VACHERON CONSTANTIN – Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph Edition - Unique Piece
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO- A single-piece watch striking perfect balance between horological excellence and stylistic virtuosity.
- A
new manual-winding tourbillon-regulated Manufacture Calibre 2757 which
drives two of the most complex horological complications: a minute
repeater equipped with a centripetal flying strike regulator and a
split-seconds monopusher chronograph.
- Perfect
legibility of the three-counter dial with off-centre hours and minutes,
30-minute chronograph counter, small seconds and central split-seconds
chronograph hands.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Beating to the rhythm of the new manual-winding in-house
Calibre 2757, this unique Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon
Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph is in keeping with the grand
tradition of Vacheron Constantin's complicated watches. True to its
imaginative approach to High Watchmaking, the Manufacture has combined a
minute repeater and a split-seconds monopusher chronograph within a
single tourbillon-regulated timepiece. This rare and complex combination
has thus far been seen mainly in the world of pocket watches,
essentially made to order as single-piece editions. Above and beyond its
technical complexity, this model has been the object of very special
attention in terms of aesthetics and dial legibility.Combining
a minute repeater and a split-seconds chronograph driven by a
tourbillon movement within the same complication watch is a challenge
taken up by the Maison’s master watchmakers in this Les Cabinotiers single-piece edition.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The
construction of this calibre, which consists of integrating an
additional split-seconds chronograph mechanism into a basic minute
repeater movement, represents a technical feat. The combination of these
functions with a tourbillon has rarely been seen in the world of pocket
watches, is almost non-existent in the world of wristwatches, and
represents a first for Vacheron Constantin in a wristwatch. This
timepiece is also distinguished by a concern for the purity of the dial
and the legibility of its chronograph functions. The tourbillon is
visible only through the case back, while the off-centre display of the
time and chronograph indications highlights the two central chronograph
hands. The presence of a minute repeater is revealed by the slide-piece
positioned on the left-hand side of the watch. This aesthetic
sensibility, expressed through meticulous attention to detail and
decoration, composes a veritable anatomy of beauty – the 2022 theme
highlighted by the Maison.Two centuries of expertise
As
early as 1819, Vacheron Constantin produced a pocket watch with
independent deadbeat seconds and quarter repeater, at the time one of
the first of its kind, which is now kept in the private collection of
the Maison.
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The deadbeat seconds mechanism, which allows the central
second hand to advance in one-second jumps, played an important role in
the measurement of short times. By making this mechanism independent by
means of an additional gear train, watchmakers developed what is
considered the ancestor of the chronograph towards the end of the 18th
century. With such a device, it is now possible to stop the seconds
hand without affecting the time indications. The split-seconds
chronograph – with its two coaxial hands of which the second can be
stopped to calculate an intermediate (split) time before being restarted
to catch up with the first – was first introduced with a single-hand
system in 1831, followed by the two-hand configuration in 1838. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Vacheron
Constantin quickly integrated these developments into the pocket
chronographs of the time, as confirmed by an 1889 split-seconds
timepiece dispatched to Buenos Aires for a horse racing enthusiast.New Calibre 2757 in-house manual-winding movement
Vacheron
Constantin's watchmakers have developed the 698-component
manual-winding Calibre 2757. Such a large number of parts denotes a rare
degree of horological complexity.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Even in the world of grand
complications, calibres are often of simpler design and made with far
fewer components. Given this intensely technical nature, Vacheron
Constantin's watchmakers have nonetheless risen to the challenge of
elegance by successfully arranging the complications of this timepiece
within a remarkably slender movement measuring barely 10.4 mm thick and
33.3 mm in diameter.Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Calibre 2757, operating at a
rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and endowed with an
approximately 60-hour power reserve, enables short time measurement with
1/5th of a second precision appearing on the graduated
minute-track. The unusual configuration of the dark grey dial has been
designed to ensure optimum visibility of the split-seconds chronograph. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The hours and minutes are displayed on an offset subdial, leaving room
for the 30-minute chronograph counter prominently placed at 2 o'clock.
