
Total diameter: 33.00 mm
Thickness: 11.75 mm
Number of jewels: 42
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Four barrels – Quattro technology
Power reserve: approx. 170 hours (7 days)
Chronometer-certified (COSC)
Poinçon de Genève
Dial and hands
Hand-guilloché dial in a verdigris colour obtained by galvanic treatment
Black and red transfers
Snailed hollowed counters
Gilded hour-markers
Snailed silver-toned exterior
Gilded Dauphine fusée-type hands for the hours and minutes
Gilded baton-type hands for small second display, perpetual calendar, equation of time and 24-hour day/night indication
Red hands for the power reserve and the sunrise and sunset indications
Functions Dial side
Central display of the hours and minutes
Small seconds on a tourbillon at 6 o’clock
Perpetual calendar with 24h indication and day of the week indication at 9 o’clock
Display of the month and leap year at 3 o’clock
Aperture-type large date display at 12 o’clock
Movement side
equation of time, power reserve, 24-hour day/night indication, sunrise and sunset times set to Geneva and astronomical orbital moon phase
Strap
Hand-stitched brown alligator leather with brown alligator leather lining
Polished 18-carat rose gold folding clasp
Edition
Ref. 161925-5002 – in 18-carat rose gold with alligator leather strap
10-piece limited edition
Model: Chopard L.U.C All-in-One Platinum, Limited edition of 10 pieces
Case
950 platinum
Diameter: 46.00 mm
Thickness: 18.50 mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
18-carat white gold crown with L.U.C logo: 8.50 mm
Vertical satin-brushed case middle
Glareproofed sapphire crystal
Polished bezel and case-back, hand-engraved case-back
Exhibition case-back with fitted glareproofed sapphire crystal
Movement
Mechanical hand-wound L.U.C 05.01-L
Number of components: 516
Total diameter: 33.00 mm
Thickness: 11.75 mm
Number of jewels: 42
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Four barrels – Quattro technology
Power reserve: approx. 170 hours (7 days)
Chronometer-certified (COSC)
Poinçon de Genève
Dial
Hand-guilloché dial in a grey-blue colour obtained by galvanic treatment
Black, white and red transfers
Snailed hollowed counters
Snailed silver-toned exterior
Rhodium-plated hour-markers
Rhodium-plated Dauphine fusée-type hands for the hours and minutes
Rhodium-plated baton-type hands for the small second display, perpetual calendar, equation of time and 24-hour day/night indication
Red hands for the power reserve and the sunrise and sunset indications
Functions
Dial side
Central display of the hours and minutes
Small seconds on a tourbillon at 6 o’clock
Perpetual calendar with 24h indication and day of the week indication at 9 o’clock
Display of the month and leap year at 3 o’clock
Aperture-type large date display at 12 o’clock
Movement side
Display of the equation of time, power reserve, 24-hour day/night indication, sunrise and sunset times set to Geneva and astronomical orbital moon phase
Strap
Hand-stitched blue alligator leather with brown alligator leather lining
Polished 18-carat white gold folding clasp
Edition
Ref. 161925-9003 – in platinum with alligator leather strap
10-piece limited edition
In January 2018 at SIHH haute-horlogerie exhibition, Vacheron Constantin unveiled two one-of-a-kind grand complication timepieces – “Ornementale” and “Crocodile” – from their prestigious Les Cabinotiers Collection of highly exclusive mechanical timepieces that house multiple horological complications allied with artistic crafts.
