AUDEMARS PIGUET – Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

AUDEMARS PIGUET – Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar NEW

SUN, MOON, STARS:
THE ORIGINS OF THE
PERPETUAL CALENDAR

CHAPTER I

For the vast majority of time since human beings have existed, the sun has been our daily timekeeper, while the moon, observable stars and constellations have been our calendars. Inevitably, the natural world served as the basis and source of inspiration for the earliest time measurement devices and concepts, and Horology, the science and study of time measurement, has always been directly linked to astronomy in every respect.

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Horological devices and calendars evolved throughout much of the ancient world, including Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome and China. Shadow clocks and sundials were the most widely used timekeepers for centuries, and are among the earliest ancestors of modern timepieces with origins going back 3500 years as they captured and measured the passage of time as dictated by the sun.

In addition to sundials, many other astronomical and time measurement devices were developed in antiquity and during the centuries leading up to mechanical clocks and watches.

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For instance, the Astrolabe, which means “Taker of Stars”, was introduced in Ancient Greece approximately 2300 years ago. Its development is attributed to Greek astronomer and mathematician Hipparchus, and the earliest versions were essentially instruments to assist with astronomical observations, much like portable star charts that showed the relative distance in the night sky of known stars. The Astrolabe was greatly improved upon during the Islamic Golden Age from the 8th century until the 13th century, and the addition of scales made it functional for navigation through deserts and eventually oceans.

Finally, water clocks, or “Clepsydra” in Greek which translates to “Water Thief”, have been used as time measurement devices since approximately 1500 BC. An ancestor of mechanical clocks, water clocks were used to measure the passage of time for daily use and astronomical observation, to trigger bells, and eventually to activate more complex chiming mechanisms and automaton figures.


THE DAWN OF ASTRONOMICAL MECHANICAL HOROLOGY

In the Western world, the first mechanical tower clocks began to appear in Europe during the early 13th century. They were more reliable than their water clock predecessors, but they were not accurate, and neither were the earliest watches from the 16th century which were essentially miniaturized clocks. However, since the sun, the phases of the moon and the observable stars were the only timekeepers that mattered for a long time, watches from the mid-16th century began to feature astronomical complications, including day, date and phases of the moon.

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Meanwhile, the Western calendar was also going through revision and refinement. Back in 46 BC, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar which consisted of 365¼ days, 12 months and incorporated a leap day at the end of February every four years. It was a major reform of the previous Roman calendar, which was believed to be a lunar calendar, however, the Julian calendar turned out to not be perfect either…

WHAT HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 5TH 1582? NOTHING!

The Julian calendar was in fact “late” by 10 days as over the centuries human time began to lag behind that of nature. Pope Gregorio XIII therefore decided to introduce a new Gregorian calendar to correct this, with a direct jump from October 4th 1582 to…October 15th 1582! In this new calendar still in use today, the leap year system was maintained, but one leap year was deleted every one hundred years, apart from the last years of centuries of which the number is divisible by 400. That is why the year 2000 is a leap year, while the years 2100 and 2200 will not be.

It was not until the 17th century that better accuracy and reliability in mechanical horology could be achieved. During this period, discoveries in science and technology became increasingly reliant on accurate time measurement. Among the most critical individuals that helped make the leap from timekeepers being incredible novelties to them becoming vital tools of scientific discovery, was the Dutch astronomer, horologist, physicist, mathematician and thinker, Christiaan Huygens (1629 – 1695). Huygens invented the pendulum in 1657 which greatly increased the accuracy of clocks, and was among the firsts to develop the balance spring which improved the accuracy of watches. English philosopher, architect and horologist Robert Hooke (1635 – 1703) is credited with introducing the balance spring just ahead of Huygens. The pendulum and balance spring are still the primary means of mechanical horology to this day.

