After Eight Years of Research: Introducing the Most Complex Watch Ever Created

© Vacheron Constantin

It is officially the “most complex ever-made” wristwatch. As CNN defines, a “complication”, in watchmaking, “designates any function going beyond the standard time display, such as the Gregorian calendar or the display of moon phases ”. This watch has 41!

A unique watch of 1521 components

“” “This unique watch of 1,521 components is the result of eight years of research and development, totaling 13 patents deposited”Explains a press release from the Vacheron Constantine company. It has five rare astronomical complications, including four linked to the sun trajectory in the sky.

With this wrist watch, it is thus possible to know the position of the sun in real time, but also its height, the time of its zenith, the declination angle … Regarding the fifth astronomical complication, it is a world first.

“” “It associates a chronograph with a catch -up with a representation of the celestial vault”, Displaying the time required for a constellation or a star to arrive in the field of vision of the owner of the watch!

Three measurements of time and sapphire discs

The watch also has three different measurements of time:

• That, conventional, 24 hours
• The sidereal time, which corresponds to the time of the stars and not of the sun, that is to say four minutes less than a conventional day.
• Solar time.

And if all these complications were not enough, this watch is also a very precious object, comprising sapphire discs and 18 carat white gold. “” “The main objective was to bring together all major complications – timing, calendar, chronograph and ringing – on a single plate and concentrate astronomical functions on an additional turntable ”, explained Christian Selmoni, director of style and heritage of Vacheron Constantin in a press release.