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Lot Essay
Vacheron Constantin is one of the greatest watch houses in the world, their reputation for innovation and excellence in the production of complicated watches is almost unrivalled. The company currently holds the record for making the most complicated watch in the world, the reference 57260, with an incredible 57 complications including a (retrograde) split-seconds chronograph.
In 2015, at the same time that the world’s most complicated watch was being unveiled in celebration of the company’s 260th anniversary (the oldest continuous watchmaker in the world), the ‘Harmony’ collection had also undergone a transformation after 7 years of development. At the very pinnacle of this range which features cushion-shaped watches inspired by the style of the 1920s updated for modern tastes, is the Ultra Thin Grande Complication Chronograph, a timepiece that immediately set yet another record for Vacheron Constantin for the world’s thinnest self-winding monopusher split seconds chronograph.
The movement of this watch truly sets it apart from other split-seconds chronographs, despite being incredibly thin, it is also functionally very complicated yet precise, a design that has earned it the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Measuring at just 5.2 mm. thick, the calibre contains 459 components, with some springs being as small as 3⁄100ths of a millimetre. Further increasing the impressiveness of this feat are the various technological advancements housed in the movement, such as a sizeable 51-hours power reserve and a clutch system designed to enable fluid operation of the chronograph seconds hand. On the dial side, the watch is refreshingly crisp and clean, with clear Arabic numerals and a silvered opaline dial featuring a subtle power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock.
To show off the complexity of this movement, visible through the sapphire case back, the attractive hand-engraved gold rotor is set at the periphery of the calibre, enabling an unobstructed view of the watch’s inner mechanics. Vacheron, to prevent overwinding, has also managed to incorporate a locking mechanism within the watch, which automatically stops the rotor from moving once the watch is fully wound.
Further enhancing the present example’s appeal however, is its rarity, only 10 pieces were produced. For the collector of high complication watches, there is no better opportunity than the present example to own a truly symbolic and complicated piece from one of the most respected watchmakers in the industry.
In 2015, at the same time that the world’s most complicated watch was being unveiled in celebration of the company’s 260th anniversary (the oldest continuous watchmaker in the world), the ‘Harmony’ collection had also undergone a transformation after 7 years of development. At the very pinnacle of this range which features cushion-shaped watches inspired by the style of the 1920s updated for modern tastes, is the Ultra Thin Grande Complication Chronograph, a timepiece that immediately set yet another record for Vacheron Constantin for the world’s thinnest self-winding monopusher split seconds chronograph.
The movement of this watch truly sets it apart from other split-seconds chronographs, despite being incredibly thin, it is also functionally very complicated yet precise, a design that has earned it the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Measuring at just 5.2 mm. thick, the calibre contains 459 components, with some springs being as small as 3⁄100ths of a millimetre. Further increasing the impressiveness of this feat are the various technological advancements housed in the movement, such as a sizeable 51-hours power reserve and a clutch system designed to enable fluid operation of the chronograph seconds hand. On the dial side, the watch is refreshingly crisp and clean, with clear Arabic numerals and a silvered opaline dial featuring a subtle power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock.
To show off the complexity of this movement, visible through the sapphire case back, the attractive hand-engraved gold rotor is set at the periphery of the calibre, enabling an unobstructed view of the watch’s inner mechanics. Vacheron, to prevent overwinding, has also managed to incorporate a locking mechanism within the watch, which automatically stops the rotor from moving once the watch is fully wound.
Further enhancing the present example’s appeal however, is its rarity, only 10 pieces were produced. For the collector of high complication watches, there is no better opportunity than the present example to own a truly symbolic and complicated piece from one of the most respected watchmakers in the industry.