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SIMPLE CALENDAR VS PERPETUAL CALENDAR

The calendar mechanisms of these early astronomical watches are generally referred to today as simple calendars or triple calendars (day, date and month), and they usually feature moon phase displays. Simple calendar watches do not make the adjustment to the leap year and the date does not automatically adjust to compensate for the varying number of days in each month. Consequently, the date indication on the watch has to be manually corrected five times throughout the year: the 1st day of March, May, July, October and December.
On the other hand, a perpetual calendar watch is a complex micro-mechanical device that has been engineered to automatically adjust to the varying number of days in each month, and even to the leap year. For example, the watch knows that February has 28 days for three consecutive years prior to the leap year when the 29th day is added. It is in many regards an analog computer as it calculates or computes the complexities of the calendar independently from the user, taking automatic account of months with 28, 29, 30 and 31 days, and it will require no correction until the evening of February 28th 2100 (a Gregorian calendar exception to the standard leap year rule).

The development of the perpetual calendar is believed to have occurred circa 1800. There were few watchmakers capable of producing perpetual calendar watches at that time, and the Vallée de Joux, birthplace of Audemars Piguet, was one region where this expertise eventually flourished.

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VALLÉE DE JOUX AND AUDEMARS PIGUET ORIGINS
THE AUDEMARS PIGUET
PERPETUAL CALENDAR LEGACY

CHAPTER II

Regions of great horological importance and impact evolve in geographic locations that have proximity to the natural resources required to manufacture watch components. Metallurgical activity stretches all the way back to the 15th century in the Vallée de Joux.

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Generations of residents working the mills and forges during the long winter months provided the opportunity to develop and perfect the metallurgical arts, creating the foundation for the exceptional level of watchmaking that would evolve in the region. High quality knife and tool making were among the trades that preceded watchmaking in the Vallée, which began to take shape in the 1740s and 1750s:

• 1753 Isaac Abraham Piguet, the first Piguet in the field of watchmaking, began his apprenticeship.

• 1760 Isaac Abraham achieved the level of master watchmaker.

• 1869 Joseph Piguet was received as a master. Joseph’s direct descendants include Edward Auguste Piguet, one of the founders of Audemars Piguet. Joseph’s original school watch from the 1760s was passed down through the generations and is now displayed in the Audemars Piguet museum.

• 1851 Jules Louis Audemars was born in Le Brassus, Vallée de Joux, and descended from generations of watchmakers. Fine watchmaking was in his blood, it was his life pursuit from a young age. His childhood days working with his father, and his apprenticeship with several master watchmakers in the region helped develop his skill set to the level of “repasseur”, or finisher.

Among the watchmakers that were part of Jules’ family tree, was his great uncle Louis Benjamin Audemars who produced many iconic watches during the early to mid-19th century, including an incredible pocket-watch that featured dual perpetual calendar displays: both the Julian and the Gregorian calendars were actually represented. Ledgers demonstrate that at least five important Vallée de Joux watchmakers worked in collaboration on this watch.

• 1875 Following Jules Louis’ apprenticeship, the young and talented watchmaker set up his first workshop in Le Brassus. From the onset, he began working and collaborating with Edward Auguste Piguet, two years his junior and also a promising young “repasseur”. Like Jules Louis, watchmaking was in the very DNA of Edward Auguste as he was part of the craftsmen descendants and cognoscenti of the extensive watchmaking traditions and history within the Vallée de Joux.

During the first six years of the partnership, Audemars Piguet primarily produced complicated movements that were sold to firms in Geneva who would then case the watches and resell the final product. The pair knew this would not be enough, and this led the two gentlemen to officially establish their new firm with the expressed intention to make and market completed watches.

• 1881 Audemars Piguet was officially registered, with Jules Louis primarily responsible for the technical direction of the company and Edward Auguste in charge of the financial and commercial direction of the company. This division of responsibility proved to be immensely effective and was largely maintained as management of the company was passed to the children of the founders.
• 1882 Of the 1500+ watches produced by Audemars Piguet, the company ledgers demonstrate that over 80% of them included at least one complication, and in many instances, numerous complications. 

• 1892 The perpetual calendar, the minute repeater and the chronograph were and still are the domain of Audemars Piguet – they are an extension of the founders themselves and part of the Vallée de Joux collective history.

For Jules Louis and Edward Auguste, as well as other vital Le Brassus watchmakers, there was a distinct sense of pride and responsibility as inheritors of the great Vallée de Joux watchmaking traditions that preceded them. To this day, Audemars Piguet has never left the hands of the founding families and has never stopped producing complicated watches – even during the pressures of War, economic depressions and sea changes within the industry that buried countless other firms. This uninterrupted focus and caring attention have been the driving force behind the spirit of innovation and independence, as well as the immense respect for tradition that define the brand.

