Vacheron Constantin's Perpetual Calendar won the Innovation Award at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix 2019, held on November 7, 2019.
Traditional Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar
Perpetual calendars are convenient because they display irregular months, irregular months, and leap years. However, they consume a lot of energy and require a tedious reset if the watch stops. Vacheron Constantin's Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar is a groundbreaking model created to overcome these issues. This model won the Innovation Award at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix 2019, held on November 7, 2019.
Manual winding (Cal. 3610 QP). 64 jewels. Selectable between active mode: 36,000 vph and standby mode: 8640 vph. Power reserve: approximately 65 days (approximately 4 days in active mode). Pt case (diameter 42 mm, thickness 12.3 mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. Current market price.
The Traditional Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar's Cal. 3610 QP movement is equipped with two balance wheels with different vibration frequencies. These two balance wheels allow the watch to be switched between a low-beat and a high-beat. When worn, the watch is set to the high-beat Active mode at 36,000 vph. When taken off, the watch switches to the ultra-low-beat Standby mode at 8640 vph, boasting a power reserve of approximately 65 days, reducing energy consumption to one-quarter of the previous level. This switching is instantaneous with the push of a button, with virtually no time loss during the balance wheel transition. Even when left in Standby mode, the watch maintains high accuracy, with a deviation of just one minute per week.
The jumping perpetual calendar also incorporates a mechanism to minimize energy consumption. By incorporating auxiliary power through a dual gear with a spring, the jumping calendar display requires only one-quarter of the torque of conventional models. Furthermore, the calendar remains accurate even when the watch is left in standby mode and fully wound for two months.
Vacheron Constantin has applied for a patent for the frequency switching function and the jumping perpetual calendar. Despite these features, the watch measures just 32mm in diameter and 6mm thick, and the hand-wound movement, Cal. 3610 QP, can be seen through the sapphire crystal caseback.
The dial is guilloched by a manual machine operated by Vacheron Constantin artisans, and the applied indexes and hour and minute hands are made of 18K white gold, creating an eye-catching, luxurious appearance.