The layout is complemented by small seconds at 6 o'clock, indicating
that the watch is in operation, thereby leaving plenty of space for the
two central chronograph hands.A high-performance chronograph
The
very construction of the movement, particularly in terms of its
chronographic functions, is based on the imperative of performance. In
the watchmaking world, where many great inventions belong to the past,
innovation often consists in optimising the operation of a calibre. This
approach begins with the development of the movement and continues with
the use of new materials.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
This same approach is reflected in Calibre 2757, whose additional split-seconds chronograph plate has been
specially designed to ensure efficiency thanks to the in-depth
arrangement of its components. This optimisation of volumes, despite the
thinness of the calibre, is also accompanied by new materials. Some of
the wheels in the going train have been made of titanium or
electroformed in nickel-phosphorus with a toothing profile specific to
Vacheron Constantin, the goal being to ensure better gear penetration so
as to avoid any jerking of the seconds hand. Silicon, an ultra-light
material that requires no lubrication, is also used for one of the
split-seconds levers and its insulator. These savings in component
weight and friction thus reduce the loss of energy amplitude from the
barrel, thereby maintaining a comfortable power reserve of up to 50
hours with the chronograph activated.Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
For short-time
measurements, a function demanding extreme regularity in terms of
precision, Vacheron Constantin watchmakers have opted for a construction
with two column wheels: the first devoted to the chronograph and the
other to the split-seconds mechanism. This chronograph is thus
controlled by a single pusher at 2 o'clock for the basic functions
(start/stop/reset) and by the one at 4 o'clock for the split-seconds
(stop/reset). Pressing the latter stops the seconds hand on an
intermediate time while the first hand continues running. Pressing it
again enables the split-seconds hand to join the first seconds hand in
counting off time. Two scales further enhance the technical nature of
this timepiece. The tachymeter scale, screen-printed in white on a
1,000-metre base, enables the average speed in km/h to be calculated
over the first minute of timekeeping; the telemeter scale in red is used
to calculate distances of up to 20 km according to the speed of sound
(340 metres/second).A musical watch
The
chronograph functions are complemented by a minute repeater, activated
by the lever on the left-hand side of the case. An essential
complication for musical watches, the minute repeater has been part of
Vacheron Constantin's watchmaking vocabulary for more than two
centuries, sounding the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. The first
known mention of a Vacheron Constantin chiming watch in the production
records dates back to 1806, with a gold quarter-repeater pocket watch.
Since that date, chiming and repeater watches have been part of the Maison’s heritage that has continued to grow over the decades.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Calibre
2757 is the direct heir to this tradition, benefiting from the
technical developments perfected within the Manufacture. These include
an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator. In a minute repeater
watch, this mechanism regulates the duration of the musical sequence so
that the notes can be heard distinctly and harmoniously. This system is
distinguished by its two weights whose very special shape has been
optimised to act as a brake by means of centripetal force acting on the
governor’s rotating shaft, thereby evening out the energy released by
the barrel and regulated by the tourbillon. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
This original device is also
perfectly silent. Visible exclusively through the caseback, the
tourbillon is distinguished by a carriage whose shape is inspired by the
Maison’s Maltese cross emblem. Held by
a delicately hand-chamfered bridge, this regulator carriage performs
one complete rotation per minute.Exceptional finishing
Presented
in a 45 mm-diameter 750/1000 5N pink gold case with an exhibition back
and on an alligator leather strap with gold folding clasp, this watch
represents a technical feat as well as epitomising extraordinary mastery
in the field of watchmaking finishing. A signature feature of Vacheron
Constantin watches is that each component is finely decorated with
hand-made finishes before being assembled, even when destined to remain
hidden.