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THE AUDEMARS PIGUET
PERPETUAL CALENDAR
LEGACY

Audemars Piguet has an uninterrupted history of creating exceptional perpetual calendar watches that goes back to the company’s origins over 140 years ago. While all time measurement devices can be viewed as an extension and expression of astronomy, the perpetual calendar mechanism is the one complication that embodies the ancient relationship between astronomical observation and the evolution of calendars and timepieces. The Vallée de Joux is an ideal geographical location for scenic and celestial observation, and watchmakers past and present have cited the natural views as a source of inspiration.

One of the earliest perpetual calendar watches that is part of the Audemars Piguet museum was made even before the company was established. Jules Louis Audemars’ school watch was completed in its first incarnation prior to the origins of Audemars Piguet in 1875, and transformed in the workshops over the following two decades. The complicated 18-carat pink gold pocket-watch masterpiece combines a perpetual calendar with a quarter repeating mechanism, and includes the rarely seen independent deadbeat second function.

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During the 1910s and 1920s, Audemars Piguet began to produce stylized unique perpetual calendar pocket-watches that were highly differentiated from those being made by other leading Swiss firms. For instance, in 1921 the Manufacture produced a rarely seen cushion-shaped perpetual calendar pocket-watch made in a combination of platinum and 18-carat yellow gold, with a dial featuring black Arabic numerals and a distinct Art Deco aesthetic, which was sold in 1923.

As the 20th century progressed, the very first wristwatches with perpetual calendar emerged. While these were exceptional, they all lacked the defining element of the perpetual calendar pocket-watches that preceded them – the leap year indication.

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In 1955, Audemars Piguet began production on the very first series of perpetual calendar wristwatches in the world to feature the essential leap year indication. A total of only 9 examples of this celebrated and elusive model were created. They featured meticulously finished 36 mm cases and distinct two tone dials.

By the late 1970s, the Quartz Crisis hit critical mass and buried many traditional watch firms while requiring others to greatly adapt their entire way of manufacturing and marketing timepieces. Audemars Piguet was one of the only traditional high-end Swiss watchmakers that not only continued to produce mechanical masterpieces throughout the Quartz Era, but also continued to innovate.

One of the greatest horological innovations of the late 1970s was Audemars Piguet’s 1978 release of the world’s thinnest selfwinding perpetual calendar wristwatch. Conceived in secret and developed by master watchmaker Michel Rochat (referred to as “Le Mic” by friends) with the help of some of his highly skilled colleagues, the groundbreaking perpetual calendar wristwatch achieved its extra-thinness (3.95 mm) by adapting the exceptional calibre 2120 movement launched in 1967.

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With this, “Le Mic” contributed to transfer the traditional watchmaking savoir-faire to the young generations. This new perpetual calendar calibre was central in attaining stability for Audemars Piguet during the Quartz Crisis, but also in ushering a new era of growth as it proved to be massively successful. Only a couple of brands were offering perpetual calendar wristwatches at the time and following the success of the new models, Audemars Piguet proceeded to revive and reinvent many other classic complications in years that followed.

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In 1984, the extra-thin selfwinding perpetual calendar was introduced for the first time in the Royal Oak collection, and while production of perpetual calendar wristwatches was well underway by then, Audemars Piguet also continued to create avant-garde and classical pocket-watches with perpetual calendar. During the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, Audemars Piguet introduced a wide variety of perpetual calendar watches with varying design codes, ranging from the Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore, to the Jules Audemars and the Tradition.

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CHAPTER III
2015  

THE ROYAL OAK PERPETUAL CALENDAR:
THE NEW GEOMETRY OF TIME

Perpetual calendars are part of the DNA of Audemars Piguet, and in 2015 the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar returns to center stage with an entirely new design, size and calibre. Continuing the shift in watch case size that began in 2012, the new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is now 41 mm, yet still extremely thin.

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The enlarged size has resulted in a “Grande Tapisserie” dial design that greatly increases the overall aesthetics, balance and legibility of the perpetual calendar indications. The layout of the dial includes all of the traditional indications of a perpetual calendar watch: day, date, month, leap year and in addition, an highly detailed astronomical moon. On top of this, the 52 weeks of the year are indicated by an outer chapter ring with corresponding central hand, adding another layer of time measurement.

