Vacheron Constantin - The most complicated watch in the world
Vacheron Constantin unveils the most complex watch in the world, surpassing its own previous record set by the Ref. 57260. This new model, known as Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication, has 63 complications and 2,877 parts. One of its most remarkable innovations is the Chinese perpetual calendar, adapted to the lunisolar cycle, which is notoriously complex and irregular. The manufacture movement, Calibre 3752, is mechanically programmed up to the year 2200, an impressive testament to watchmaking ingenuity. Developed over 11 years, including one year devoted exclusively to assembly, this watch is a significant milestone in the history of contemporary watchmaking. The design is inspired by the Ref. 57260 of 2015, and it was created at the request of a client who chose to name the watch in his own honour.
I.- VACHERON CONSTANTIN AT THE PINNACLE OF THE WATCHMAKING ART
Creating the most complicated watch ever made is an art that Vacheron Constantin has cultivated since its origins in 1755. More than two and a half centuries of history have shaped the character of a maison whose underlying motivation is to constantly push back the boundaries of the possible. Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication is yet another expression of this philosophy. With its 63 complications, this watch represents a technical feat enhanced by its sober, elegant aesthetics and its impeccable finishing. The three master watchmakers behind this horological marvel needed 11 years of development and enormous talent to bring it to life. Assembling the movement took 12 months, much of which was devoted to a test assembly - before the decorative finishing of the components - to ensure that it would work correctly.
An unprecedented total of 63 horological complications
The double-sided Calibre 3752 consists of 2,877 parts, including 245 rubies, 31 hands and 9 discs. Complications covering the entire spectrum of watchmaking have been integrated into this calibre in their most refined expression. The chronograph includes a rattrapante function; the moon phases are exceptionally accurate, requiring no correction for 1,027 years; the Gregorian perpetual calendar complies with the ISO 8601 standard; the small seconds hand operates in retrograde mode, compensating for the time needed for its return; the tourbillon has three axes of rotation; the celestial chart follows the cycle of the sidereal day (23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds); and the day/night indicator of the second time zone is displayed with an azimuthal polar projection, offering an innovative geographical perspective.
The 63 complications of this watch fall into the following categories:
Timekeeping and time regulation: 9 complications
Gregorian perpetual calendar: 7 complications
Chinese perpetual calendar: 11 complications
Chinese agricultural perpetual calendar: 2 complications
Astronomical indications: 9 complications
Chronograph with rattrapante: 4 complications
Alarm functions: 7 complications
Grande Sonnerie: 8 complications
Additional functions: 6 complications
II. THE FIRST CHINESE PERPETUAL CALENDAR
With the alternation of day and night, the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of the sun and moon, the primordial concept of time has been rooted in humanity since its earliest days. However, it was only with the advent of writing - in the fourth millennium BC in the West and in the second millennium BC in China - that the notion of time became predictable. From then on, calculations based on astronomical observations were used to produce calendars. The ancients developed various calendar systems, based on lunar months (the Hegirian calendar), on the solar year (the Gregorian calendar) or on a combination of the two, that is, lunisolar calendars incorporating adjustments to make the two criteria coincide. The Chinese calendar - like the Greek, Hebrew and Celtic calendars - belongs to this last category.
• A complex and irregular system
The months of the Chinese calendar are lunar and begin on the day of the new moon as calculated on the 120th meridian east (UTC +8h), which passes through the Shandong peninsula and the city of Hangzhou. In order to respect the average length of a lunation (29.53 days), they irregularly comprise 29 or 30 days. In total, however, the 12 lunar months are 11 days shorter than a solar year (365.2422 days). For this reason, the Chinese calendar incorporates a thirteenth intercalary or embolismic month every two or three years, which amounts to seven times over the Metonic cycle. The latter, whose name derives from that of the Greek astronomer Meton (5th century BC), refers to the 235 lunations that occur over 19 tropical years (a period of 6,940 days), at the end of which the two systems (lunar and solar) are perfectly synchronised. Depending on the lunations, the common Chinese year can have 353, 354 or 355 days and the embolismic year 383, 384 or 385 days. The other factor to take into account is the Chinese New Year, whose date marks the beginning of the lunar year, although it varies between 21 January and 21 February. The solar year of the Chinese calendar is a true tropical year, calculated on the same meridian (the 120th meridian east) between two winter solstices. It is divided into 24 periods of 15 degrees each along the Sun's path on the ecliptic (the apparent annual path of the Sun as seen from the Earth). Each alternate period, known respectively as jie (knot: good fortune, happiness) and qi (vital energy), lasts approximately 15 days, which gives an average length that corresponds fairly regularly to the Gregorian calendar, that is, a year of 365 or 366 days.
