Vacheron Constantin Maitre Cabinotier Astronomica. Just unveiled at the Watches&Wonders 2014 exhibition in Hong Kong, the new Vacheron Constantin Maître Cabinotier Astronomica brings together 15 of the most demanding Haute Horlogerie complications including astronomical functions.
The exceptional manual-winding Calibre 2755-B1 movement, beating at 2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour) and offering 58 hours of power reserve, is housed within a 47 mm-diameter, 19.1 mm-thick white gold case. The Maître Cabinotier Astronomica (ref. 80174/000G-9995) is a Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece and is issued as a limited edition of one.
Just unveiled at the Watches&Wonders 2014 exhibition in Hong Kong, the new Vacheron Constantin Maître Cabinotier Astronomica brings together 15 of the most demanding Haute Horlogerie complications including astronomical functions.
The exceptional manual-winding Calibre 2755-B1 movement, beating at 2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour) and offering 58 hours of power reserve, is housed within a 47 mm-diameter, 19.1 mm-thick white gold case.
Inspired by the famous Tour de l’Ile model, created in 2005 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Geneva-based Manufacture, the Maître Cabinotier Astronomica watch demonstrates the exceptional expertise of Vacheron Constantin in the art of combining multiple complications within an extremely small space while ensuring the reliability of the mechanism, the legibility of the numerous indications and, of course, the comfort on the wrist.
In addition to the hours and minutes, eleven complications are displayed on the front side: minute repeater chiming hours, quarters and minutes, equation of time, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, date, day of the week, month, leap years, power reserve, sunrise and sunset times.
At 6 o'clock, the tourbillon rotates at a rate of one complete turn per minute, neutralizing the effect of gravity in order to improve the movement’s precision and also serving as a small seconds display.
The perpetual calendar displays are symmetrically arranged with the day of the week appearing at 9 o’clock, the month at 12 o’clock and the date at 3 o’clock, while the leap-year indicator is positioned at 1 o’clock. The equation of time short hand positioned at 10.30 indicates the difference in minutes between solar time and standard legal time. Sunrise and sunset indications, at 8 o’clock and 4 o’clock respectively, will be based on the location chosen at order time by of the lucky sole customer.
The back of the Maître Cabinotier Astronomica is not less fascinating, maybe even more intriguing, with its four complications for a total of seven functions: a sky chart, the solstice, the equinox, sidereal time, the age and phases of the moon, the seasons, and the zodiac signs.
The dial is built on two levels. The central disc bears a sky chart of the northern hemisphere, as well as the four cardinal points. Through two South and North openings, it symmetrically displays the months of the year and sidereal time, corresponding to “true” time.
The small hand sweeping around the rim of the first dial level shows the age of the moon, meaning the number of days since the last full moon.
A long and slender central hand, tipped with a sun on its counterweight, rotates around the dial in pointing to the date on the outer rim of the disc. It also indicates the zodiac sign, the season, and finally the equinox or the solstice corresponding to the current date.
The Maître Cabinotier Astronomica (ref. 80174/000G-9995) is a Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece and is issued as a limited edition of one. It is delivered with a rich set of accessories including a resonator of sound enhancing the sound and the harmony notes of Vacheron Constantin minute repeater and a winder box made of Makassar wood.
The exceptional manual-winding Calibre 2755-B1 movement, beating at 2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour) and offering 58 hours of power reserve, is housed within a 47 mm-diameter, 19.1 mm-thick white gold case.
Inspired by the famous Tour de l’Ile model, created in 2005 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Geneva-based Manufacture, the Maître Cabinotier Astronomica watch demonstrates the exceptional expertise of Vacheron Constantin in the art of combining multiple complications within an extremely small space while ensuring the reliability of the mechanism, the legibility of the numerous indications and, of course, the comfort on the wrist.
In addition to the hours and minutes, eleven complications are displayed on the front side: minute repeater chiming hours, quarters and minutes, equation of time, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, date, day of the week, month, leap years, power reserve, sunrise and sunset times.
At 6 o'clock, the tourbillon rotates at a rate of one complete turn per minute, neutralizing the effect of gravity in order to improve the movement’s precision and also serving as a small seconds display.
The small hand sweeping around the rim of the first dial level shows the age of the moon, meaning the number of days since the last full moon.
A long and slender central hand, tipped with a sun on its counterweight, rotates around the dial in pointing to the date on the outer rim of the disc. It also indicates the zodiac sign, the season, and finally the equinox or the solstice corresponding to the current date.
The Maître Cabinotier Astronomica (ref. 80174/000G-9995) is a Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece and is issued as a limited edition of one. It is delivered with a rich set of accessories including a resonator of sound enhancing the sound and the harmony notes of Vacheron Constantin minute repeater and a winder box made of Makassar wood.
I cannot imagine the price, especially considering it's a unique piece!
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