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THE NEW GEOMETRY OF TIME 

 CALIBRE 5134

The new selfwinding calibre 5134 is based on its predecessor, calibre 2120, however it has been enlarged in accordance with the updated 41 mm case size. The highly finished 4.31 mm thick movement is fully visible through the glareproofed sapphire crystal caseback.

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The thinner the movement, the more complex it is to adjust and assemble its parts as it requires extraordinary skills to work on components which are sometimes as thin as a human hair. However all finishing operations are performed by hand in accordance with the highest standards of Haute Horlogerie:

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•THE SUSPENDED BARREL, WHICH HELPS ACHIEVING EXTRA THINNESS, IS ADORNED WITH CIRCULAR CÔTES DE GENÈVE, AND THE WHEELS ARE CIRCULAR SATIN-BRUSHED.

•THE MAINPLATE IS CIRCULAR-GRAINED WHILE ALL BRIDGES ARE BEVELLED AND ADORNED WITH CÔTES DE GENÈVE, THE FLANKS ARE SATIN-BRUSHED AND ALL BEVELS ARE POLISHED. 

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•THE 22-CARAT GOLD MONOBLOC OSCILLATING WEIGHT IS ENGRAVED WITH “AUDEMARS PIGUET”, AND ITS EXTERNAL SEGMENT IS ADORNED WITH A “TAPISSERIE” MOTIF ECHOING THE ICONIC PATTERN OF THE ROYAL OAK DIALS.

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A powerful combination of modern aesthetics and prestigious traditional complication, the new 2015 Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is the latest chapter of this incredible journey which began 140 years ago.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL:  ROYAL OAK PERPETUAL CALENDAR WITH WEEK INDICATION AND ASTRONOMICAL MOON 41 mm  
YEAR: 2015

•  Stainless Steel case:

REFERENCE:    26574ST.OO.1220ST.01 Silver-toned dial

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REFERENCE:    26574ST.OO.1220ST.02 Blue dial

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•   18-carat Pink Gold case:

REFERENCE:    26574OR.OO.1220OR.01 Silver-toned dial

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REFERENCE:    26574OR.OO.1220OR.02 Blue dial

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MOVEMENT
CALIBRE 5134
Total thickness: 4.31 mm
Total diameter: 29.00 mm
Frequency of balance wheel: 2.75 Hz (19,800 vibrations/ hour)
Number of jewels: 38
Minimal guaranteed power reserve: 40 hours
Bidirectional selfwinding
Balance with variable inertia blocks
Flat balance-spring
Mobile stud-holder
Number of parts: 374.
SPECIFICITIES
Extra-thin movement
Suspended barrel
The oscillating weight is guided by a peripheral ring rolling on four ruby runners, which reduces friction and wear to the minimum possible
Moon phase indicator, laser microstructured, laid on aventurine
Moon phase astronomical indicator requiring correction every 125 years and 317 days
Manual finishing on components
Oscillating weight can be custom decorated upon customer’s request.
CASE
    Stainless steel case 41 mm
    18-carat pink gold case 41 mm
Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, screw-locked crown.
DIAL:
    Silver-toned dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating, silver-toned inner bezel.
FUNCTIONS:
    Perpetual calendar with week indication, day, date,
    astronomical moon, month, leap year, hours and minutes.
BRACELET:
    Stainless steel bracelet with AP folding clasp.
    18-carat pink gold bracelet with AP folding clasp.

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Audemars Piguet (Marketing) SA
Route de France 16 - Case postale 16
1348 Le Brassus - Switzerland
Phone : + 41 21 642 39 00
Fax : + 41 21 642 34 02

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VACHERON CONSTANTIN – ATELIER CABINOTIERS Reference 57260 White Gold

VACHERON CONSTANTIN – ATELIER CABINOTIERS  Reference 57260 White Gold - Unique 260th Anniversary timepiece NEW

PRESENTING THE VACHERON CONSTANTIN REF. 57260

THE MOST COMPLICATED WATCH EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF HOROLOGY

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Manufacture of eternity since 1755, Vacheron Constantin celebrates 260 years of uninterrupted history on September 17, 2015. As part of this landmark event, the Maison unveils a unique timepiece. This watch is a breakthrough technical feat for Fine Watchmaking. From an initial idea conceived by a major collector, this watch became a reality thanks to the determination of Vacheron Constantin to redefine the limits of possibility.

