Vacheron Constantin have created a single-piece edition timepiece combining mechanical excellence and aesthetics in the great tradition of the watchmaking complications that have marked the history of the Maison.
The complications of this new Les Cabinotiers timepiece epitomise the transmission of watchmaking expertise through the generations – a core value of Vacheron Constantin. In 1819, the Maison produced a pocket watch with independent deadbeat seconds and a quarter repeater, one of the first of its kind. The watch incorporated a deadbeat seconds mechanism – a device that had been developed by various watchmakers in the late 18th century as a means of more accurately measuring very small units of time. Designed as an independent mechanism with its own gear train, it enabled the seconds hand to be stopped and restarted independently of the normal timekeeping function and is thus considered to be the forerunner of the chronograph.
The split-seconds chronograph mechanism has two coaxial hands, the second of which can be stopped to calculate an intermediate time before being restarted to catch up with the first. After the system was introduced – first with a single-hand system in 1831, then with the two-hand configuration in 1838 – Vacheron Constantin quickly incorporated these developments into its pocket chronographs.
While the combination of a chronograph and a minute repeater in a movement with a tourbillon regulator has been seen in some remarkable pocket watches, it has remained rare in wristwatches. Vacheron Constantin saw this as an opportunity to create such a piece, in the tradition of the grand complication watches that have made its reputation for 270 years.
Three of Haute Horlogerie’s most emblematic complications, the chronograph, minute repeater and tourbillon are among the most difficult to create, let alone combine. Meeting the challenge, in 2022 the Maison unveiled Calibre 2757 in a single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers watch offering this rare and original combination in a single mechanism.
The minute repeater featured in Calibre 2757 S has also benefited from technical developments at Vacheron Constantin. These include an ingenious flying strike governor. This device has two weights shaped so as to act as a brake on the governor’s rotating shaft, thus evening-out the energy released by the repeater’s spring. To achieve this, it uses opposing centrifugal and centripetal forces. When the governor spins, the centrifugal force pivots one end of the weights outwards so that the other end acts as a brake on the central shaft to bring the rotation and the strike to a steady rate.
A transparent sapphire dial is the aesthetic signature of the new Les Cabinotiers Temporis Duo Grand Complication Openface. Just 0.5 mm thick, it is distinguished by a highly complex mix of finishes: polished and frosted surfaces alternate on the counters, which are encircled by rings in 5N gold, applied by metallisation on the underside of the sapphire discs; the hour markers are treated with grey NAC and the chronograph markers are engraved and inked. The 30-minute chronograph counter hand and the two chronograph seconds hands are made of PVD-coated aluminium – their olive green colour matched by the green alligator leather strap that attaches the 45mm pink gold case to the wrist.
Thanks to the meticulous attention to detail dedicated to this calibre, it took twice as long for the finishing of its components as it did to assemble and fit it into the case. As was the case for the 18th-century cabinotiers, a single watchmaker was in charge of the watch, carrying out all of the component finishing, as well as every assembly operation, right down to the adjustment and casing of the calibre. This manner of working is an eloquent testimony to Vacheron Constantin’s commitment to safeguarding the transmission of watchmaking expertise through the generations.
Technical Specifications:
LES CABINOTIERS TEMPORIS DUO GRAND COMPLICATION OPENFACE
Reference
9750C/000R-215C
Calibre
2757 S
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.30 mm diameter, 10.40 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
696 components
61 jewels
NAC finishing
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Off-centre hours and minutes
Small seconds on tourbillon
Chronograph
Split-seconds chronograph
30-minute counter
Minute repeater
Tourbillon
Power reserve on the back of the watch
Case
18K 5N pink gold
45 mm diameter, 16.40 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Dial
Sapphire crystal
18K 5N pink gold hours, minutes, and seconds hands
Green-coloured chronograph and split-seconds chronograph hands
Strap
Green Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle
18K 5N pink gold folding clasp
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Box
Les Cabinotiers box
Les Cabinotiers, Pièce unique, AC hallmark engraved on the caseback
Single-piece edition
Price upon request
For more information please visit Vacheron Constantin