Among the large watch manufactures, it is increasingly difficult to stand out for something that the others do not do or have done: they all have perpetual calendars, tourbillons, more or less sophisticated sonnerie... they can even predict Easter by combining the perpetual with the lunar phases (Easter or Resurrection Sunday is the Sunday immediately after the first full moon after the March equinox). Quite a challenge to capture the attention and favors of the wealthiest fans.
Vacheron Constantin seems to have a certain predilection (and ability) to measure time beyond the Earth, with tropical, zodiacal and of course leap years, something it demonstrated with authentic virtuosity in the Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600, a unique piece with up to 23 complications presented at the SIHH in 2017, not without some controversy, at least in Special Watches.
At SIHH 2019, displaying an enviable capacity for diversification, it equips its perpetual calendar with the caliber 3610 and a complication unknown or at least never used until now: the possibility of slowing down the beat of the balance wheel to increase the power reserve. Something that sounds simple at first glance but has four years of research and development behind it, as this change of pace does not imply a decrease in the movement or precision of the watch. Furthermore, this is a “useful complication”: since it is a perpetual calendar, the owner is not forced to wind it every day (or every three or four) to keep it adjusted, because being a manually wound caliber there is also no possibility of having it installed on a rotor.
For this, theVacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat®It has two separate regulating organs (balance-spring assembly and escapement), driven by a single barrel connected to the same power reserve scale. Thanks to the selector, only one of the two balance wheels can operate and, as the change is instantaneous, chronometric precision is maintained: while the Active regulating balance (5 Hz, 36,000 vibrations per hour) is engaged, the watch has a power reserve of 4 days, while in the “rest” position this reserve increases to an incredible 65 days. At any time during “standby” mode operation the Vacheron Constantin Twin Beat® Perpetual Calendar can be switched back to “active” mode for use again, and all of its calendar indications will remain perfectly accurate.
This concept is inspired by the seasonal system of the Japanese Edo Period (1603 – 1868), which divided day and night into six segments, of variable length from day to night and from one season to another. Clocks of that period were equipped with a single or double foliot regulating wheel, which allowed automatic changes in operating speed.
In the section on the perpetual calendar, it must be remembered that jumping indications are famous for their destabilizing influence on the movement's regulating balance: the energy needs required for these jumps affect the energy that is directed to the regulating balance, and in some cases it loses amplitude and the chronometry of the movement as a whole is compromised. If, as in this case, the jumping indications are several (date, month and leap year), the problem worsens. To compensate for this negative influence, the jump mechanism (patent pending) has been completely redesigned, using a compound system of double damped gears that requires four times less torque than a conventional jumping indicator. With this improvement, even at midnight on New Year's Eve, when all three indicators jump simultaneously, there is practically no effect on the amplitude of the active steering wheel.
The innovations in the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat® do not end there: combining two balance frequencies in the same mechanism opened up new areas of research related to the fundamental principles of mechanical chronometric regulation. As a result, a new hairspring was created to specifically meet the needs of Espera's extraordinarily sensitive balance wheel (1.2 Hz, 8,640 oscillations per minute), with cross-sectional dimensions of 0.0774 millimeters by 0.0159 millimeters, comparable to the finest examples of human hair. The helix of the Standby balance is practically four times smaller, in cross section, and exponentially more delicate, than the helix of the Active balance (5Hz, 36,000 oscillations per hour).
Although the hour and minute indications may seem like the simplest part of the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, they are far from simple or conventional. Since the Caliber 3610 has two regulating balance wheels and only one of them can oscillate at any given time, the hour and minute hands have to extract variable information from two gear trains to give a time indication. This is achieved through a gear differential that makes it possible for the hands to read more than one source of chronometric data.
A second differential has been mounted on the barrel, with the dual purpose of loading the mainspring and also reducing the torque of said spring that is transmitted to the Standby mode regulating wheel. Finally, two other differentials transfer the power reserve to the subdial that indicates the charge remaining in the barrel. Despite all this complexity, the caliber 3610, with its 480 parts, only has a height of 6 millimeters and a diameter of 32 millimeters.
REFERENCE3200T/000P-B578
CALIBER3610 Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin Mechanical, hand-wound 32 mm (14 ¼) diameter, 6 mm thick 5 Hz (36,000 vibrations/hour), 1.2 Hz (8,640 vibrations/hour) 480 pieces 64 jewels Active mode (5Hz frequency): approximately 4 hours power reserve Standby mode (1.2Hz Frequency): approximately 65 days power reserve. Holds the Punch of Geneva
INDICATIONSHours and minutes, instantaneous perpetual calendar, power reserve, frequency mode.
CAJAPlatinum 950 42 mm diameter, 12.3 mm thick Transparent sapphire crystal back Waterproof tested at a pressure of 3 bars (approximately 30 m).
SPHEREHand-decorated gold dial with guilloché, slate color (internal part) and transparent sapphire crystal dial. Applied 18K white gold hour markers, 18K white gold hour and minute hands. Power reserve, date, month and frequency mode hands in oxidized black gold.
BELTGray Alligator Mississippiensis leather strap, with inner layer of alligator skin, hand-sewn, artisanal finish, large square scales.
CLOSINGPin buckle in 950 platinum, polished, in the shape of a half Maltese cross.
PRICE: €220,000