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September 17th, 2015 will be forever remembered in the history of horology as the most complicated watch ever created gets unveiled. In François Constantin's words: “ Do better if possible, and that is always possible”. The very essence of this motto drives Vacheron Constantin to cultivate special ties with the great patrons and exceptional men whose dreams have fired them to contributing to the advancement of art and of haute horlogerie over the past two centuries. To celebrate the 260th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin, the manufacture has created the most complicated timepiece ever made featuring 57 complications — three of them never seen in a watch before.

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The pocket watch ref. 57206 was developed and finished over the course of eight years by the hands of three master watchmakers. Below are some of the complications never before seen in a watch and that are included in the new Vacheron Constantin ref. 57260. Up to date the most complicated watches ever made were the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 with 33 complications, the Patek Philippe Star Calibre 2000 with 21 complications, the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. Super complication and the Vacheron Constantin Tour de l'Ile with 16 complications.

 The Hebraic Perpetual Calendar

Probably the most challenging of the 57 complications the Hebraic perpetual calendar requested highly complicated mathematical calculations combining both the lunar months and solar year were transcribed into not only an operational mechanism but a display that is elegant, logical and easy to read. The Hebraic perpetual calendar works on the principle of the 19-year Metonic cycle because 19 years it is almost exactly a multiple of the solar year and lunar month over that period.

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On this watch, the Metonic cycle (also called Golden Number) is displayed as a sector at 3 o’clock concentric with the chronograph hour register. The date of Yom Kippur indicated in the Gregorian calendar each year, is represented by the corresponding retrograde hand at 6 o'clock, which returns to its starting point every 19 years, at which time the sector is replaced for another for each of the 19 year cycles.

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To keep the 12-month lunar year in pace with the solar year, a “13th” leap-month called an intercalary month has to be added seven times during the 19-year cycle. Ingeniously, this watch not only allows for this addition but also shows the user whether the current year is a 12 or 13-month year via an indicator hand and 12/13 display situated concentric with the chronograph minute register and counter hand in the 9 o’clock position.

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In the Hebrew calendar, there are fixed lunar months of 29 or 30 days alternately. Those of Cheshvan and Kislev can have 29 or 30 days, depending on the year. Here, the self-correcting date hand is concentric to the Yom Kippur sector and constant seconds. On either side of the date, two windows indicate the number of days and months in Hebrew.

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The secular Hebrew calendar, which is displayed in a four-digit window below the Yom Kippur sector is calculated from the supposed date of the creation of the world in 3760 BC. To calculate the present year in the Hebrew calendar 2015 is added to 3760 giving the year 5775. The Jewish New Year begins again in September 2015 with therefore the Hebrew year 5776. Tishrei is the first month of the Hebrew calendar.

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Within the center of the hour chapter-ring are four representations of the moon phases and also a hand indicating the age of the moon within its 29.5305882 day cycle. The Vacheron Constantin moon phase system requires correction only once every 1027 years.

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 Double Retrograde “Rattrapante” Chronograph

Completely new to the world of watchmaking, the retrograde rattrapante chronograph is of a totally innovative design and construction. This is the first watch ever to be made with a rattrapante chronograph with double retrograde action. It is not only a highly visual complication but mechanically ingenious.

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This new chronograph is read by the user exactly in the manner of a classic split-seconds chronograph; uniquely however, whilst both hands still work in unison and from the same axis, unlike all other split-seconds chronographs, the two hands never actually meet but operate on two separate scales on opposing sides of the dial. In this respect, the new chronograph can perhaps be best described as a “detached” split-seconds chronograph.

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In addition, it has been necessary to specially design and make the two long and very fine chronograph hands so that the chronograph has perfect stability and extreme accuracy during operation. There are two register dials for the chronograph counting each elapsed minute up to 60-minutes and each elapsed hour up to 12-hours so that events of up to 12-hours in duration can be accurately recorded.

