Each year, the Les Cabinotiers department of Vacheron Constantin unveils a range of single-piece editions relating to a theme cherished by the brand. This year is dedicated to "Celestial Time", with timepieces referring to the astronomical origins of time measurement. Highlighting the constellation 'Leo', the luxury watchmaker has launched the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers minute repeater tourbillon sky chart Leo constellation Jewellery watch. Although a mouthful name, the jewellery watch is a masterpiece in the world of Haute horology.
The watch is a single-piece edition, present at Watches & Wonders 2021, boasts a hand-guilloché Leo constellation on an opaline dark blue dial and set in a sparkling case adorned with 100 baguette-cut sapphires bezel-set on the lugs, crown and bezel. Nine diamonds connect the points of the constellation. The watch flaunts its elegance in an 18K white gold case measuring 45 mm in diameter and barely 15.1 mm thick, fitted with a dark blue alligator strap secured by a gem-set gold buckle.
The Les Cabinotiers Leo jewellery watch also features the complex in-house-made Calibre 2755 TMRCC, which combines a tourbillon regulating device, a minute repeater, and a rotating sky chart. This 413-component manual-winding calibre movement was invented at the beginning of the 19th century. With a 58-hour power reserve, the movement also features a one-minute tourbillon bearing the small seconds hand.
This device also incorporates an escapement and balance-and-spring designed to compensate for the effects of the Earth's gravity on the regulator's isochronism, thereby enhancing its precision. This tourbillon is distinguished by its carriage shaped like a Maltese cross – Vacheron Constantin's signature emblem since 1880 – and featuring a bar on which the delicate finishing operations involving manual chamfering and polishing require a total of 36 hours of work. The jewelry watch also showcases a striking view of the Milky Way and the constellations that appear in real-time, like they would through a telescope. The watch uses a concave dial to accentuate the depth effect.
Because timelessness cannot be achieved merely by complying with the canons of traditional watchmaking, each creation is tinged with a touch of boldness revealed in minor details. The Leo Constellation jewelry watch will be available from August 10 to September 15 for the Northern Hemisphere.
