Eight Years in the Making: A Singular Timepiece

A remarkable, highly complicated watch has recently been unveiled by Vacheron Constantin in Geneva.

Vacheron Constantin is renowned as one of the oldest watch brands, celebrating its 260th anniversary in 2015. Since its founding, the maison has continuously produced timepieces, deeply inheriting the tradition of Geneva's historic watchmakers, the 'cabinotiers'.

In this milestone year, a special watch befitting the esteemed heritage of this prestigious brand has been born. It is the "most complicated watch in history," featuring 57 complications.

Vacheron Constantin offers a bespoke service called 'Atelier Cabinotiers' for fully custom-made watches. The timepiece recently unveiled, the 'Reference 57260,' was commissioned by a client through this service.

The list of its extraordinary complications is extensive, including a tourbillon with a spherical hairspring, perpetual calendars based on multiple different calendar systems, a moon phase requiring no adjustment for 1027 years, various astronomical displays, a retrograde split-seconds chronograph controlled by three column wheels, and a minute repeater with a beautiful Westminster chime played by a carillon.

Three watchmakers from the prestigious manufacture dedicated eight years to the development and production of this watch. As a unique piece created through a bespoke order system, it is an unparalleled and exceptionally rare timepiece.

Combining the craftsmanship passed down through 260 years with the innovative technologies employed in its development, this watch can rightly be called the most complex timepiece in horological history.





Ref.57260
Case | 18K White Gold
Diameter | 98mm
Thickness | 50.55mm
Movement | Manual-winding (Cal.3750, approx. 60-hour power reserve)
Functions | Regulator-type hours, minutes, and seconds display. Armillary spherical tourbillon regulator with spherical hairspring. Tri-axial tourbillon. 12-hour second time zone display (hours and minutes). World time display for 24 cities. Day/night indication for 12-hour world time. Gregorian perpetual calendar. Gregorian day of the week display. Gregorian month display. Gregorian retrograde date display. Leap year indication. Day of the week number display (ISO 8601 calendar). Week number of the year display (ISO 8601 calendar). Jewish perpetual calendar with a 19-year cycle. Hebrew day of the week name. Hebrew month name. Hebrew date display. Hebrew secular calendar. Hebrew century, decade, and year display. Jewish calendar month indication (12 or 13 months). Golden number display for the 19-year cycle. Seasonal, equinox, solstice, and zodiacal indications via solar hands. Astronomical display (adjusted for owner's location). Sidereal time. Sidereal minutes. Sunrise time display (adjusted for owner's location). Sunset time display (adjusted for owner's location). Equation of time. Length of day (adjusted for owner's location). Length of night (adjusted for owner's location). Moon phase and age display (no adjustment needed for 1027 years). Yom Kippur date display. Retrograde 1/5th second chronograph (one column wheel). Retrograde 1/5th second split-seconds chronograph (one column wheel). 12-hour totalizer (one column wheel). 60-minute totalizer. Single gong and hammer striking alarm. Alarm striking/silence switching display. Normal alarm/Carillon striking alarm selection display. Alarm function linked to carillon striking function. Alarm striking function with selectable Grand Sonnerie/Petite Sonnerie. Alarm power reserve display. Carillon Westminster chime with five bells and five hammers. Grand Sonnerie passing strike. Petite Sonnerie passing strike. Minute repeater. Night silence function. System for disengaging barrels when fully wound. Grand Sonnerie/Petite Sonnerie mode display. Silent/Striking/Night mode display. Power reserve display for the going train. Power reserve display for the striking train. Winding crown position indicator. Striking lock indicator. Winding system for double barrels. 2-position, 2-direction setting system. Recessed winding crown for alarm function.
Limited Edition | 1 piece (Bespoke order via Atelier Cabinotiers)
Price | Not disclosed