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The Westminster Chiming, Alarm and Special Night-Silence Feature

Sectors can be seen on the dial to either side of the hour chapter ring, just above the chronograph registers. These sectors with their corresponding hands are indicators for the selection of the mode of chiming, mode of alarm striking and the alarm power-reserve indicator. These are unsurprisingly highly sophisticated and incorporate new and unique watchmaking inventions and innovations.

Chiming

This watch offers 3 possible striking modes:

1. Striking - the watch chimes automatically at each passing quarter hour, in the same way as a clock.
With five hammers striking five finely tuned steel gongs, the chiming sequence is that of "Big Ben", the clock of the Palace of Westminster in London.

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2. Night silence – chiming automatically disabled from 22h to 8h (described in more detail below).

3. Silence - chiming switched off when it is not desired.

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There are two additional options to choose from; Grande sonnerie - striking the hours and the quarters at every passing quarter and alternatively Petite sonnerie – striking the full hours at the hour but only a quarter-strike without hours on the quarters. To repeat the chiming at any time, the slide on the band of the case can be activated whenever it is desired by the user.

👉Link to the album

Night-Time Silence

A unique and very user-friendly new feature has been developed especially for the chiming system of this watch, that of the automatically activated “Night-Time Silence” mode. A special system has been developed by Vacheron Constantin and built into this watch whereby (in this instance) between the hours of 10pm at night and 8am in the morning it does not chime in order not to disturb its owner. This system is unique in being the first to be automatically activated without the need to manually set the chime or silence option.

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Alarm

In addition to the chiming mechanism, this model houses an integrally connected alarm system with separate power-reserve indication. The main feature of this Vacheron Constantin mechanism is that it allows a choice between either a traditional alarm on an additional differently tuned single gong with single hammer or Westminster carillon full chiming alarm in either Grande or Petite sonnerie mode.

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The alarm is set via the winding crown which moves an additional alarm hand co-axial with the hour and moon’s age hand. The flush-fit winding button is situated in the band of the case.

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The Second Dial and Further Functions

As well as the astronomical indications, several unique and major systems developed especially for this watch are presented here including a 12-hour second time-zone governed by a digital world-time display, a double perpetual calendar and a remarkable fully visible armillary sphere tourbillon.

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The blue star chart in the upper half of the dial represents the night sky and the star constellations visible from the user’s home city, with the months appearing around the edge. Concentric around the outer border is the scale for the retrograde date of the perpetual calendar, the hand “flying” back to its start point at the end of each month. Subsidiary dials for the days of the week and the months flank the star dial and the aperture above the month dial shows the number of the year between 1 and 4 in the leap-year cycle.

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Around the edge of the dial are three astronomic scales which are read using the central gold hand identified by its sun counterpoise. The outermost scale is for the months of the year and their respective number of days, while a concentric scale for the year divided into Zodiac sign periods additionally indicates the dates of the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices. The inter-related four seasons are displayed on a further inner concentric ring.

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The sector above the tourbillion aperture indicates Equation of Time showing the discrepancy between true solar time and standard meantime which fluctuates during the year but can be ahead by as much as 16 minutes (around November 3rd) and behind by 14 minutes (around February 12th). Solar and meantime are equal on just four occasions each year. Flanking the tourbillon aperture are two dual sectors for the time of sunrise and day length and time of sunset and night length in the user’s home city. These indications are in fact another relevant factor in the Gregorian calendar in which the days are calculated from the hours of light and darkness and not strictly set times.

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Another watchmaking first is the 12-hour second time zone dial with separate day and night indicator window located in the 10 o’clock position: the second time zone is used in conjunction with the digitally displayed world-time function which gives a choice of 24 cities and countries and their respective time deviations from Greenwich Meantime.

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This thoroughly new and discreet 12-hour system of world-time mechanism and display is the first new system to be developed since Louis Cottier’s well-known world-time system with 24-hour indication invented about 1935 and is therefore of major significance.

The Dual-Function Perpetual Calendar

The perpetual calendar systems invented and built by the watchmakers of Vacheron Constantin are amongst the greatest achievements made during the construction of this watch. They represent Vacheron Constantin’s supreme mastery of both highly complex mathematical calculations and the ability of their watchmaking team to translate the calculations into mechanisms functioning in complete harmony in relation to the myriad other functions. Including the Hebraic perpetual calendar seen on the other dial, this watch has the ability to provide three entirely different perpetual calendar readings.

