Watches are one of our favorite topics here at The Manual. So, we all tend to tune in during Watches and Wonders in Geneva and await what awesome chrono-technology we have to look forward to for the year. This year, we were all graced with the unveiling of the most complicated watch in the planet’s history. The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Ultra Grand Complication is a sight and a wonder of innovation.
“Because it is the most complicated wristwatch in the history of horology, with an unprecedented 41 complications, the mechanism had to be arranged in the most logical and compact way possible,” says Style and Heritage Director Christian Selmoni. “The main objective was to bring together all the main complications, timekeeping, astronomical, chronograph, and chiming, on a single base plate. Thanks to this construction, it was possible to create a wristwatch with harmonious proportions. Many of the innovations of this watch are related to the solutions found to avoid adding bulk and to gain in energy efficiency. The 72-hour power reserve attests to the latter.”
A wonder of wonder and miniturization
There are so many things to talk about with this new watch, including 41 complications, a new manufacture Calibre 3655, 13 patent applications, and 1521 components, but the most impressive part of this technical brilliance is its size. The result of eight years of research and experimentation is packed into a relatively small case.
“The miniaturisation of the movement is an essential point – a real watchmaking feat. Accommodating 1521 components in a case for a chiming watch with a diameter of 45mm and a thickness of 14.99mm was indeed a challenge,” Meroni says. “Everything about the design of Calibre 3655 has been thought out with space constraints in mind, especially regarding the minute repeater with a four-gong and four-hammers Westminster chime. Redesigned with more compact dimensions and greater mass, the hammers and gongs are positioned on either side of the base plate to gain height and efficiency.”
