In celebration of its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin unveils a singular creation in its Les Cabinotiers series, entitled La Quête: the Armillary Tourbillon – Myth of the Pleiades. This extraordinary timepiece, presented as a single-piece edition, encapsulates Vacheron’s enduring spirit of discovery and mastery in both technical and artistic domains. Drawing inspiration from ancient astronomy and Greek mythology, this watch bridges the worlds of mechanical ingenuity and grand artistry in a way matched by very few contemporary horological works.
The dial of the Armillary Tourbillon – Myth of the Pleiades is a captivating display of kinetic and aesthetic refinement. Crafted in 4N pink gold with a sunray satin finish, the dial seamlessly blends a distinctly architectural layout with its technical components. The bi-retrograde time indication occupies the right side, marked by elegantly blued titanium hands gliding over semi-circular tracks decorated with Roman hours and Arabic minutes. This retrograde arrangement leaves the left flank open, providing an uninterrupted view of the armillary tourbillon, whose mechanical ballet unfolds under a sapphire dome at nine o’clock.
The tourbillon itself is visually evocative of the graduated circles of the armillary sphere, a reference to the Enlightenment-era instruments that traced the stars for pre-telescopic astronomers. The regulator, performing rotations on two axes with nested aluminium cages, takes on a perpetually moving spherical form while also serving as a small seconds indication. The technical core is further revealed by open-worked components, each beveled, polished and finished with scrupulous detail. Satin-finished bridges and plates in nickel silver provide nuanced textural contrast, while blued screws and hands punctuate the overall composition with subtle depth, underscoring Vacheron Constantin’s commitment to the métiers d’art.
Turning to the movement, Calibre 1990 stands as an emblem of the Maison’s horological prowess. Developed and manufactured entirely in-house, this hand-wound movement draws on advances established with the iconic Reference 57260, manifesting remarkable innovation protected by four distinct patents. The instantaneous retrograde system allows both hour and minute hands to leap back to zero in perfect synchrony at midday and midnight, a feat achieved solely through the action of the minute cam. The escape wheel collet, fashioned from titanium, works in concert with a similarly lightweight regulating organ, achieving optimal isochronism. The tourbillon cages, in their rotation, form the Maltese cross motif, signature of Vacheron Constantin, every fifteen seconds, rendering the movement as visually and symbolically rich. The escapement lever, also titanium but finished with diamond-coated pallets, optimises friction resistance and longevity without lubricant, ensuring the movement’s reliability meets chronometer-grade standards over its substantial 60-hour power reserve. The spherical balance spring, seldom seen in modern watchmaking, produces a concentric beat for improved precision, demonstrating both technical ambition and rare craftsmanship.
The case of the watch, hewn from 18K rose gold, brings the myth of the Pleiades to life through superlative engraving. Vacheron Constantin’s artists, inspired by Johannes Hevelius’s 17th-century celestial atlas, have achieved a breath-taking level of detail over 450 hours of painstaking work. On the crown side, Orion is depicted with sword and shield in his epic pursuit of the Pleiades, themselves defended by Taurus, whose horns loom menacingly in fine relief. The opposite side presents the Argos, ancient ship of legend, with Athena presiding over its journey, set against a sea populated by chimeras, dolphins and monsters. Each scene, drawn initally in drypoint, is brought to dimensional life by micro-sculpting and shallow burin incisions, with surface alternations creating luminosity and depth. The engraver’s artistry is further complemented by the gem-setter, who places ten brilliant-cut diamonds in precise locations to represent the stars of the Pleiades, acknowledging both myth and astronomical reality.
The case, bezel, lugs, and caseback are all adorned with wave-motif champlevé engravings inspired by Hellenic design, harmonising every visual aspect of the watch and rounding off an exterior as impressive as the mechanical core it encases. Such decoration, carried out at manifold scales and depths, demands uncommon skill; the interplay between polished and chased treatments establishes a rich visual rhythm that rewards scrutiny from every angle.
The Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – Myth of the Pleiades is not simply a triumph of technical execution, but an object woven through with legacy, artistry, and a profound sense of horological purpose. Vacheron Constantin has here melded its tradition of mechanical excellence with unmatched mastery of artistic crafts, drawing upon historical influences and cutting-edge innovation. The creation stands as a celebration of mankind’s quest to understand and master time, echoing François Constantin’s guiding maxim: “do better if possible, and that is always possible”. Les Cabinotiers, true to this ethos, continue to expand the boundaries of watchmaking, inviting us all to participate in the ongoing pursuit of creativity and innovation.
QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SELMONI, DIRECTOR OF STYLE & HERITAGE
How does this piece fit into the theme of ‘La Quête’?
The La Quête series pays tribute to astronomical observation, the very origin of time measurement. It is also inspired by great mythological and legendary epics, such as those of Alexander the Great or Heracles and his 12 Labours, symbols of achievement and conquest. Driven by a spirit of adventure and discovery since its founding, Vacheron Constantin expanded its horizons very early on, exploring new markets from the beginning of the 19th century while creating timepieces of great technical and aesthetic richness. This historical depth, nourished by mechanical and decorative arts passed down through generations, is expressed today by Les Cabinotiers, where each creation expresses an innovative, inventive and singular vision of the world of watchmaking. The Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – Myth of the Pleiades watch is a testament to this constant quest to explore and master time.
What is the thinking behind the choice of the myth of the Pleiades?
The ‘La Quête’ series explores the fascinating advances in astronomy and their practical applications, whether in the measurement of time or, as this piece suggests, in navigation at sea. The Pleiades constellation has served as a reference point on maritime routes since early times. At the heart of this creation, the theme is expressed through extremely fine engraving on each side of the watch case, depicting Orion chasing the Pleiades and the constellation of Taurus guiding the Argonauts. It required a great diversity of techniques, from taille-douce engraving to micro-sculpture, chasing and champlevé, to achieve such a wealth of detail, even in the relief of the lugs. The result is the fruit of almost three months of meticulous work. The engraver had to immerse himself in the mythological universe and its symbols – such as the head of Athena on the sail of Argos or the belt of the hunter Orion – in order to reproduce them accurately. The engravings were also inspired by the work of Hevelius, a 17th-century Polish astronomer whose celestial atlas lists more than 1,500 stars and illustrates the constellations of Taurus, the Pleiades and Orion. This approach to astronomy also guided the creation of the dome of La Quête du Temps, the astronomical clock incorporating an automaton – a unique piece of mechanical art celebrating Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary.
How does this watch reflect Vacheron Constantin’s technical expertise?
This watch stands out for its armillary tourbillon, a regulating system operating on two axes that was directly inspired by developments made for the Reference 57260 watch. Presented in 2015, its 57 complications included a tri-axial tourbillon. The name ‘armillary’, taken from the 18th-century astronomical instrument, evokes a moving representation of the celestial bodies as observed from Earth. This type of mechanism is inspired by the work of Antide Janvier, an Enlightenment-era watchmaker renowned for his astronomical watches. The importance of astronomical complications on the Reference 57260 makes the term ‘armillary’ particularly appropriate. It now refers to the bi-axial tourbillon of the Calibre 1990, which reproduces the same fascinating mechanical movement. The second distinctive feature of this movement is the bi-retrograde display of the hours and minutes, a signature of Vacheron Constantin. It can also be found on the La Quête du Temps clock and the Métiers d’art – Hommage à la Quête du Temps watch, created this year to celebrate the Maison’s 270th anniversary. Retrograde displays enjoyed their first golden age at Vacheron Constantin in the 1930s, with Art Deco creations such as the ‘Bras en l’Air’ pocket watch. After a hiatus, this type of display returned in the Mercator collection in 1994 and is also seen on the Patrimony Date-Day Retrograde watch, which remains an aesthetic benchmark for the Maison.