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The fundamental new departure is that two possible options are available for the reading of the Gregorian perpetual calendar displayed on this dial: either the traditional Gregorian calendar or the business calendar system known as ISO 8601, a numerical system which utilises 52 weeks and 7 days.

The Gregorian perpetual calendar which automatically corrects itself for the appropriate number of days in the month and the leap-years can be read on the dial using the retrograde date, the days of the week and months dials, with the leap-year window displaying a number between 1 and 4 located to the right of the retrograde date sector.

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The ISO 8601 business calendar is a specific system founded by the International Organization for Standardization and used mainly in the international financial sector – for example in company accounting for tax years, payment of wages or rents due on a weekly basis, the planning of projects in weekly cycles, etc. The purpose of this standard is to provide an unambiguous method of representing dates and times, so as to avoid misinterpretation of numeric representations of dates and times, particularly when data are transferred between countries with different conventions for writing numeric dates and times. When times are also required under the ISO system, they are given using the 24-hour system and with time-zone information where necessary. Both these functions are also present on this dial.

When the ISO 8601 mode is employed, the number of the week within the year and the number of the day within the week takes precedence over the traditional calendar month and traditional date, the number of the week is read from the dial concentric to the month indication and the number of the day within the week is indicated by a number between 1 (for Monday) and 7 (for Sunday) in a window directly above the week dial.

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The ISO system has a full cycle of 400 years and employs a seven-day cycle with weeks starting on a Monday. However, an ISO year can have either 52 or in some cases 53 full weeks when New Year’s Day falls on a Thursday (Wednesday or Thursday in leap-years):  this occurs every 5 or 6 years.

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In the ISO system, week 1 is the one which contains the first Thursday of the year and always contains January 4th. The last week of the year in the ISO calendar is the one that contains the last Thursday and always includes December 28th. This system requires the user to adopt a different way of interpretation, for example: if the calendar is displaying Thursday, September 17th, the ISO calendar will read as day 4 in the day aperture (because Thursday is the fourth day) and W 38 (W for week) on the week dial.

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Another option in the mechanism of this ingenious system is that it can be switched from ISO mode to traditional calendar year mode. A calendar year is the period beginning January 1 and ending on December 31. Its programming mode will therefore also on 1 January of the year put the number of days of the week in synchronization with the first day of the calendar year. If the annual calendar displays the first day of the year on Thursday, January 1, the calendar will display W1 on the week dial and 1 in the day window (Thursday is the first day of the year).

The Vacheron Constantin Armillary Sphere Tourbillon

The mesmerizing Armillary tourbillon cage containing the watch’s escapement is visible through the aperture beneath the sky chart. It is both technically exciting and visually dramatic.

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The watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin have created the most supremely elegant mechanism that displays a three-dimensional constantly rotating sphere moving with the utmost delicacy simultaneously in three directions. Appropriately, the watchmaker has also chosen to use a spherical balance spring which not only adds to the elegance of the mechanism, its special properties contribute to the accuracy of the watch.

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👉 Link to the album

This tourbillon was named "armillary" because visually it is reminiscent of the circles and rings of the scientific instrument known as the armillary sphere. It was placed in the second dial side complementing the astronomical functions to suggest the apparent movement of the stars, the Sun and the ecliptic around the earth. The frame of the cage itself, made of ultra-light aluminum and carrying the escapement and balance, is ingeniously constructed to incorporate the Vacheron Constantin company symbol of the Maltese Cross, once every 15-seconds during the tourbillon’s rotation, the Maltese Cross becomes fully visible to the viewer.

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The armillary sphere tourbillon is a feat of high-precision watchmaking. Made of the lightest of materials, its purpose is to minimize the effects of gravity on the balance wheel, hairspring and pallet fork of the escapement. The tourbillon is essentially a revolving platform and “cage” upon which the whole escapement is mounted that makes one full rotation in one minute. In this tourbillon, the escapement is rotated in three planes at once. The escapement has two further exceptional features: a spherical balance spring and diamond anchor pallets.

