Luxury Swiss watchmakers Vacheron Constantin introduce the “La Musique du Temps” collection, a spellbinding series of 12 unique minute repeater watches ..
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon – Four seasons
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon – Four seasons are four new one-of-a-kind creations conveying the rich tones of the crafts cultivated within the Maison. Masterpieces of engraving and enamelling, they are an invitation to admire dials graced with striking naturalistic symbolism. To set the tempo for these four watches, Vacheron Constantin chose its 2755 TMR calibre, combining the precision of a tourbillon regulator with a minute repeater featuring the Manufacture's latest developments.
Each of the watches is equipped with the 2755 TMR calibre, which regulates the striking mechanism by means of a one-minute tourbillon with a rotating carriage serving to neutralise the effects of the Earth's gravity. The manual-winding movement, with a 58-hour power reserve discreetly indicated on the back, beats at a rate of 2.5Hz (18,000 a/h), a low frequency typical of traditional watchmaking. With its 471 components, the 2755 TMR calibre incorporates a silent centripetal flywheel strike governor, guaranteeing the excellence of the minute repeater.
Les Cabinotiers Symphonia grande sonnerie – The sixth symphony
This one-of-a-kind model paying tribute to the grand tradition of “musical” watches by Vacheron Constantin, houses a grande and petite sonnerie movement with a minute repeater mechanism. The case honours the art of hand engraving with a motif depicting the score of Beethoven’s sixth symphony.
This model is notably characterised by a dial adorned with a circular cross weave guilloché motif housed in an 18K 5N pink gold case, of which the middle bears a meticulously executed base-relief engraving of a musical score. The latter echoes Ludwig van Beethoven's "Pastoral" Sixth Symphony in F major, hand-engraved on an olive-leaf background, decor inspired by a pocket-watch from the Vacheron Constantin Heritage collection, named « Les Bergers d’Arcadie », created in 1923. The pure sound along with the understated dial punctuated by a small seconds display and two power-reserve indicators (one for the strikework with a treble clef hand-shape and the other for the timekeeping functions) endow this watch with the Maison’s characteristic aura of elegance. The beige tone of the dial also reinforces the classicism of the watch, enhanced by the open-tipped hands and the typography of the hour numerals.
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin – A romantic note
The unique Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin - A romantic note is powered by the 1731 calibre, an ultra-thin movement featuring carefully studied acoustics. Its classic style exuding a very refined look, embellished with Arabic numerals appearing in an original font on a Grand Feu enamel dial, makes this 41 mm-diameter timepiece a timepiece for connoisseurs: only the minute repeater slide piece hints at its true nature as a complicated watch.
Presented with an 18K 5N pink gold case measuring 41 mm in diameter and just 8.5 mm thick. This one-of-a-kind model features a dial crafted in Grand Feu enamel, one of the most demanding enamelling techniques, of which the "eggshell" colour blends perfectly with the aesthetics of the model. Exuding an aura of unmistakable classicism, inspired by reference 4261 – an extremely understated Vacheron Constantin minute repeater watch dating from 1941 – this model is spiced up with an original font used for the railroad and the leaning Arabic black enamelled numerals. Slim hollow-tipped hands complete the "romantic" appearance of this piece, which is fitted with a brown alligator leather strap. Only the presence of slide piece on the left side of the case hints at the complexity of a minute repeater housed in this watch with its pure design. A watch for connoisseurs.
Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillion Sky Chart
While the primary function of watches serving as temporal points of reference has already challenged watchmakers, that of helping to determine spatial bearings is another daunting venture. Especially when these two functions are combined within the same chiming watch.
By integrating in a single watch a tourbillon regulator aimed at enhancing tradition; a minute repeater embodying the noble lineage of the Maison’s chiming watches; and a rotating map of the celestial vault to highlight the cosmology of the universe, Vacheron Constantin offers a watch of rare complexity: the unique piece Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater tourbillon sky chart – A celestial note. Its elegance is accentuated by the slenderness of the calibre housed in an 18K 5N pink gold case measuring 45 mm in diameter and only 15.1 mm thick.
As partners of the Maison, Abbey Road Studios have recorded an original sonic print issued as a unique certificate for each of these pieces.
Les Cabinotiers Minute repeater ultra-thin - The dance of gemstones
The unique Les Cabinotiers ultra-thin minute repeater models, featuring 41 and 39 mm diameters, beat to the rhythm set by the 1731 calibre, an ultra-thin movement with meticulously developed acoustics. Their pure, refined style is accentuated by Grand Feu enamel dials adorned with precious stone hour-markers. The small model is also graced with a row of brilliant-cut diamonds on its lugs and bezel.
The main characteristic of the 1731 calibre (thus named in a nod to Jean-Marc Vacheron's birth year) is its extreme thinness for a minute repeater movement. At just 3.90 mm, it is only slightly thicker than its predecessor – the 1755 calibre dating from 1992 – because of its impressive 65-hour power reserve. It took four years to solve this most complex equation: to create a minute repeater movement, combining slimness, a pure sound, pleasing aesthetics, reliability and robustness. Moreover, the technical feats are not confined to the challenge of extreme thinness, since the 1731 calibre is equipped with one of the most ingenious devices developed in 2007 for the 2755 movement – another member of this exclusive family of minute repeater calibres – a flying strike governor that is entirely silent, unlike conventional lever-type governors, and is tasked with regulating the rate at which hammers strike the gongs.