Another characteristic of the Chinese calendar is that its units of time are numbered by combining two sets of signs - 10 celestial stems and 12 earthly branches - giving a possible total of 60 different combinations. This so-called sexagenary cycle is mainly used to mark the passing of the years, but it can also be applied to months, days or hours. The stems are also associated with the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and with a polarity (yin, the feminine principle; or yang, the masculine principle). The branches are likewise represented by the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac in the following sequence: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. At each step of the calendar, the number of the stem and the number of the branch each advance by one, creating a cycle of 60 combinations corresponding to the lowest common multiple of 10 stems and 12 branches or zodiac animals.
Lunisolar calendars are based on complementarity. The system requires knowledge of the solar calendar in order to establish the dates of the leap moons and the beginning of the lunar years, so as to achieve perfect synchronisation. This was the aim of the Chinese, who constantly refined their calendar to reflect the reality of astronomical phenomena as faithfully as possible. The resulting precision is, however, a factor that multiplies the complexity of trying to model a system essentially characterised by its irregularity. Although it has been possible to programme the calculation of the Chinese calendar since 1645 using analytical theories, as scientists have done, achieving a concrete mechanical application was an immeasurable challenge.
• A world first
The main innovation of Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication is its traditional Chinese calendar. It is the first watch to present it in the form of a perpetual calendar, with all the calculations, the patience and the ingenuity that an understanding of Chinese culture entails.
In concrete terms, the three watchmakers first had to model the calendar using algorithms. They then began transcribing these algorithms into a mechanism programmed up to the year 2200, capable of following the irregularities of a calendar whose lunar years and months have different lengths on an irregular sequential basis and whose first day of the year varies. To achieve this, they designed three mechanical "brains" capable of controlling the cams and gears of one of the two additional mechanisms on the front of the movement. Broadly speaking, each of these brains "drives" one of the components of the calendar: the lunar cycle, the solar cycle and the Metonic cycle. This last 19-year cycle - known as the cycle of golden numbers - can be read on the counter at 3 o'clock on the dial.
In addition to the feat of having a watch programmed up to the year 2200, the Vacheron Constantin watchmakers went as far as providing a disc-type indication of the exact - albeit, by definition, variable - date of the Chinese New Year. This is another major achievement in itself, since this key date in the country's social life constantly fluctuates between 21 January and 21 February.
The front of the watch is essentially devoted to the various indications of the traditional Chinese calendar. To find one's bearings, it is first necessary to determine whether the current year is common or embolismic (aperture at 11 o'clock on the dial) and whether the lunar month is short or long (aperture at 12 o'clock on the dial, on the fixed New Year disc). This perpetual calendar with indications in Chinese characters includes a hand-type date indication on a counter at 6 o'clock on the dial, together with aperture-type indications showing the day at 8 o'clock and the month at 4 o'clock on the dial.
Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication also presents an unprecedented amount of information relating to the sexagenary cycle, which is the cornerstone of the Chinese calendar and indeed of the entire Chinese cosmological model. This feat is all the more impressive because the information displayed relates to different time scales: the hour, the day and the year. The Vacheron Constantin watchmakers have integrated a jumping display of the 10 celestial stems, with their yin-yang polarity and associated elements (counter at 9 o'clock on the dial), for the day. The counter at 3 o'clock on the dial shows the 12 earthly branches associated with the double hours, each day being subdivided into 12 two-hour segments, starting from 11 o'clock on the dial. In this case, the display is continuous over a 24-hour period. Finally, the silhouette of the Chinese zodiac animal of the current year appears in an aperture below the moon phases. The combination of the animal and the celestial stem suggested on the New Year disc determines the position in the sexagenary cycle.
