It took Vacheron Constantin 8 years to create it. It is the most complicated watch in history

And no, don't worry. This amount of "gimmicks" doesn't make the watch huge and unwieldy. All of this is enclosed in an elegant white gold case with a diameter of 45 millimeters and a thickness of only 14.99 millimeters. A masterpiece.

Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – La Première is a marvel of watchmaking

The watch presents three ways of measuring time, namely our everyday civilian time with hours, minutes, second time zone and world time, but also sidereal time indicated on the back of the watch and solar time , which takes into account the changing path of the Sun across the sky.

The watch combines five innovative astronomical complications , one of which – time tracking of a selected star – is a world premiere. Thanks to a special chronograph mechanism with two hands, you can calculate how long it will take for a given star to appear in the center of the field of view. A map of the sky is placed on the sapphire caseback – you can see the movement of the constellations , the ecliptic and the celestial equator .

At 12 o'clock is the perpetual Gregorian calendar , taking into account the leap year , ISO weeks , days of the month and week . At 9 o'clock we find the moon phase with an accuracy of 122 years and an integrated tide indicator.

No, no. And that's not all. The Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – La Première features the most complex musical sequence ever: the Westminster chime with four gongs and four hammers. This complication alone is the basis for 7 of the 13 patents filed!

Vacheron Constantin has to look good too!

Interestingly, Vacheron Constantin divided the entire mechanism into two modules: the basic (time, chronograph, repeater) and the additional (astronomy). They are connected by a precise snap system that allows for quick assembly and disassembly.

It's quite a lot, isn't it? And yet, although the timepiece contains a lot of readings, it remains legible and elegant , and its reverse side resembles a precision astronomical instrument.

The manufacturers boast that each of the 1,521 elements has been hand-finished, and the watchmakers have used as many as nine decoration techniques . Some of the dials and components are just 0.18 millimeters thick, yet they are precisely decorated and assembled.

Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – La Première is not only the most complicated watch in the world, but also another step in Vacheron Constantin’s 270-year journey. I have a feeling that on their 280th birthday they will surprise us again…