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Full List of All 57 Complications

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Time Functions

1. Regulator-type hours, minutes and seconds for solar meantime
2. Visible spherical armillary tourbillon regulator with spherical balance spring
3. Armillary sphere tourbillon
4. 12-hour second time zone hours and minutes
5. Indication for 24 world cities for world-time
6. Day and night indication for the 12-hour world-time
Perpetual Calendar Functions
7. Gregorian perpetual calendar
8. Gregorian days of the week
9. Gregorian months
10. Gregorian retrograde date
11. Leap-year indication and four year cycle
12. Number of the day of the week (ISO 8601 calendar)
13. Indication for the number of the week within the year (ISO 8601 calendar)

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Hebraic Perpetual Calendar Functions

14. Hebraic perpetual calendar with 19-year cycle
15. Hebrew name of the day
16. Hebrew name of the month
17. Hebrew date indication
18. Hebrew secular calendar
19. Hebrew century, decade and year
20. Indication for the number of months in the Hebraic calendar year(12 or 13 months)
21. Indication for the Golden Number with 19-year cycle

Functions of the Astronomic Calendar

22. Indications for the seasons, equinoxes, solstices and signs of the zodiac with “sun” hand
23. The sky chart (calibrated for the city of the owner)
24. Sidereal time hours
25. Sidereal time minutes
26. Hours of sunrise (calibrated for the city of the owner)
27. Hours of sunset (calibrated for the city of the owner)
28. Equation of time
29. Length of the day (calibrated for the city of the owner)
30. Length of the night (calibrated for the city of the owner)

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Lunar Calendar Function

31. Phases and age of the moon, one correction every 1027 years
Religious Calendar Function
32. Indication for the date of Yom Kippur

Functions of the 3 column-wheel Chronograph

33. Retrograde fifths of a second chronograph (1 column wheel)
34. Retrograde fifths of a second rattrapante chronograph (1 column wheel)
35. 12-hour counter (1 column wheel)
36. 60-minute counter

Alarm Functions

37. Progressive alarm with single gong and hammer striking
38. Alarm strike / silence indicator
39. Choice of normal alarm or carillon striking alarm indicator
40. Alarm mechanism coupled to the carillon striking mechanism
41. Alarm striking with choice of grande or petite sonnerie
42. Alarm power-reserve indication

Westminster Carillon Striking Functions

43. Carillon Westminster chiming with 5 gongs and 5 hammers
44. Grande sonnerie passing strike
45. Petite sonnerie passing strike
46. Minute repeating
47. Night silence feature (between 22.00 and 08.00 hours – hours chosen by the client)
48. System to disengage the striking barrel when fully wound
49. Indication for grande or petite sonnerie modes
50. Indication for silence / striking / night modes

Further functions

51. Power-reserve indication for the going train
52. Power-reserve indication for the striking train
53. Winding crown position indicator
54. Locking mechanism for the striking
55. Winding system for the double barrels
56. Hand-setting system with two positions and two directions
57. Concealed flush-fit winding crown for the alarm mechanism

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Technical Specifications

ATELIER CABINOTIERS Reference 57260 White Gold

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Reference:  57260/000G-B046
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

 Movement 
Caliber 3750
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding   
    Diameter: 72 mm (31"'1/2)
    Thickness: 36 mm
    Number of components: Over 2,800
    Number of jewels: 242
    Frequency: 2.5Hz / 18,000 vibrations per hour
    Power Reserve: 60 hours
    Number of complications: 57
    More than 2'800 components
    242 jewels
Calibre plates
   Plate 150: Chronograph
   Plate 250: Gregorian perpetual calendar
   Plate 350: Chronograph & Hebraic perpetual calendar
   Plate 550: Astronomic calendar
Indications
   Time functions (6)
   Perpetual calendar functions: Gregorian and Hebraic (15)
   Astronomic calendar functions (9)
   Lunar calendar function ( 1)
   Religious calendar function ( 1)
   Chronograph (3 column-wheels) functions (4)
   Alarm functions (6)
   Westminster Carillon striking functions (8)
   Further functions (7)
Case   
    Material: 18k White gold
    Diameter: 98 mm
    Thickness: 50.55 mm
    Water resistant: Non
Dial
   Metal
   Silvered Opaline
Number of hands
   Front: 19 / back: 12
Accessories
   Delivered with a corrector pen & a magnifying glass
Additional Information
   Unique piece crafted on demand
   Total weight: 960 gr

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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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