As an essential complement to this Chinese perpetual calendar, the precision moon phases and moon age appear on the counter at 12 o'clock on the dial, which will require no correction for 1,027 full years.
The final feature of this Chinese perpetual calendar is the indication on the back, by means of a central hand, of the 24 solar periods of the agricultural year, as well as the length of the months, the seasons, the solstices and the equinoxes.
III. A HIGH-PRECISION ASTRONOMICAL AND STRIKING WATCH
The Vacheron Constantin master watchmakers spared no effort to integrate into this watch the full range of the noblest horological complications, both in terms of astronomical and sonnerie functions and of functional complications in terms of chronometry, alarms and time zones, always with the aim of achieving a very high degree of precision.
• Astronomical indications and Gregorian calendar
An astronomical watch par excellence, Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication also explores the quirks of the Gregorian calendar. The latter was designed to be perpetual, that is, until 2100, the non-leap secular year following the reform of the Julian calendar called for by the Council of Trent in 1582. Implemented by Pope Gregory XIII, this reform consisted of removing 10 days in order to restore the match with the seasons. To avoid further drift of the calendar, it was decided to eliminate three leap years every four centuries. Only secular years divisible by 400 would remain leap years.
The Gregorian perpetual calendar is presented on the watch's second dial and is incorporated into one of the two additional mechanisms mounted on the back of the movement. The indications consist of a retrograde date at 12 o'clock on the dial, complemented by the day of the week (counter at 9 o'clock on the dial), the month (counter at 3 o'clock on the dial) and the leap-year cycle (aperture at 1 o'clock on the dial). The Gregorian calendar has also served as the basis for another type of indication: since 1988, in order to avoid any confusion in international communications, the ISO 8601 standard has formalised the numerical formats of dates for years (4 digits), months (1 to 12), weeks (1 to 52) and days (1 to 31 or 1 to 7). The Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication watch thus includes the week number of the ISO 8601 calendar, indicated by a hand (counter at 3 o'clock on the dial), with the day number in an aperture above it.
The watch's astronomical references are not limited to calendars. Also visible on the back, mounted on the second additional mechanism on this side of the movement, is an astronomical chart showing the constellations as observed in real time from Shanghai. For the sake of precision, this celestial disc completes one full rotation in one sidereal day. Using a fixed star in the firmament as a point of reference, the time the Earth takes to complete a 360-degree rotation, or sidereal day, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. As the Earth rotates on its axis and around the Sun, it takes about four minutes less than the length of an average civil day to return to its starting point in relation to the star in question. This sidereal time - which can be read anticlockwise on the 15-minute scale of the 24-hour circle - is essential for the correct setting of the astrological chart. The chart is marked with an eccentric ellipse to indicate the exact position of the constellations in the northern hemisphere when the watch is consulted.
The equation of time completes the watch's astronomical indications. Because the Earth's path around the Sun is not circular but elliptical, and because the Earth's axis is inclined by 24 degrees in relation to the plane of its orbit, the time between two solar zenith passages is not identical throughout the year. The lengths of the (true) solar day and the (mean) 24-hour civil day differ by between -16 and +14 minutes, depending on the time of year, and are only equal to zero, four times a year, at the solstices and equinoxes. This information, known as the equation of time - or time correction in astronomical language - is obtained by means of a cam that controls the indication of this time differential. In addition to marking the passing of the seasons, this revolution of the Earth around the Sun also determines the length of the day and night phases. Two counters (at 5 and 7 o'clock on the dial) indicate the times of sunrise and sunset, as well as the length of the day and night, calculated in accordance with the geographical location of Shanghai.
• Grande Sonnerie and alarms
Grande Sonnerie watches are in a class of their own among musical watches owing to their extreme complexity. Mastery of these watches - which strike the hours and quarters in passing and repeat the hour before each quarter in Grande Sonnerie mode, but do not repeat it in Petite Sonnerie mode - is understandably not widespread, given the stringent demands placed on the design of the striking mechanism integrated into the movement. These demands range from the safety devices of the mechanism to the musicality of the sound sequences, not forgetting energy management, given the 912 hammer blows that may be struck in 24 hours. The world of sonnerie watches has been part of Vacheron Constantin's know-how since its earliest days, as attested by an order dated 1806 and recorded in the Maison's archives.