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These surfaces that are alternately bevelled, polished,
satin-finished, frosted, circular-grained or engraved and beadblasted
create a play of light that brings out all the magic of Vacheron
Constantin's calibres and contributes to the brand’s intrinsic anatomy
of beauty. The assembly, setting into operation and casing-up of this
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater split-seconds monopusher chronograph
movement thus represents only one third of the time devoted to the
watch, as opposed to two thirds devoted to the calibre finishing. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The
contrast between the bridges and maintaining plate with Vacheron
Constantin's signature black coating and the "metallic" moving parts
already acts as a revelation of this kinetic art, which takes shape
thanks to the meticulous attention lavished on details. On the dial
side, the skeletonised bridges, with their hand-chamfered and
straight-grained flanks feature a circular satin finish. The wheels,
with their chamfered arms, are burnished and polished, a complex
operation that requires special tools for the titanium wheels.Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
On
the caseback side of the movement, the watchmaker in charge of the
timepiece – who carries out all the assembly and finishing operations
right the way through to timing and casing-up in the manner of 18th century cabinotiers
– has created an original decoration, in keeping with this remarkable
timepiece. The blackened bridges featured a hollowed-out surface that
has been sandblasted to a very fine grain by hand, topped by a
mirror-polished sink. This magnificent execution, which plays on the
reflections of light between the matt and the shiny, brings out the
"musical" components of the movement. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The strike governor is notably
engraved with the initials J.M.C. in tribute to Jean-Marc Vacheron and
features a bar whose delicate rounding off involves 12 hours of
meticulous hand craftsmanship. The tourbillon bridge is engraved with
Vacheron Constantin’s Maltese cross emblem. This Les Cabinotiers Minute
repeater tourbillon split-seconds monopusher chronograph in 18K 5N pink
gold measuring 45 mm in diameter and fitted with a
black alligator leather strap achieves the perfect symbiosis between
Vacheron Constantin's imaginative classicism, its perfect mastery of
horological complications and its virtuosity in presenting them.The Anatomy of Beauty®
The
single-piece watch Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon
Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph features a concern for impeccable
finishing and meticulous decoration of all watch components, even those
that remain invisible, vividly illustrating Vacheron Constantin's theme
for 2022:"The Anatomy of Beauty®". This quest for excellence is
expressed through the designers' aesthetic choices and preferences as
well as in the meticulous finishing work performed by the artisans. All
the components of a Vacheron Constantin watch benefit from this
scrupulous attention, even those that remain invisible once the movement
has been assembled. A keen eye will note the fine guilloché work on a dial or the gem-set minutes track; it will make out the contours of the Maison’s
Maltese cross emblem on the links of a bracelet; it will notice the
small flame-blued screw serving as a seconds indicator on a tourbillon
carriage and the mirror polish of a minute-repeater hammer; it will
appreciate the artisans’ delicate touch when chamfering a plate or
rounding off a bridge; and finally, it will admire the miniature enamel
painting depicting a ship tossed around by a stormy sea streaked with
lightning. At Vacheron Constantin, concern for detail delicately shapes
an anatomy of beauty in which nothing is left to chance.
------------------------------------------------------------------ Sum-up
With
this Les Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon split-seconds
monopusher chronograph single-piece edition, Vacheron Constantin has
achieved the perfect blend of technical horology and aesthetic
sophistication. This timepiece is distinguished by the rare combination
of a minute repeater and a split-seconds chronograph within a
tourbillon-regulated calibre.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Despite this complexity, which is
reflected in the creation of the new manual-winding Calibre 2757 with
nearly 700 components, the designers at the Manufacture have created a
thin movement measuring just 10.4 mm thick. This movement meets the most
stringent performance criteria in terms of performance and reliability,
which required a new architecture for the additional chronograph plate
and the use of materials such as silicon that are lighter and have a
lower coefficient of friction. The result is a high level of chronograph
precision achieved throughout the 50-hour power reserve. Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
The same
attention has been lavished on the minute repeater mechanism, notably by
incorporating a centripetal flying strike governor ensuring the
musicality of the sound sequences. The care devoted to the finishing
touches reflects the same philosophy, with hand-crafted High Watchmaking
Finishes and magnificent contrasting effects between the colours of the
components and their surface finishes. This Les Cabinotiers watch – of
which the assembly and finishing are entrusted to a single watchmaker
and that is distinguished by its dial with offset counters ensuring
perfect legibility – perpetuates the grand Geneva watchmaking tradition
upheld by Vacheron Constantin. The watch is presented with a 45 mm
diameter pink gold 18K 5N case fitted with an alligator leather strap.-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Collection: Les Cabinotiers
Model: Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Split-Seconds Monopusher Chronograph
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Reference 9750C/000R-002C - Unique Piece
Movement
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding - Calibre 2757Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
33.30 mm diameter, 10.40 mm thick
Approximately 60 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
698 components
59 jewels
Poinçon de Genève
Indications
- Off-centred/Offset hours and minutes
- Chronograph
- Split-seconds chronograph
- Small seconds
- 30-minute counter
- Minute repeater
- Tourbillon
Case 18K
5N pink gold
45 mm diameter, 16.4 mm thick
Dial Dark grey dial
Hours, minutes and seconds hands: 18K 5N pink gold, polished
Chronograph and split-seconds chronograph hands: gold-toned aluminium, matt
Strap Black Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Buckle
18K
5N pink gold folding clasp
Half Maltese cross-shaped
Box Les Cabinotiers box
- Single-piece edition
- “Les Cabinotiers”, “Pièce unique”, “AC” hallmark engraved on caseback
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Press Release - 2022
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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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