It’s been quite a year for Vacheron Constantin.
Back at Watches and Wonders in April, the maison debuted the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Complication which, with 43 different functions, is currently the world’s most complicated wristwatch. Beyond this spectacularly sophisticated piece, it also released the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in platinum, a selection of limited-edition Traditionnelle openworked models, simpler Traditionnelle and Patrimony dress watches and a series of Les Cabinotiers references that pay tribute to the Tour de l’Ile, which housed the firm’s Genevan workshops in the 19th century. And this is to say nothing of several more watches released since the trade show took place this spring.
But surely you didn’t think the year would pass without any more birthday-related fanfare, did you? This week, Vacheon released two novelties that are sure to capture some well-deserved GPHG attention: The first, an automaton clock dubbed La Quête du Temps, is surely spectacular, albeit more of an art installation than a practical timekeeper: Weighing 550 pounds, utilizing over 6,000 components and measuring 3.5 feet tall, it’s currently parked at the Louvre — and we don’t recommend trying to move it. The second, however, is a 20-piece limited edition wristwatch: Housed within the Métiers d’Art collection, it’s called Tribute to the Quest of Time, and it can only be described as spectacular: Housed within a 43mm white gold case measuring 13.85 mm tall, it features dual dials, several unique complications and more hand-finishing than you can shake a stick at.
Looking at the “Tribute” from the front, one is greeted with a special time-telling display that utilizes a humanoid figure crafted from gold PVD-coated titanium. This Vitruvian Man-like anthropoid’s arms correspond to hour and minute tracks located along the dial sides — as the day progresses, they move along their axes and then snap back to the top of the scale in retrograde following each 12-hour cycle. Located near the figurine’s feet are two small indicator hands, which are actually part of a single power reserve indicator split between days 0-3 and 4-6 for the purpose of dial symmetry. A three-dimensional titanium Moon — finished in golden and blue PVD to differentiate the “dark” side from the visible — rotates around its axis beneath the 12 o’clock position while a ring tracking its age rotates separately.
This unique time-telling display is located atop a double-layer sapphire dial that gives a full view onto the movement beneath: While the top blue fumé layer features a magnificent and highly detailed sky chart executed via metallization, the second sapphire crystal protects the first from damage. (The view of the heavens is actually that which Vacheron Constantin founder Jean-Marc Vacheron would have seen from Geneva on September 17, 1755 — the day of the brand’s founding.) Beneath both of these is the hand-wound Vacheron Constantin cal. 3670, which beats at 5 Hz via a three-barrel design and boasts no fewer than 512 components. Interestingly, it features dual operating modes: It can be made to run in “active” mode, in which the watch’s arms are constantly moving, or “passive” mode, in which the arms remain in a neutral position until actuated using a pusher at 10 o’clock on the watch’s case. (When reactivated using the pusher, the arms return to neutral.)
But that’s not all: Flip the watch over and you’re greeted with yet another transparent crystal: Here, the glass protects a sapphire dial with a blue disc that displays a sky chart. Tracking the constellations in real time, it shows the sidereal day — the time taken by the Earth to rotate on its axis relative to the stars, which is shorter than the solar day. Finished with a dark blue alligator leather strap with gold thread and an 18K white gold folding clasp, the Tribute to the Quest of Time joins other celestial-complication pieces within the maison’s catalog, from the 2017’s Les Cabinotiers Celestia to 2021’s Les Cabinotiers Armillary tourbillon perpetual calendar Planetaria, which features a three-dimensional representation of the two hemispheres. Featuring four patent applications and limited to just 20 pieces, it’s a stunning culmination of 270 years of horological innovation from one of the world’s most important watchmakers.
Even if you can’t snag an allocation yourself, this is the type of timepiece that watch heads are happy simply exists.
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Quest of Time
Diameter: 43mm
Movement: Vacheron Constantin cal. 3670 hand-wound
Water Resistance: 30m
Special Features: Retrograde hours and minutes; power reserve indicator; celestial complication; 3-D moonphase indication
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