The Vacheron Constantin watchmakers wanted to equip Calibre 3752 with a Grande Sonnerie mechanism featuring a Westminster chime. This chime reproduces the melody of the Big Ben bells – in the Elizabeth Tower, Parliament in London - in four bars of four notes played at different frequencies, with a fifth note for the hours. A total of five hammers and five gongs make up this chime, which can be heard at any moment by activating the minute repeater lever on the caseband, at 6 o'clock on the dial.
In "striking" mode (indicated by a hand at 10 o'clock on the front of the dial), the watch is triggered automatically each time a new quarter hour passes, like a clock. In "Night" mode, the alarm is deactivated between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., according to the time zone chosen by the client, to save energy and ensure peace and quiet during the night. The last mode, called "Silence", completely suspends the striking of the sonnerie. A second selector, coaxial with the first, allows switching from Grande Sonnerie mode to Petite Sonnerie mode, as desired. This striking mechanism has its own barrel with a power-reserve indicator at 9 o'clock on the dial.
The watch's striking mechanism is complemented by an alarm. This is activated by a slide on the case, at 1 o'clock on the dial, and is set by the crown. The alarm time is indicated by an hour hand coaxial with the one showing the time of the watch (at 12 o'clock on the front of the dial). It has its own power reserve with a dedicated barrel, which is wound by a movable crown housed in the case at 5 o'clock on the dial, another of the watch's technical subtleties. The alarm torque is indicated by a hand on the same counter as the mode indicator (at 1 o'clock on the front of the dial). In the "Normal" position, the alarm sounds progressively on a specific gong with a different tone, struck by a sixth hammer. In the Carillon position, the alarm triggers the Big Ben chime and sounds in Grande or Petite Sonnerie mode. For reasons of mechanical safety, both the Grande Sonnerie and the alarm mechanism are fitted with a system that blocks the striking when the power reserve of their respective barrels runs out.
• Three-axis tourbillon regulator
This array of astronomical and striking complications should not divert attention from the watch's main function, which is to tell the time, or rather to tell the time in several time zones and even to measure short times. Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication fulfils all these functions with chronometer precision. The master watchmakers paid particular attention to the escapement and regulating system that controls the sequence of the energy chain and, consequently, the precision of the gear train. They therefore developed a three-axis armillary tourbillon regulator, which operates at a frequency of 2.5 Hertz (18,000 vibrations per hour) and is fitted with a spherical hairspring. The name "armillary" refers to the work of Antide Janvier (1751-1835), astronomer and official clockmaker by appointment to King Louis XVI, one of whose greatest masterpieces was the creation of a moving dial fitted with a system of armillary planetary gears.
With this type of construction, the escapement housed at the heart of the tourbillon adopts every possible position, thereby cancelling out the effects of the Earth's gravity on the isochronism of the movement, which makes perfect sense for a pocket watch used in a fixed position. This is reinforced by the presence of a spherical balance spring, whose performance is superior to that of a flat balance spring. The result is an extraordinary mechanical ballet visible on the back of the watch, with a tourbillon cage whose constantly rotating elements form Vacheron Constantin's Maltese cross emblem every 15 seconds. The result is also a very high level of precision in the operation of the complications, a feat in itself given the complexity of Calibre 3752.
• Precision indications and rattrapante chronograph
The time display is of the regulator type, with day/night indicators (at 1 o'clock on the front of the dial) and a 60-hour power reserve (at 3 o'clock on the dial). Historically, the precision clocks used to set the time in watchmaking workshops featured this type of dissociated time display. On this model, the hour hand (counter at 12 o'clock on the front of the dial) is separate from the central minute hand and from the seconds hand (counter at 6 o'clock on the dial). To enhance this display, the watchmakers of Les Cabinotiers designed a retrograde seconds hand. Moreover, since this watch is clearly subject to very high precision requirements, they equipped this retrograde mechanism with a sophisticated technical solution consisting of adding two cams to the mechanism to compensate for the time the seconds hand takes to return to the "0" position.
