Vacheron Constantin marks its 270th anniversary with a tribute to the Maison's legacy: La Quête du Temps and limited edition wristwatch - check them out below.
Vacheron Constantin have unveiled an astronomical clock that combines a timekeeping instrument, the traditions of Haute Horlogerie, artistic craftsmanship and the kinetics of an automaton.
“Is it always possible to do better? Is it always possible to be amazed? Undeniably,” said Laurent Perves, CEO of Vacheron Constantin.
La Quête du Temps stands more than a metre high, its structure defined by three integrated sections: the dome, the astronomical clock and the base.
Rock crystal is the signature material, with transparent material cladding the base to honour the automaton's mechanism, revealing the different elements vibrate and come to life when it is activated.
To achieve lightness and transparency the design consists of a two-level plinth inlaid with lapis lazuli depicting the solar system relating to the watchmakers deep history with astronomy.
For La Quête du Temps, several teams within the Maison pooled their skills to design both the technical and aesthetic aspects of the timepiece and develop its horological complications.
The manufacture conceived the automaton with François Junod, recognised as the world's greatest automatier, and produced the clock mechanism and its casing in collaboration with L'Épée 1839; ; astronomers from the Geneva Observatory have enriched and affirmed the celestial narrative; and master artisans devoted their skills to the artistic decoration.
It features a mechanism comprising 6,293 components, including a clock with 23 complications, which also directs the automaton driven by 158 cams. It is the subject of 15 patent applications, including seven watchmaking patents.
Perves continued: “The pride and emotion we feel with each new project comes from the freedom and passion to create, which is fuelled by the quest for excellence and innovation.
"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.”
The new wristwatch Métiers d'Art Tribute to the Quest of Time, inspired by the eponymous clock, was three years in development and is limited to just 20 pieces.
It is a double-sided timepiece "pushing the boundaries of technicity and artistry": four patent applications and a new manual manufacture movement, Calibre 3670, feature astronomical complications, double retrograde displays and two display modes.
It features a human figure whose arms indicate the time in a double-retrograde display. The figure is set against a backdrop representing the constellations as seen from Geneva on the day of the Maison's founding in 1755.
It is complemented by a double retrograde power reserve indicator and a 3D precision moon phase with age of the moon. The reverse dial features a sky chart that tracks the constellations in real time and displays the sidereal day.
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