Vacheron Constantin celebrated its 260th anniversary last week with the release of the Reference 57260 pocketwatch, which was commissioned by an unnamed watch collector.
The white gold timepiece took eight years and three watchmakers to develop. It comprises more than 2,800 components, all of which were said to have been hand-decorated by one of the master watchmakers using traditional techniques such as bevelling, circular graining and the ‘Côtes de Genève’ decoration.
Arguably the most impressive aspect, however, is the fact that the timepiece incorporates 57 ‘complications’ – features that serve a purpose other than telling the time in hours and minutes.
Among the complications are six different time measurement functions; multiple calendar functions – including perpetual, Hebrew, lunar and astronomical calendars; a carillon chiming function; and a double retrograde split-seconds chronograph.
Other timepieces that have previously been dubbed ‘the most complicated ever made’ include Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe’s Calibre 89 watch, which was released in 1989 to commemorate the company’s 150th anniversary and featured 33 complications; and the Henry Graves Supercomplication – also created by Patek Philippe – which was released in 1933 with 24 complications.
Vacheron Constantin was founded by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. It is a subsidiary of luxury goods conglomerate Richemont.
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