A feat of miniaturisation and handcrafted excellence epitomised in two manual-winding calibres respectively driving 16 and 15 complications displayed between front and back dials, framed by a hand-chased gold case.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Crocodile »
The twin dials of the Grande Complication “Ornementale” and Grande Complication “Crocodile” are adorned with deep shades of aubergine and slate grey, while their cases are respectively engraved with ornamental “Victorian” and crocodile patterns. An elegant alligator leather strap secured by a pin buckle likewise engraved according to the given theme sets the finishing touch to these prestigious watches, presented in a luxurious Makassar ebony wood winder box.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Ornementale »
The manual-winding calibres of these two one-of-a-kind models respectively drive 16 and 15 complications, mostly astronomical. In addition to the hours and minutes, the first (front) dial displays 11 other functions: minute repeater, equation of time, tourbillon, perpetual calendar indicating the date, day of the week, month and leap years, power reserve, as well as sunrise and sunset times.
Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication “Ornementale” also bears an indicator of striking mechanism torque (the power reserve of the minute repeater). The second (back) dial features an array of fascinating astronomical complications: sky chart, equinox and solstice, sidereal hours and minutes, age and phases of the moon, as well as seasons and zodiac signs.
These two new creations are inspired by the famous Tour de l’Île by Vacheron Constantin, paying tribute to 250 years of watchmaking expertise cultivated by the Geneva-based Manufacture.
Launched in 2005, the Tour de l’Île is one of the world’s most complicated wristwatches ever manufactured. The two new masterpieces once again showcase Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in combining a wealth of complications within a small space and magnifying them by remarkable Artistic Crafts.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Crocodile »
On the front, the various major complications are displayed with exemplary clarity and distinction. The minute repeater striking the hours, quarters and minutes on demand is equipped with an ingenious centripetal flywheel strike governor. Perfectly silent and preventing undue wear of the mechanism, it regulates the duration of the musical sequence in order to ensure melodious and distinctly audible notes.
The tourbillon is equipped with a carriage shaped like the Maltese cross emblem of the Maison. The tourbillon rotates at a rate of one complete turn per minute, making light of gravity in order to improve the movement’s precision and also serving as a small seconds display. Meanwhile, the perpetual calendar is capable of keeping up with the complexities of the Gregorian calendar without any need for human intervention other than a date change every 400 years.
On the back of the watch, the second dial is also graced with a wealth of functions, arranged on two levels. The central disc bears a sky chart as well as the four cardinal points. Two North and South openings reveal the month of the year and sidereal hours, corresponding to “true” time.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Ornementale »
A small hand running around the rim shows the age of the moon, meaning the number of days since the last full moon; while a long slender hand featuring a counterweight adorned with a tiny sun indicates the date as well as the zodiac sign, the season and the corresponding equinox or solstice.
Incorporating the equation of time mechanism into a watch for measuring the difference in minutes between solar time and standard legal time, requires considerable expertise. Setting the finishing touch to this first dial, a “customised complication” displays sunset and sunrise times, adjustable according to the reference city chosen by the client.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Crocodile »
Among the most complex movements ever made by Vacheron Constantin, these two calibres – comprising 839 parts for the Grande Complication “Ornementale” and 836 for the Grande Complication “Crocodile” – endowed with a 58-hour power reserve measure just 33.90 mm in diameter and 12.15 thick.
Entirely developed and manufactured in-house, these calibres are housed in a 47 mm-diameter gold case whose characteristics are specifically designed to ensure the best possible sound quality of the minute repeater. In addition, each of the components, finely adjusted and harmonised to guarantee optimal performance, is distinguished by meticulous hand-crafted finishing.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Ornementale »
This exceptional timepiece displays its multiple functions on two gold dials crafted in an elegant aubergine purple shade with a sunray satin-finish. The front dial is graced with applied hour-markers, Dauphine-type hands and finely snailed counters, suffused with the radiance of the finely crafted white gold case.
The bezel, caseband, lugs and pin buckle are adorned with an ornamental pattern inspired by 19th century Victorian architecture.
Reflecting the traditional skills cultivated by the Maison, this miniature sculpture represents a feat of dexterity and meticulous care, combining pounced ornament and bas-relief techniques with various types of fine line engraving.
