VACHERON CONSTANTIN – Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart - A celestial note Unique Timepiece
- “La Musique du Temps®": an assortment of one-of-a-kind models created by Les Cabinotiers department as a tribute to the musical arts.
- As partners of the Maison, Abbey Road Studios have recorded an original
sonic print issued as a unique certificate for each of these pieces.
While the primary function of watches serving as temporal points of reference has already challenged watchmakers, that of helping to determine spatial bearings is another daunting venture. Especially when these two functions are combined within the same chiming watch. By integrating in a single watch a tourbillon regulator aimed at enhancing tradition; a minute repeater embodying the noble lineage of the Maison’s chiming watches; and a rotating map of the celestial vault to highlight the cosmology of the universe, Vacheron Constantin offers a watch of rare complexity: the unique piece Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon sky chart – A celestial note. Its elegance is accentuated by the slenderness of the calibre housed in an 18K 5N pink gold case measuring 45 mm in diameter and only 15.1 mm thick.
Mechanical maestria
The elegant and complex watchmaking characterising the approach adopted by the
Les Cabinotiers department has already given rise to models such as
Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 – a combined display of civil, solar and sidereal time with perpetual calendar - and
Les Cabinotiers Symphonia Grande Sonnerie 1860 - the Manufacture's first grande sonnerie wristwatch
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Following on from these two one-of-a-kind creations unveiled in
2017, the
413-part
Calibre 2755 TMRCC drives
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon sky chart – A celestial note. Derived from the
2755 calibre, a
Vacheron Constantin signature movement reserved for particularly complex models, this manual-winding version with a 58-hour power reserve is equipped with a one-minute tourbillon bearing the small seconds hand, standing out against the blue dial with its guilloché sunray finish.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Displayed on the back of the watch on a concave dial designed to accentuate the depth effect, the sky chart offers a striking view of the Milky Way and the constellations that appear in all their brilliance, as if through a telescope. Governed by a concern for accuracy, this celestial table performs a complete rotation in
23 hours and
56 minutes corresponding to the sidereal time which is displayed on the periphery, accompanied by the indication of the day, month and cardinal points. In keeping with horological requirements, an ellipse drawn on the sapphire crystal highlights the exact position of the constellations at the moment the watch is viewed.
A minute repeater completes this device serving to chime the time on demand.
To create this particularly complex chiming mechanism, controlled by a sliding bolt on the case middle,
Vacheron Constantin's engineers and master watchmakers were inspired by the work carried out on the
2005 La Tour de l'île® anniversary watch, and in particular its strike governor. This system enables the duration of the musical sequences to be perfectly timed so as to achieve a distinct and harmonious sound of the notes playing the hours, quarters and minutes by hammers striking two circular gongs. This model is thus equipped with a perfectly silent centripetal flywheel strike governor that avoids any undue wear on the mechanism.
Les Cabinotiers: one-of-a-kind creations
In the
Vacheron Constantin universe, Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of pieces and unique creations. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, a time when master watchmakers were called cabinotiers and worked in ateliers bathed in natural light, known as cabinets and located on the top floors of Geneva's buildings. In the hands of these learned artisans, open to the new ideas of the Enlightenment, exceptional timepieces were born, inspired by astronomy, mechanical engineering and the arts. This expertise, which constitutes the great Geneva watchmaking tradition, has been flowing through
Vacheron Constantin’s veins since
1755.
Vacheron Constantin and chiming watches
Chiming watches occupy a special place among horological complications. For more than two centuries, these complex mechanisms have been highlighted by
Vacheron Constantin. Today, Les Cabinotiers department has chosen to pay tribute to them through one-of-a-kind creations on the theme
"La Musique du temps®".