The watch's chronograph, accurate to one fifth of a second, corresponding to the 2.5 Hertz rate of the movement, has a rattrapante seconds function. This function makes it possible to measure intermediate (split) times by stopping the seconds hand, which "chases until it catches up" (hence the French name rattrapante) with the first hand - and therefore the elapsed time - when it is restarted. To distinguish it from the Reference 57260 watch, which has a chronograph with two retrograde seconds hands, the watchmakers opted for a more "classic" configuration, with both hands moving in the same direction of rotation. Integrated into the second additional mechanism of the movement, located on the front, this chronograph is controlled by three column wheels and a horizontal clutch via the pusher housed in the crown. The push-piece recessed into the case, at 11 o'clock on the dial, is used to reset the rattrapante hand. The chronograph hours and minutes are indicated by hands on their respective counters at 3 o'clock (hours) and 9 o'clock (minutes) on the dial, with a silver colour code. On the front, the time indications appear in blue, while the Chinese calendar indications and the various striking functions are distinguished by golden tones.
• Second time zone and world time
Astronomical, but also ideal for travelling, the watch displays world time, a function visible on the back. An aperture at 10 o'clock allows the user to select one of 24 cities corresponding to the 24 time zones into which the Earth has been divided since the International Meridian Conference held in Washington in 1884. The city symbol appears with the time difference in relation to Greenwich Mean Time, for example, N.Y. GMT -5. Below, the counter at 9 o'clock on the dial shows the hours and minutes over a 12-hour period in a second time zone, with the corresponding day/night indication at 11 o'clock on the dial. On closer inspection, the rotating disc used to distinguish between day and night is engraved with an azimuthal polar projection of the northern hemisphere. It is thus possible to see the extent of the Earth's global sunlight from a geographical point in this second time zone.
• Hand-executed finishing and decoration
Although the development period of the Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication watch was measured in years, owing to its enormous complexity, one cannot overlook the time spent during that period on the decoration and finishing of the 2,877 components, including the hidden recesses of the mechanism invisible to the eye, not to mention the decoration of the case.
This elegant 18-carat white gold case features polished bevels on both sides. The remontoire crown is complemented by an aperture in the case, protected by a sapphire crystal, which reveals the position of the crown when winding or setting the watch. On the front, the dial is composed of four sub-dials with different types of finish: silver-toned opaline on the main dial and a sunray finish on the secondary dials. The dial on the back of the watch features the same opaline tone.
Equally meticulous attention was paid to the finishing of the movement, whose gilded colour on a matt base adorned with a Côtes de Genève motif on the back is a challenge in itself, since the slightest slip when handling the decorated components leaves indelible marks. For this reason, the master watchmakers responsible for assembling the watch - who also carried out most of the decoration - had to be extremely meticulous. The result is a watch whose overall elegance and harmony are only enhanced by its majestic complexity.
IV. A HUMAN EPIC
With 63 horological complications, Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication - a watch bearing the Hallmark of Geneva - surpasses the record already held by the maison with the Reference 57260 watch. These two watches are linked by an extraordinary human epic involving a collector passionate about the great achievements of traditional watchmaking and three master watchmakers from Vacheron Constantin's Les Cabinotiers department.
- The patience and trust of a passionate enthusiast
The Reference 57260 watch and Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication first took shape in the mind of the client himself, an American businessman and philanthropist who owns a prestigious collection of pocket watches that he has patiently assembled over the past 50 years. A demanding connoisseur, he loves a challenge, and the first one he put to the maison was to create the most complicated watch ever made, incorporating a Hebrew perpetual calendar. This is the kind of challenge Vacheron Constantin takes very seriously, and thanks to which it has created some of the most successful Grand Complication watches in the history of watchmaking. For the three master watchmakers of the Maison's Les Cabinotiers department who were in charge of the project, this commission represented the pinnacle of their careers, but also a path strewn with obstacles. It took no less than eight years to complete the Reference 57260, presented in 2015.
United by complexity and by a relationship of mutual trust, the client and the three watchmakers who took on the commission for this watch found common ground, on which the patience of the former flourished, supported by the ingenuity of these specialists. Strengthened by the trust the client placed in the expertise of the Vacheron Constantin watchmakers, this meeting of minds gave rise to a sequel: even before the Reference 57260 watch was completed, its twin was commissioned. This time, instead of the Hebrew calendar, the idea was to incorporate a Chinese perpetual calendar. "The result is a true masterpiece of watchmaking and the most complicated watch in the world," said Mr Berkley. "It is unlikely that any other watchmaker would have been willing to undertake such a Herculean challenge."