Technical details
Model: Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Ornementale Reference 80175/000G-B280 Hallmark of Geneva
Movement
Caliber Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.9 mm (14’’’ ¾) diameter
12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
839 components
42 jewels
Indications
Hours, minutes
Small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage
16 complications:
1. Minute repeater
2. Tourbillon
3-7 Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year)
8. Power reserve
9. Equation of time
10. Sunrise time
11. Sunset time
12. Sky chart
13. Age and phases of the moon
14. Sidereal hours and minutes
15. Seasons, zodiac signs
16. Striking mechanism torque
Setting
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case
Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece
Case
18K white gold with bezel, case band, and back-side hand-engraved with an ornamental “Victorian” pattern
47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick
Dials (face & back side)
18K white gold, eggplant sunray satin-finished
18K white gold applied hour-markers
18K white gold hands
Strap
Dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle: 18K white gold open buckle with ornamental “Victorian” pattern; Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Box
Prestige winder box made of Makassar ebony wood
Accessories
Delivered with a corrector pen, a magnifying glass
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication « Crocodile »
This timepiece radiates charisma in a case adorned with two crocodiles and scales in varying sizes. Portraying the reptiles in relief, sculpted from a single block of metal using the pounced ornament technique and various types of fine line engraving (matt, sandblasted, brushed and polished) involves carefully controlled operations requiring virtuoso skill.
The finesse of the work on the scales dotted across the bezel, lugs and caseback instil vibrant life, light and contrasts into this miniature masterpiece, born under the expert touch of an experienced master engraver.
This pink gold workmanship makes a perfect match with the understated elegance of the two slate-coloured dials on the front and back of the watch. This eminently legible and refined display is enhanced on the front with pink gold applied hour-markers, leaf-shaped hands and finely snailed counters.
Engraved with the inscriptions “Pièce Unique”, “Les Cabinotiers”, and bearing the “AC” (Atelier Cabinotiers) hallmark engraved on the caseback, Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication “Ornementale” et “Crocodile” watches are fitted with a Mississippiensis alligator strap secured by a hand-engraved buckle and presented in an opulent Makassar ebony wood winder box, complete with a corrector pen and a magnifying glass.
Technical details
Model: Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Crocodile Reference 9700C/001R-B187 Hallmark of Geneva
Movement
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.9 mm (14’’’ ¾) diameter
12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
836 components
42 jewels
Indications
Hours, minutes
Small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage
15 complications:
1. Minute repeater
2. Tourbillon
3-7. Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year)
8. Power reserve
9. Equation of time
10. Sunrise time
11. Sunset time
12. Sky chart
13. Age and phases of the moon
14. Sidereal hours and minutes
15. Seasons, zodiac signs
Setting
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case
Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece
Case
18K 5N pink gold with crocodile pattern hand engraved on the case band
47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick
Strap
Dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle: 18K 5N pink gold open buckle with “crocodile pattern”; Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Box
Prestige winder box made of Makassar ebony wood
Accessories
Delivered with a corrector pen, a magnifying glass
Patek Philippe presents a redesigned version of its famous Grand Complication with a minute repeater, a tourbillon, and a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date. It sports a new platinum case with a two-tier bezel and lugs as well as a black enamel dial with an aperture for the enamel lunar disk.
The movement powering this grand complication timepiece is Caliber R TO 27 PS QR. The aperture at 12 o’ clock displays leap year. The windows at 3 o’ clock and 9 o’ clock respectively indicate month and day of the week. The retrograde date is indicated by an unusual hand with a diamond-shaped tip.
The sub-dial at 6 o’ clock incorporates small seconds function and moon phases. It also spotlights the inscription “TOURBILLON” to indicate the presence of one of the most spectacular horological complications. The minute repeater can be activated by a slide piece.
