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If that you must know which constellations are above you within the sky at any given second, Vacheron Constantin has you lined.
The Swiss watchmaker is rolling out the “Les Cabinotiers Solaria Extremely Grand Complication — La Première,” which it referred to as the “most intricate wristwatch ever made.”
In line with the watchmaker’s web site, the 45-mm-diameter and 14.99-mm-high watch contains 1,521 elements. The watch has 41 problems — a time period referring to any perform of a watch that goes past the show of time.
Paul Altieri, the founder and CEO of the watch reseller Bob’s Watches, advised BI that becoming 41 problems right into a wristwatch whereas retaining it wearable is “mind-blowing” and “a complete flex of horological muscle.”
“It is much less of a watch and extra of an announcement — the final word mix of artwork, engineering, and ego,” Altieri mentioned.
It took eight years of improvement and 13 patent purposes to get the be careful, Vacheron Constantin mentioned.
The timepiece seems extremely glossy and fashionable, with black dials accented with metallic grey and white tones. The watch is double-sided, with its prime face that includes 4 subdials and its inside face exhibiting the place of the celebs.
Other than telling its wearer the time, the watch additionally reveals the solar’s place, peak, trajectory, and angle relative to the Earth. It additionally lets the wearer know which constellations are overhead and the way lengthy it is going to take for a star to be seen.
The watch was revealed on the Watches and Wonders commerce truthful in Geneva on Tuesday, CNN reported.
Representatives for Vacheron Constantin didn’t reply to requests from Enterprise Insider concerning the retail value of the watch, when it could be accessible on the market, and what number of items of this mannequin could be launched.
The brand new watch follows the watchmaker’s historical past of creating ultra-complicated watches. In 2024, it launched the “Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication,” a pocketwatch with 63 problems and a pair of,877 elements.
A watch with this many problems is “extraordinarily delicate,” Altieri mentioned. Any servicing required would doubtless take months, and might most likely be carried out solely by Vacheron’s top-level grasp watchmakers in Geneva, he added.
“Collectors and horological people will worship it, however it’s positively not meant for mass attraction. It is meant as a show-stopper. A jaw-dropper,” Altieri mentioned.
Matteo Barbetti, a luxurious classic watch professional based mostly in Italy, advised BI the truth that the watch’s options can match right into a wearable 45mm case with out compromising the thickness “is a testomony to Vacheron Constantin’s mastery of miniaturization and innovation.”
However the “sheer variety of problems may make it much less sensible for on a regular basis put on,” Barbetti mentioned.
“I consider the Solaria will captivate critical collectors and lovers of haute horology,” he added.