• Making it better than possible
The connoisseur who commissioned this watch is clearly one of those passionate clients, like Henry Graves Jr. or James W. Packard, who dream of pushing back the boundaries of the possible. Lovers of challenges, they give a watchmaker such as Vacheron Constantin the opportunity to advance, to question and to evolve. With this watch, whose name leaves no room for doubt, Vacheron Constantin pays a vibrant tribute to this great collector, who also owns the Vacheron Constantin pocket watch presented in 1946 to King Farouk I of Egypt.
With patience and tenacity, in keeping with the Maison's enduring mission of always doing better than the possible, the same three watchmakers from the Les Cabinotiers department continued the adventure alongside the client who commissioned this piece, embarking on a new 11-year epic. Refusing to rest on their laurels, they never stopped rethinking the functions and systems of the 2015 movement, with the aim of improving it, optimising it or proposing different indications. The result is Calibre 3752, a two-faced mechanical marvel composed of 2,877 parts.
This optimisation also meant innovating, because until now no one had found a way to translate the complexity and irregularity of the Chinese calendar into cams and gears forming a perpetual horological configuration. The three Vacheron Constantin master watchmakers took on this "Herculean" task, perpetuating the Maison's tradition of exclusivity and expertise in the service of the most demanding horological requirements.
V. - Interview with Christian Selmoni, Style & Heritage Director
What is your overall impression of this watch?
I have boundless admiration for the complexity of this watch, its level of finishing and its precision, given its 63 complications. It is the perfect example of hyper-horology, the fruit of years of effort and ingenuity. After the Reference 57260 watch, one might have thought that the "last word" had been said in this field. As we can see, it is possible to take the requirements a little further, achieving what no one has yet achieved - in this case, an authentic Chinese perpetual calendar that will need no adjustment until 2200.
Can you tell us more about this calendar?
The three master watchmakers of our Les Cabinotiers department, who spent 11 years working on this watch, succeeded in modelling this extremely complex calendar. That is, translating it and transcribing it into algorithms that can then be applied mechanically. More specifically, the calendar is translated into three mechanisms - which our watchmakers like to call "brains" - that control its different variables: its 19-year Metonic cycle, the New Year dates; its sexagenary cycle of 60 combinations; and, finally, its solar agricultural cycle of one tropical year. The combination of these elements results in a Chinese perpetual calendar whose difficulty lies not only in its irregularity, but also in the fact that it is made up of these different cycles. A true feat of innovation.
Which technical solutions deserve to be highlighted?
The regulator-type retrograde seconds hand is one of them. Although a retrograde seconds hand is already unusual in a wristwatch or pocket watch, the Les Cabinotiers watchmakers wanted it to be as precise as possible. To this end, it was necessary to compensate for the time the seconds hand needs to return to its starting position. They achieved this by adding two extra cams to the mechanism. The "Night" function of the Grande Sonnerie is another. This mode suspends the striking at night for a period chosen by the client, an innovative function. Among the many other technical advances, the triple-axis armillary tourbillon deserves a special mention. Although it was already present in the Reference 57260 watch, it represents a mechanical feat and makes perfect sense for a pocket watch which, by definition, is used in a single position.
You mentioned the level of finishing applied to the calibre. Can you explain?
The hand-finishing of the movement components is one of the hallmarks of Haute Horlogerie, and of Vacheron Constantin in particular, with techniques adapted to every type of surface: bevelling, tapering, circular graining or perlage, straight graining, and so on. If these operations are already a feat of craftsmanship for a simple movement with around 150 components, imagine what they represent with 2,877 components! Moreover, it is work that goes completely unnoticed, because this double-sided watch has no openings onto the movement apart from the tourbillon aperture. Only when you open the watch do you realise the magnitude of the task. What is more, the three watchmakers who worked on this watch and who did most of the decoration did not take the easy route. In fact, the calibre has a sandblasted finish that does not forgive mistakes, as any slip in handling leaves indelible marks. So it is not hard to understand why it took a whole year to assemble the watch.
You also spoke of precision?