Born from the need to tell the time in the dark in an age when people had to rely on candlelight, "
audible" watches have taken various forms: repeaters (indicating the hours and sometimes the quarters and minutes on request), sonnerie (striking) watches (indicating the hours and quarters in passing) and alarms (which can be programmed to ring at specific times). While each of these complications has its own distinctive characteristics, they all combine an integrated and complex mechanism with the finely crafted nature of musical instruments in terms of their resonance, acoustics and harmonics. Featuring watch cases equipped with complex movements as their only means of musical expression, these creations represent a magnificent feat of miniaturisation.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
At
Vacheron Constantin, the first mention of a chiming watch dates back to
1806: a gold pocket watch with minute repeater registered by the founder’s grandson
Jacques-Barthélemy, in the very first production register kept in the company's archives. Ever since, sonnerie or repeater watches have been an integral part of the Manufacture’s proud heritage, steadily enriched over the decades.
A sonic print certified by Abbey Road Studios
Sound and music have always played a role in the Maison’s partnerships, the latest of which is with
Abbey Road Studios, a name closely associated with iconic artists such as
The Beatles, Adele and Oasis. In collaboration with the studios,
Vacheron Constantin launched its
Fiftysix® collection, backed by the
"One of not Many" campaign. The partnership also has a role to play for
"La Musique du Temps®", as
Vacheron Constantin entrusts
Abbey Road Studios with recording the unique sound of each model.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
"Above and beyond extremely similar values, Abbey Road Studios and Vacheron Constantin work
closely together on creative collaborations involving both content
creation and sharing expertise. Entrusting the production of the sound
prints of our pieces to an internationally recognised expert in the
recording world is an integral part of our collaborative endeavours," explains Laurent Perves, CMO Vacheron Constantin. For the first time, the repeater watches from the “La Musique du Temps®” range have a unique sound imprint, recorded and certified by Abbey Road Studios. "The opportunity to capture the sonic identity of these incredible timepieces is a privilege," explains Jeremy Huffelmann, Head of Partnerships at Abbey Road Studios. “These
recordings perfectly encapsulate the shared values of craftsmanship,
expertise and excellence that define our collaboration, whilst forever
preserving the personality of these singular timepieces.”
Sum-up
Embodying an extremely original combination within the world of horological complications, the
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon sky chart
– A celestial note watch combines several forms of watchmaking
expertise. Incorporating a tourbillon regulator, a minute repeater
reflecting the noble tradition of
Vacheron Constantin chiming
watches and a rotating map of the celestial vault, this one-of-a-kind
double-sided model features a rare degree of complexity.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
At the heart of its 18K 5N gold case measuring
45 mm in diameter and just 15.1 mm thick beats
Calibre 2755 TMRCC. This
413-part manual-winding movement operates at the rate of
18,000 vibrations/hour, a frequency typical of traditional watchmaking, while enjoying a
58-hour power reserve. The timekeeping indications are displayed on the front, including small seconds on the tourbillon carriage adorned with a Maltese Cross, while the back of the watch provides a striking view of the
Milky Way and the constellations performing a complete rotation in
23 hour and
56 minutes, corresponding to sidereal time. The sliding bolt housed in the case middle suggests the presence of a minute repeater.
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Technical Specifications
Model: LES CABINOTIERS Minute repeater tourbillon sky chart - A celestial note
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Reference
9730C/000R-B493
Movement
Calibre 2755 TMRCC
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin mechanical manual-winding
33.90 mm (14 ¾) diameter, 9.40 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 58 hours
2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
413 components
38 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Hours, minutes
Small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage
Minute repeater
TourbillonSidereal time, months and sky chart on the back of the watch
Case
18K 5N pink gold
45 mm diameter, 15.10 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Dial
18K gold hand-guilloché sunray-finished blue
18K white gold applied hours-makers
Strap
Blue Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Clasp
18K white gold folding clasp
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
Presentation box & accessory
- Les Cabinotiers model
- Delivered with a corrector pen and a 18K 5 N pink gold buckle
- Abbey Road Studios Certificate
Unique timepiece “
Les Cabinotiers” and “
Pièce unique” engraved on caseback
#vacheronconstantin
#OneOfNotMany
#SymphoniaGrandeSonnerie
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Press Release - 2019
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Vacheron Constantin
Press Department
10, Chemin du Tourbillon
P.O. Box
95
CH-1228
Plan-les-Ouates/Geneva
Tel. +41 22
930 20 05
Fax +41 22
930 20 06
press@vacheron-constantin.com
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