Felix Scholz
The front of the Reference 57260.To celebrate their 260th anniversary Vacheron Constantin have unveiled a true masterpiece of the watchmakers art. The one-of-a-kind reference 57260 (57 complications plus 260 years equals Reference 57260) is the most complicated watch ever made, and the latest in a long line of prestigious supercomplicated timepieces (like the recently sold Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jnr Supercomplication) dating back to Breguet himself. It's a staggeringly impressive piece of engineering and art, and, to be honest it's quite hard to comprehend the scale of the achievement. Beyond the challenge of understanding the functions of the watch, several of which are unique to this piece, there's the bigger question of what this watch means for Vacheron Constantin, and the industry. It's certainly one of the most important timepieces of the century.The rear of the Reference 57260.We're really really hoping to see this watch at Watches & Wonders in Hong Kong and give you a more complete rundown, but until then, here's the vital statistics for the Reference 57260, along with every single one of the 57 complications.The incredible movement.1: The Vacheron Constantin 57260 is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, made to order for a dedicated collector3: Master watchmakers in the team that created the watch8: Years of research and development to create the 5726057: Complications, comprising of:6: Time functions (including the Armillary sphere triple-axis tourbillon)26: Calendar functions (including Gregorian, Hebraic, Astronomic and Lunar calendars)4: Chronograph functions6: Alarm functions8: Striking functions7: Other' functionsCalibre 3750: The movement powering the 57260.2826: The total number of components in the watch (all finished by hand to the highest standard)31: Hands on the watch6: gongs in the watch (including a set that ring the Chimes of Westminster just like Big Ben)98mm: The size of the case (that's almost 10cm)50.55mm: The thickness of the case960 grams: The complete weight of the watch33: The number of complications the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 (the world's second most complicated watch) has. Vacheron Constantin haven't just beaten the record they've smashed it.[su_custom_gallery source=”media: 13569,13579,13578,13576,13575,13568,13567,13565″ limit=”30″ link=”lightbox” width=”210″ height=”210″ title=”never”]All 57 Complications present on the Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260Time Functions1.????? Regulator-type hours, minutes and seconds for solar meantime2.????? Visible spherical armillary tourbillon regulator with spherical balance spring3.????? Armillary sphere tourbillon4.????? 12-hour second time zone hours and minutes5.????? Indication for 24 world cities for world-time6.????? Day and night indication for the 12-hour world-timePerpetual Calendar Functions7.????? Gregorian perpetual calendar8.????? Gregorian days of the week9.????? Gregorian months10. Gregorian retrograde date11. Leap-year indication and four year cycle12. Number of the day of the week (ISO 8601 calendar)13. Indication for the number of the week within the year (ISO 8601calendar)Hebraic Perpetual Calendar Functions14. Hebraic perpetual calendar with 19-year cycle15. Hebrew name of the day16. Hebrew name of the month17. Hebrew date indication18. Hebrew secular calendar19. Hebrew century, decade and year20. Indication for the number of months in the Hebraic calendar year(12 or 13 months)21. Indication for the Golden Number with 19-year cycleFunctions of the Astronomic Calendar22. Indications for the seasons, equinoxes, solstices and signs of thezodiac with sun hand23. The sky chart (calibrated for the city of the owner)24. Sidereal time hours25. Sidereal time minutes26. Hours of sunrise (calibrated for the city of the owner)27. Hours of sunset (calibrated for the city of the owner)28. Equation of time29. Length of the day (calibrated for the city of the owner)30. Length of the night (calibrated for the city of the owner)Lunar Calendar Function31. Phases and age of the moon, one correction every 1027 yearsReligious Calendar Function32. Indication for the date of Yom KippurFunctions of the 3 column-wheel Chronograph33. 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 counterAlarm Functions37. Progressive alarm with single gong and hammer striking38. Alarm strike / silence indicator39. Choice of normal alarm or carillon striking alarm indicator40. Alarm mechanism coupled to the carillon striking mechanism41. Alarm striking with choice of grande or petite sonnerie42. Alarm power-reserve indicationWestminster Carillon Striking Functions43. Carillon Westminster chiming with 5 gongs and 5 hammers44. Grande sonnerie passing strike45. Petite sonnerie passing strike46. Minute repeating47. Night silence feature (between 22.00 and 08.00 hours hours chosen by the client)48. System to disengage the striking barrel when fully wound49. Indication for grande or petite sonnerie modes50. Indication for silence / striking / night modesFurther functions51. Power-reserve indication for the going train52. Power-reserve indication for the striking train53. Winding crown position indicator54. Locking mechanism for the striking55. Winding system for the double barrels56. Hand-setting system with two positions and two directions57. Concealed flush-fit winding crown for the alarm mechanism
17.09.15