Technical details
Model: Patek Philippe Grand Complication in Platinum, Reference 5316P-001
Movement
Manually wound mechanical movement
Caliber R TO 27 PS QR
Third wheel in gold
Height: 8.61 mm
Jewels: 28
Bridges: 13
Balance: Gyromax®
Vibrations/hour: 21 600 (3 Hz)
Hallmark: Patek Philippe Seal
Functions
Minute repeater
Tourbillon
Chime with two gongs activated by a slide piece in the case
Perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand
Day, month, leap year in apertures
Moon phases
Seconds subdial
Case
Material: Platinum
Case is humidity and dust protected only (not water resistant)
Case diameter: 40.2 mm
Interchangeable full back and sapphire-crystal case back
With this new Grande Complication timepiece unveiled at Baselworld 2017, Swiss luxury watchmaker Breguet pays tribute to its rich tradition in the field of marine chronometers.
Throughout his career, A.-L. Breguet consistently demonstrated his exceptional mastery of time measurement. His strong involvement and his revolutionary developments earned him significant recognition and numerous honours.
In 1814, Louis XVIII, king of France appointed him a member of the Bureau des longitudes in Paris. This body created in 1795 by the National Convention was dedicated to the advancement of the various branches of astronomy and their applications to geography, navigation and geodesy (the measurement and understanding of Earth’s physical properties). Its tasks included the annual publication of reference documents such as astronomical ephemerides.
The Bureau des longitudes was a prestigious organisation whose 20 or so members included geometers, astronomers, seafarers and associate artists. The only representative of his profession that was eminently useful to physicists and navigators, Breguet became the horological authority, notably for the calculation of longitudes at sea. As an extension of this distinction, through an ordinance issued on October 27th 1815, Louis XVIII awarded A.-L. Breguet the official title of chronometer maker to the French Royal Navy.
This was the most prestigious title a horologist could hope to receive, given that the very concept of marine chronometry implied scientific knowledge. It also involved playing a crucial role for the country, as marine chronometers were of capital importance for fleets by making it possible to calculate ships’ positions at sea.
Following in the wake of this unique heritage, the House of Breguet now launches a worldwide exclusive model named the Marine Équation Marchante 5887. This “Grande Complication” marks the start of a new era for the contemporary Marine collection.
The equation of time is one of the rarest and most fascinating horological complications. It serves to display the difference between mean solar time, corresponding to civil or standard hours and minutes, and true solar time, meaning the actual solar hours and minutes.
Since Antiquity, the sun has been used as the basis of time. Nonetheless, the visible motion of the sun – the true solar time indicated on sundials – is irregular. With the improvement of timekeeping precision, watches and clocks became the basis of time and true solar time was replaced by mean solar time, within which each day has the same duration of exactly 24 hours. True solar time may show a discrepancy with mean solar time ranging from minus 14 minutes to plus 16 minutes.
On just four days a year, the two times are exactly the same. Given that the variations between true solar time and mean solar time are repeated in an identical manner on the same dates, watchmakers can reproduce them mechanically by means of a special cam. Shaped like a bean, the cam requires extremely accurate execution.
It is coupled with a feeler-spindle that drives an equation lever serving to indicate the difference between civil time and solar time. This read-off is generally provided on a sector or subdial. It is then up to the user to mentally add or subtract the difference displayed in relation to mean time in order to calculate true solar time. The new Marine Équation Marchante from Breguet supersedes this principle. It simultaneously indicates civil time and true time by means of two separate minutes hands.
The running solar hand, adorned with a facetted golden sun, provides a direct reading of solar time minutes that is both quicker and more user-friendly. This apparently simplicity conceals an arduous construction process that few watchmakers are capable of achieving. The solar minutes hand has to meet two imperative demands: it must sweep in a conventional way around the dial, like the civil minutes hand, while also daily moving away from the latter, in order to display true solar time taking into account the equation of time.
Breguet was able to accomplish this by equipping its running solar hand with a differential gear powered by two rotation sources operating entirely independently: the rotation of civil minutes, and that controlled by the lever in contact with the equation of time cam, which makes one full turn per year. Breguet has developed an extremely slim equation cam borne by using a transparent sapphire disc.
Technical details
