Vacheron Constantin [2021 New Release] The One and Only "Les Cabinotiers Armillaries Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Planetaria"

Vacheron Constantin has announced a new, one-of-a-kind piece created by its special department, Les Cabinotiers, which creates complications and unique pieces. Based on the theme of "Celestial Time," this unique piece is packed with complexities, including a day/night indicator modeled after the Earth and a two-axis tourbillon.

A poetic expression of the flow of time

　Vacheron Constantin has announced the unique Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Planetaria model for 2021. This highly complicated watch was created by the watchmakers of Les Cabinotiers, a special department within the company dedicated to creating complications and unique timepieces.

　This time, the theme is "Celestial Time," and the watch demonstrates that the origins of time measurement lie in astronomical observation. It is no exaggeration to say that this watch is packed with the history of humanity, which advocated cosmogony (theory of cosmic evolution and development) that combines mythology and poetic expression, and worked to unravel the mysteries of the universe. We have deciphered the rhythms in accordance with the laws of nature, and developed civilization alongside the universe, leading to the present day. Having created numerous astronomical clocks, the company excels in the advanced technology of expressing cosmic elements in the form of a watch.

　The Caliber 1991, developed over a period of approximately four years specifically for this watch, is comprised of 745 individual parts, and the dial displays the passage of time in a variety of ways. The calendar is equipped with a perpetual mechanism, and features a retrograde date display along an arc on the right side, a day/night indicator based on a globe dividing the northern and southern hemispheres, and rings surrounding both hemispheres for the day and month displays, all of which will theoretically require no adjustment until the year 2100. The moon phase, positioned on the same axis as the hour and minute hands, is highly accurate, with an error of just one day every 122 years.

　The most eye-catching feature is the two-axis tourbillon that rotates at the 9 o'clock position. This watch makes use of the technology developed for the most complicated pocket watch the company has ever made, the reference 527260. The tourbillon, which forms a sphere and performs complex movements, is called an "armillary" and is named after the work of Antide Janvier, a French watchmaker who invented the rotating celestial sphere in the 18th century.

　The tourbillon also uses a cylindrical, spherical balance spring with no curved outer edge, which improves the isochronism of the rotor. This component, invented by Jacques-Frédéric Ouriet in 1814, is still in use today. The escapement is made of silicon, and the pallet fork is made of diamonds, further improving precision.

　This outstanding movement is housed in an impressive 18KPG case, 46mm in diameter and 20.2mm thick. A sapphire crystal is fitted to the centre of the right side, allowing the armillary tourbillon to be admired from both the front and back of the case, as well as the side, as it completes one rotation every 60 seconds.

　This one-of-a-kind, highly complicated watch will go to just one owner in the world, offering Vacheron Constantin the ultimate luxury experience.