The $8m pocket watch that took 8yrs to make
The world’s oldest watch manufacturer Vacheron Constantin has taken horology to a new level with the making of Reference 57260, the most complicated watch ever made.
The masterpiece was recognized at the 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the red carpet of the watch world, winning The Special Jury Prize. It was a well-deserved honour for the three master watchmakers who spent eight years building the $8 million pocket watch.
Unveiled in September, the Reference 57260 was commissioned by a collector who wishes to remain anonymous. He gave Atelier Cabinotiers division of Vacheron Constantin a challenge: to create the world’s most complicated watch.
The watch was fitted with 57 complications including a double retrograde split-seconds chronograph that can time multiple events at once, and multiple calendars. The 57 complications and Vacheron Constantin’s 260th anniversary brought about the watch’s name — 57260.
The watchmaker calls the pocket watch a breakthrough technical feat for Fine Watchmaking.
“The 2,800 parts were all completely hand-decorated by one single Master Watchmaker, using traditional techniques such as bevelling, circular graining, the “Côtes de Genève” decoration, and more,” it wrote on its website.
There is a list of the 57 complications after the photographs:
More photos here.
- Hours, minutes, seconds, average solar time (regulator)
- Three-shaft tourbillon
- Tourbillon regulator with spherical balance spring
- 12-hour time zone, second hours and minutes time zone
- 24-city display for each time zone
- Day/night indication for 12-hour time zone
- Gregorian perpetual calendar
- Gregorian day name
- Gregorian month name
- Gregorian retrograde date
- Leap year and four-year cycle display
- Number of the day of the week (ISO 8601 calendar)
- Week to view (ISO 8601 calendar)
- Hebrew perpetual calendar and 19-year cycle
- Hebrew day number
- Hebrew month name
- Hebrew date
- Hebrew secular calendar
- Hebrew century, decade and year
- Age of Hebrew year (12 or 13 months)
- Golden number (19 years)
- Seasons, equinoxes, solstices and signs of the Zodiac indicated by the hand on the sun
- Star chart (for the owner’s city)
- Sidereal time hours
- Sidereal time minutes
- Equation of time
- Sunrise times (for the owner’s city)
- Sunset times (for the owner’s city)
- Length of day (for the owner’s city)
- Length of night (for the owner’s city)
- Moon phases and age (one correction every 1,027 years)
- Date of Yom Kippur
- Retrograde seconds chronograph (one column wheel)
- Retrograde split-seconds chronograph (one column wheel)
- Hours counter (one column wheel)
- Minutes counter
- Alarm with its own gong and gradual striking
- Alarm strike / silence indicator
- Choice of normal alarm or carillon striking alarm indicator
- Alarm mechanism coupled to the carillon striking mechanism
- Alarm striking with choice of grande or petite sonnerie
- Alarm power-reserve indication
- System to disengage the striking mechanism when alarm barrel fully unwound
- Westminster carillon chiming with 5 gongs and 5 hammers
- Grande sonnerie passing strike
- Petite sonnerie passing strike
- Minute repeating
- Night silence feature (10 p.m. to 8 a.m.)
- System to disengage the striking barrel when fully wound
- Indication for grande or petite sonnerie modes
- Indication for silence / striking / night modes
- Movement power reserve indicator
- Power-reserve indication for the striking train
- Winding crown position indicator
- Dual barrel winding system
- Time setting in two positions and two directions
- Secret mechanism (opening of the button for alarm arbor)