This watch is by no means considered a chronometer, since it has not been tested by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). However, internal tests have shown that Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication is fully compatible with the COSC precision criteria, whose tolerated average variation is -4 to +6 seconds per day. In this context, it is worth noting that this watch bears the Hallmark of Geneva, a guarantee of provenance, craftsmanship, reliability, expertise and precision. The Hallmark's criteria stipulate that the rate of the watch must not vary by more than one minute over seven days, and this watch is well below that mark, which is a remarkable achievement given the number of complications.
VI.- THE CHINESE CALENDAR FROM ITS ORIGINS TO THE PRESENT DAY
• A time-honoured dating system
According to legend, Chinese astronomy dates back to the 61st year of the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), that is, 2637 BC. This legendary monarch is said to have invented the Chinese calendar, which has ever since been an attribute of the emperors' sovereignty. Emperors inaugurated their reigns with a new calendar, often different from the previous one. For practical reasons, historians had to develop a chronology based on a single origin, going back to the reign of Huangdi.
The last change to the traditional Chinese calendar as we know it today goes back to the work of the Jesuit Adam Schall von Bell, astronomer at the imperial court in Beijing. In 1645, he incorporated his latest observations - true solar time - into the combination of a solar (agricultural) calendar and a lunar (civil) calendar that made up the Chinese system. Although China adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1912 and the common era in 1929, the traditional calendar remains the essential reference for the holidays celebrated throughout the country.
• Principles of the Chinese lunisolar calendar
- The 12 months are lunar. They begin on the day of the new moon and have 29 or 30 days in order to respect the average length of a lunation, which is 29.53 days.
- The 11 days missing from the solar year are made up by means of a thirteenth intercalary or embolismic lunar month every 2-3 years, that is, 7 times in a 19-year cycle.
- The solar "periods" of the year correspond to 24 divisions of 15 degrees each along the Sun's path on the ecliptic. Each period lasts about 15 days, which gives an average length corresponding to the Gregorian calendar.
- The solar year begins at the winter solstice and has 365 or 366 days. The lunar year begins with the Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 21 February. Depending on the lunation, it has 353, 354 or 355 days in common years and 383, 384 or 385 days in embolismic years.
- The Chinese lunisolar calendar follows a sexagenary cycle of 60 years, made up of successive combinations of 10 celestial stems, associated with the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water), and 12 earthly branches, each associated with an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
VII.- VACHERON CONSTANTIN, MASTER OF GRAND COMPLICATIONS
At Vacheron Constantin, creating complicated watches for distinguished clients is a time-honoured tradition.
Three of the most extraordinary watches of their time became treasured possessions of two Egyptian kings - Fuad I and his son Farouk - and of Count Guy de Boisrouvray.
A fourth watch, equally remarkable, was made to the specifications of the great collector James Ward Packard.
- James Ward Packard (1918)
This striking pocket watch, crafted in 20-carat gold, was a milestone in the history of Haute Horlogerie. It features a quarter and half-quarter repeater with Grande and Petite Sonnerie, as well as a single-counter chronograph. The founder of the Packard Motor Company, James Ward Packard, commissioned and acquired it in 1918.
- King Fuad I of Egypt (1929)
This large pocket watch with numerous complications, made in 18-carat yellow gold and enamelled, is a striking watch with Grande and Petite Sonnerie, fitted with three gongs and three hammers, as well as a rattrapante chronograph with a 30-minute counter, a perpetual calendar and an indication of the phases and age of the moon. The watch was presented as a gift in 1929 to His Majesty King Fuad I of Egypt by the Swiss community living in Egypt.
- King Farouk I of Egypt (1946)
This large, complicated pocket watch in 18K yellow gold is an impressive model. It features a minute repeater with Grande and Petite Sonnerie, is fitted with three gongs and three hammers, as well as a rattrapante chronograph with a 30-minute counter, a perpetual calendar, an indication of the moon phases and moon age, an alarm and two power-reserve indicators. It was presented to King Farouk I of Egypt by the Swiss authorities in 1946 and surpasses its predecessor in terms of complexity.
- Count Guy de Boisrouvray (1948)
This pocket watch, with its large 18-carat gold savonnette-type case, features a minute repeater with three hammers striking three gongs, a perpetual calendar with leap-year and moon-phase indications, a single-counter rattrapante chronograph and an alarm. Sold to Count Guy de Boisrouvray in 1948.
