There are difficult watches, after which there’s this. Vacheron Constantin has simply dropped the Les Cabinotiers Temporis Duo Grand Complication Openface – a one-off wristwatch with a frankly outrageous 696 elements inside.
It’s a correct horological flex, pairing excessive complexity with a green-tinged dose of fashion. It could possibly be probably the greatest watches, ever. And I can’t cease gazing it.
Why? As a result of the pink gold case and luxurious inexperienced strap may first catch your eye, nevertheless it’s the see-through sapphire dial – exposing nearly all the pieces beneath – that retains it there.
This isn’t simply showboating; it’s a showcase of the Maison’s mechanical may. Inside sits Calibre 2757 S, packing in a minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and a tourbillon with a spherical hairspring – three of watchmaking’s trickiest problems.
I’ve seen loads of difficult timepieces over time, however this appears to be like prefer it’s on one other stage. Simply imagining the only push-piece chronograph in motion – with these twin aluminium seconds palms – is sufficient to make any watch geek giddy. The repeater mechanism, with its intelligent centripetal governor, guarantees crisp, musical chimes moderately than uninteresting clunks. And that Maltese-cross tourbillon is a masterclass in watchmaking design.
Vacheron Constantin has thrown each trick it is aware of at this motion. Light-weight supplies like titanium and silicon preserve issues environment friendly. That open-face design isn’t simply fairly – it makes all of the sharpening, bevelling and brushing seen.
Even the underside’s a deal with, with hand-finished black bridges and a flyweight-suspended gong system engraved with founder Jean-Marc Vacheron’s initials.
Even with all of the technical fireworks packed inside, it’s surprisingly wearable on paper. The motion is simply 10.4mm thick – impressively slim contemplating what it does – and paired with that inexperienced strap and 45mm pink gold case, it ought to be fairly balanced on the wrist.
Positive, nobody studying it will ever personal it. However that’s irrelevant. The Les Cabinotiers Temporis Duo Grand Complication Openface isn’t only a watch; it’s an announcement. It proves that after 270 years, Vacheron Constantin can nonetheless push boundaries – not by reinventing the wheel, however by constructing one with nearly 700 completely completed elements.
And with inexperienced accents, no much less.
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