To prove that its Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 and the Symphonia Grande Sonnerie 1860 wristwatches weren't a pair of flukes, Vacheron Constantin has released its latest bit of haute horologie, Les Cabinotiers minute repeater tourbillon sky chart. A product of the manufacturer's Les Cabinotiers department, the dress timepiece sports a minute repeater function and localized sky chart on the reverse.
It appears Vacheron Constantin is determined to show off both its design credentials and technological abilities in 2018. Its previous sibling, the Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Phoenix, may have had 15 functions while the minute repeater only has three, but one of those three is a real watchmaker's party piece.
Some complications are more difficult to pull of than others, and one of the hardest to master in a wristwatch is the minute repeater. The dedicated drivetrain, power reserves, and miniaturization needed to place such an on-demand function to chime out the minutes is right up there with a stunt man being able to deliberately roll an Aston Martin seven times in terms of difficulty to execute.
Along with the minute repeater, the new watch has a tourbillon at six o'clock of the black guilloché dial with baguette-cut diamond hour-markers as well as 18K white gold hours, minutes, and seconds hands. Meanwhile, on the reverse is the sky chart showing the heavens as seen from Geneva, where the Les Cabinotiers minute repeater tourbillon sky chart was born. This is synchronized to sidereal time with a day of 23 hours and 56 minutes and the sapphire crystal has an elliptical window to show the constellations visible for the time of day or night.
The Les Cabinotiers minute repeater tourbillon sky chart is run by the 2755 caliber developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin. The mechanical, manually-wound, 2.5-Hz (18,000-vbh) movement boasts 413 components, including 38 jewels, and has a 58-hour power reserve.
Outside, the Les Cabinotiers minute repeater tourbillon sky chart has a 45-mm case in 18K white gold with bezel and horns set with 112 baguette-cut diamonds weighing in for a total of about 5.8 carats. The strap is made of black Mississippiensis alligator leather. It's hand-stitched, saddle-finished with large, square scales and a matching 18K white gold folding clasp in a polished half-Maltese-cross shape.
The Les Cabinotiers minute repeater tourbillon sky chart comes in a luxury box made of Makassar ebony wood that includes a corrector pen. The price is available on request – in other words, it's not cheap.
Source: Vacheron Constantin
