Vacheron Constantin Celebrates 270 Years With A Clock Of Mindblowing Complexity

• To celebrate the 270th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin, the watchmaker has unveiled two new novelties of mind-blowing complexity. 
• The star of the show is the colossal La Quête du Temps automaton clock, standing over 1m tall, weighing 250 kg, and comprising 6,293 components.
• Accompanying the La Quête du Temps masterpiece is the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time wristwatch, featuring two faces and comprising of 512 components.

This year has been one to remember for Vacheron Constantin. In celebration of its 270th anniversary, the watchmaker unveiled the world’s most complicated wristwatch in April (alongside plenty of other anniversary edition novelties) and now this week (exactly 270 years to the hour since Vacheron Constantin was founded) we see two remarkable creations in the La Quête du Temps automaton clock and the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time, wristwatch.

As a point of reference from someone who writes about watches a lot, most press releases for a new watch release are two or three pages long. In contrast, the press release for the La Quête du Temps automaton clock is a full 30 pages long. 

It would be impossible to cover every detail here, but the easiest way to understand the La Quête du Temps automaton clock is to break it down into three sections: the artistic masterpiece that is the base, the central astronomical clock itself, and the automaton that crowns the entire piece. 

The automaton is a cast bronze human figure (capable of 144 different movements) that stands at the centre of a glass dome, resplendent with the constellations positioned exactly as they would have appeared above Geneva when Vacheron Constantin was founded, on 17 September 1755. When the automaton is activated, the figure begins a mechanical dance, appearing to look around, gesturing to the sky, and then indicating the time by pointing to curved hour and minute scales suspended within the dome.

The central astronomical clock features dials on two sides and is constructed predominantly from
layers of mirrored rock crystal. The main dial features retrograde hour and minute indicators framing the dial, an extremely large tourbillon at 12 o’clock, an engraved and lacquered day/night indicator at 6 o’clock, and displays of the day, date, month, and 15-day power reserve.

The rear dial showcases a celestial chart of the Northern Hemisphere that tracks the constellations in real time, which also tracks the sidereal time (a time scale that is based on Earth’s rate of rotation measured relative to the fixed stars). Framing this constellation are a series of rings around the dial showing the months, the seasons, equinoxes, and the astrological zodiac signs.

The base is comparatively simple in its appearance (despite housing the mechanics used for the automaton), but what it lacks in visual complexity is made up for in its level of craft, displaying the order of the planets in our solar system against a backdrop of rich blue lapis lazuli. The planets are represented using different semi-precious hardstones, their names via mother-of-pearl inlays, and other surfaces are covered in rock crystal and quartzite.

“Is it always possible to do better? Is it always possible to be amazed?” asks Laurent Perves, CEO of Vacheron Constantin. “Undeniably.”

“The result of seven years of work, this unparalleled collaborative project has given life to a marvellous object, a mécanique d’art that brings together mankind and the universe, in an unprecedented cultural and artistic statement. It also inspired, as is always the case at Vacheron Constantin, a Métiers d’Art wristwatch like no other.”

Accompanying the mechanical and artistic triumph of the La Quête du Temps automaton clock is a limited edition timepiece (20 pieces) that shrinks the signature motifs of the clock down into a wearable format. Cased in white gold (43mm in diameter and 13.58mm thick), it’s powered by the new, manually wound, in-house Calibre 3670 movement, which is the subject of four patents and comprises 512 components.

The front dial of the watch features a titanium human figure that indicates the time through a retrograde display with its arms, drawing inspiration from the ‘Bras en l’Air’ pocket watch from 1930. Above the figure is a hand-engraved, three-dimensional moonphase indicator, while below each of the two retrograde hours and minutes arcs are twin power reserve indicators (six days total).

One of the most impressive details of the movement is that it allows for two running modes. One in standby, where the arms of the human figure rest in a neutral position and can be activated at the press of a button at 10 o’clock, and the second (more power reserve intensive) mode, where the arms are constantly tracking the time.

On the reverse dial is a star chart that perfectly recreates the position of the constellations in the Geneva sky on the day of Vacheron Constantin’s founding, while also tracking sidereal time and the movements of the constellations above us in real time. It’s paired with a dark blue alligator leather strap, hand-stitched with gold thread, and secured with a white gold folding clasp.

Both timepieces are a thoughtful celebration of Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary, not only showcasing the near-peerless levels of watchmaking it is capable of today, but also its level of artistic craftsmanship and the depths of its archives, showcased by the nods to historical watches. If that wasn’t enough, their unveiling arrives at exactly the watchmaker’s anniversary on the morning of September 17.

While pricing for both the La Quête du Temps automaton clock and the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time wristwatch remains “Price On Request”, Vacheron Constantin welcomes interested clients to contact their nearest boutique if they wish to add either creation to their collection.