This quartet of Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers La Quête high complications honour 270 years of astronomic momentum
Borna Bošnjak- Vacheron Constantin releases four ultra-complicated watches as part of its 270th anniversary celebrations.
- The “Quête” (meaning “quest”) collection is comprised of three double-sided pieces, one with 24 complications, one with 23, and one with 16; and a bi-retrograde display bi-axial tourbillon.
- All four are part of VC’s Les Cabinotiers line, and are expectedly all “price on request”.
Despite an industry that has seen an unprecedented downturn over the last couple of years, with the focus on volume and profits ever more relevant, some brands persist as guiding stars for what it really means to be a haute horlogerie manufacture. If you ask me, none do that better than Vacheron Constantin. The sheer number of inventive, unique pieces coming from Plan-les-Ouates is astonishing, and despite these not being commercial, high-volume (and high-profit) pieces, they form an important part of the brand’s ethos.
In many ways, it’s almost like concept cars – a dying breed that no longer attracts eyeballs at sprawling car shows for their outlandish designs, promise of craftsmanship, and a window into the brand’s future. The difference with VC’s Les Cabinotiers division is that these are living, breathing things rather than just non-functional design challenges, which makes them all the more impressive. If you couldn’t tell already, I’m a fan, and the three novelties forming a small part of the 270th anniversary “La Quête” collection are worthy birthday treats. Let me take you through them here.
Les Cabinotiers Cosmica Duo Grand Complication
Let me start by simply describing the Cosmica Duo by numbers: 24 total complications, 47mm x 20.2mm case, 1,003 components, two reversible sides, production run of just one. That should give you an idea of what this watch does – given the number of complications, just about everything – but let’s dig a little deeper. The movement is actually based on Vacheron’s 2020 Grand Complication, with the original base modified, and two additional plates for the perpetual calendar, celestial chart, and astronomical indications essentially redeveloped.
In order to fit all of this information into a digestible layout, Vacheron has devised a reversible mechanism for the white gold case that actually shrunk by a couple of millimetres all around compared to the aforementioned Grand Complication. The first dial, a blue opaline number, shows you “regular” time and the perpetual calendar indicators, with a sky chart, sidereal day, and world time, among others. The reverse sports a completely open look, showing off the large tourbillon at 12 o’clock, while the central handset is responsible for true solar time, flanked by sunrise and sunset times and the moonphase. Time for me to update our list of the most complicated watches, I guess…
Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication
Doubling the production run of the Cosmica Duo is the Celestia Grand Complication, and while its complication count is one less, it’s no less impressive. It splits its utility across three different displays of time – civil, solar, and astral – with separate gear trains for each courtesy of the Calibre 3600, which was first released in 2017. Available in either a white or pink gold execution – in which the case, dial, hands, indices, and clasp are all previous metal – the Celestia measures in at 45mm in diameter and 13.91mm thick. The case flanks are hand-engraved to represent different takes on ancient understanding of the universe: the pink gold model represents Copernicus’ heliocentric model, while the white gold tributes Ptolemy’s much older, though incorrect, geocentric theory.
Despite this relatively compact case considering the number of complications, the Celestia sports no less than six series-mounted barrels, amounting to a three-week power reserve. Handy for a manually wound watch that I imagine would be a nightmare to reset. That said, if you’re in the market for a watch like this, I’d imagine you could hire someone who could give it a wind every once in a while.
Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication High Jewellery Moon Dust
If lots of complications and hand-engraving don’t quite cut it when it comes to wow factor, the aptly named Moon Dust Grand Complication High Jewellery adds nearly 10 carats of baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds, totalling 365 stones ranging from 0.7mm to 2mm in size. Filling the spaces between the diamonds are hand-engraved surfaces with astronomical themes, amounting to 180 hours of work required for the engraving alone.
Completing the double-sided trio, the Moon Dust features no less than 10 hands on its PVD-coated and guilloched front side, while the reverse is reserved for astronomical complications. The origins of the Calibre 2755 GC16 actually date back 20 years to the 250th anniversary Tour de l’Ile, counting 16 complications including a tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, sidereal time, and a Northern Hemisphere celestial chart.
Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Myth of the Pleiades
In any other line-up, a bi-retrograde, armillary tourbillon watch is pretty much top dog. Here, it looks almost pedestrian with its single-digit number of high-end complications, which in my book just elevates the entire quartet even more. As you may be able to tell from its design, the spherical balance-equipped tourbillon is the centrepiece, comprised of two cages that rotate, tracing a Maltese cross every 15 seconds in one of the most “just because we can” displays of tourbillon design tour de force I’ve seen.
The double retrograde time display floats above openworked bridges, while the caseback is adorned with horizontal Geneva striping that follows the direction of the gear train. This particular model is engraved with the story of Orion battling the Pleiades, while the other flank depicts Athena on the sails of Argos, navigating by the light of the Taurus constellation. As the finishing touch, Vacheron Constantin’s master engraver highlights the 10 visible stars of the constellation with brilliant-cut diamonds.