- Reference 57260 - (2015)
The Reference 57260 watch is a masterpiece of watchmaking, bringing together technical complications that had previously been unimaginable. Eight years of development were devoted to creating this watch. The watch is an entirely original creation with a total of 57 complications, including several never seen before, such as the first Hebrew perpetual calendar.
VIII - List of complications
Timekeeping (9)
1. Regulator-type hours, minutes and seconds for mean solar time
2. Retrograde seconds for mean solar time
3. Day and night indication for the reference city
4. Tourbillon regulator with visible armillary dial and spherical hairspring
5. Tourbillon with armillary dial
6. World time indication for 24 cities
7. Hours and minutes of the second time zone (on the 12-hour indicator)
8. Day/night indication in the second time zone
9. Second time zone display system for the northern or southern hemisphere
Gregorian perpetual calendar (7)
10. Gregorian perpetual calendar
11. Days of the week (Gregorian)
12. Gregorian months
13. Gregorian retrograde date
14. Leap year and four-year cycle indication
15. Number of the day of the week (ISO 8601 calendar)
16. Indication of the week number within the year (ISO 8601 calendar)
Chinese perpetual calendar (11)
17. Chinese perpetual calendar
18. Chinese day number
19. Chinese month name
20. Chinese date indication
21. Chinese zodiac signs
22. 5 elements and 10 celestial stems
23. 6 energies and 12 earthly branches
24. Nature of the Chinese year (common or embolismic)
25. Nature of the month (short or long)
26. Indication of the Golden Number in the 19-year Metonic cycle
27. Indication of the date of the Chinese New Year in the Gregorian calendar
Chinese agricultural perpetual calendar (2)
28. Chinese agricultural perpetual calendar
29. Indication of the seasons, equinoxes and solstices with the solar hand
Astronomical indications (9)
30. Astrological chart (calibrated for Shanghai)
31. Sidereal hour
32. Sidereal time minutes
33. Time of sunrise (calibrated for Shanghai)
34. Time of sunset (calibrated for Shanghai)
35. Equation of time
36. Length of the day (calibrated for Shanghai)
37. Length of the night (calibrated for Shanghai)
38. Phases and age of the moon, with one adjustment every 1,027 years
Chronograph with rattrapante (4)
39. Fifth-of-a-second chronograph (1 column wheel)
40. Fifth-of-a-second rattrapante chronograph (1 column wheel)
41. 12-hour counter (1 column wheel)
42. 60-minute counter
Alarm (7)
43. Progressive alarm with a single gong and hammer
44. Alarm strike/silence indicator
45. Alarm normal/carillon strike selection indicator
46. Alarm mechanism coupled to the carillon striking mechanism
47. Alarm strike with choice of Grande or Petite Sonnerie
48. Alarm power-reserve indication
49. Alarm barrel disconnection system when fully wound
Westminster carillon (8)
50. Westminster carillon with 5 gongs and 5 hammers
51. Grande Sonnerie carillon striking the hours
52. Petite Sonnerie carillon striking the hours
53. Minute repeater
54. Night silence function (between 22:00 and 08:00 - time selected by the client)
55. Carillon barrel disconnection system when fully wound
56. Grande or Petite Sonnerie mode indicator
57. Silence / carillon / night mode indicator
Additional features (6)
58. Going-train power-reserve indication
59. Carillon mechanism power-reserve indication
60. Winding crown position indicator
61. Twin-barrel winding system
62. Two-position, bidirectional hand-setting system
63. Hidden recessed winding crown for the alarm mechanism
Technical specifications
Model
LES CABINOTIERS THE BERKLEY GRAND COMPLICATION
Reference
9901C/000G-B472
Movement
Calibre: 3752
Diameter: 72 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 2.5 Hz / 18,000 vph
Number of parts: 2,877
Rubies: 245
Case
Material: 18-carat white gold
Diameter: 98 mm
Thickness: 50.55 mm
Total weight: 980 g
Dial/Hands
Dial: Silvered opaline metal
Number of hands: 19 front / 12 back
More information on the official website of Vacheron Constantin.
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