For the second year in a row, Les Cabinotiers has stunned the horological world, this time with the most complex wristwatch ever made. A true masterpiece. What sets the Solaria Ultra Grand Complication far above any other contenders is not just that Vacheron Constantin has combined the maximum number of functions into a 45mm x 15mm case, but also the way the task has been completed and the new complications incorporated. It is, for the 270th anniversary of the oldest watch brand in the world, a true magnum opus. It is the stand-out watch of the year, or almost any year for that matter.
LES CABINOTIERS: LEADERS IN BESPOKE WATCHES
For the last decade, Vacheron Constantin’s research arm, Les Cabinotiers, has been leading the industry in the field of bespoke timepiece manufacture. The list of accomplishments includes the world’s most complicated watch, the Berkley Grand Complication Ref. 57269, the reimagining of astronomy-based complications in the Celestia Ref. 3600, and a host of awards from various industry bodies.
The Solaria is a shining horological tour de force that took eight years of research and development. Even a simple listing of the numbers associated with it shows the degree to which it leaves the rest of the industry in its wake. A total of 41 complications, five rarely seen astronomical functions, an innovative Westminster chime minute-repeater, 1,521 components, and 13 patent applications filed.
Left: at the top of the front dial is the perpetual calendar. Other subdials record, at 9 o’clock, the moonphase and the tides; at 3 o’clock, a 24-hour world time; and around the diameter, the times of sunrise and sunset.
Right: the sky map on the back of the Solaria combines, for the first time, constellations and a chronograph function.
THE MOST COMPLICATED WRISTWATCH IN THE WORLD
First, as the name suggests, the Solaria contains new complications concerning the journey of the sun across the sky. The innovative mechanism in the subdial at 6 o’clock displays the position of the sun in real time: its height, time of culmination and angle of declination – everything you see about the sun in the sky throughout the year.
Second, what truly separates the Solaria from other grand complications is the aesthetics and legibility of the dial displays. It is a visual Les Cabinotiers has developed based broadly on clocks from Antide Janvier, where contrasting colours ensure the readout is visible at a glance. There are four counters positioned on the front, two of which show up to five complications each. At the top of the front dial is the perpetual calendar, displaying day, date, week, month and year. Other subdials record, at 9 o’clock on the dial, the moonphase and a mareoscope for the tides; at 3 o’clock, a 24-hour world time; and around the diameter, the times of sunrise and sunset.
Third, the sky map on the back of the watch combines, for the first time, constellations and a chronograph function. The nocturne-based countdown timer is a first. Not only does it track celestial objects in the night sky given longitude and latitude, but it can also estimate the time in hours and minutes before the selected constellation or star comes into view directly above.
Fourth, and the subject of seven out of the 13 patent applications, is the Westminster carillon chiming mechanism with four gongs and four hammers. The shape and positioning of the striking mechanism had to be altered, so that the sonnerie could be fitted without compromising the calibre’s slimness while still retaining the musical sequence of the sophisticated Westminster chime.
Every component of the Solaria’s miniaturised calibre 3655 showcases the architecture of the movement.
Finally, the level of finishing throughout is everything you would expect from the grandest of horological dames. Every component, notably due to the extreme miniaturisation of calibre 3655, and visible through the opaque night sky on the back of the watch, showcases the architecture of the movement, where the components’ decoration includes nine types of finish, from circling to satin polishing.
Unsurprisingly, this unique watch is already sold. Compared to some dubious provenance auction pieces that are listed as ‘exceedingly rare’ or ‘possibly unique’, the new owner managed to acquire a comparative bargain. This is horology at its finest, an intersection of time and astronomy, our chosen method of measuring the seasons, to chime the time of day, and the finest artisan watchmaking combined with modern methods of computation and design. It is a remarkable achievement and fitting that it should wear the crown of the world’s most complicated wristwatch.
Author: Andrew Hildreth
If you are interested in watches with complications, you may like the new worldtimer by Bovet, the Récital 30; IWC’s Big Pilot Shock Absorber Tourbillon Skeleton XPL; and our analysis of the Jump Hour Complication from its origins to the present day.
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