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Vacheron Constantin – Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

Vacheron Constantin – Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

  • This single-piece edition referring to astronomy and mythology combines engraving and gem-setting on the outside of the case.
  • Remarkable mastery of the art of craftsmanship, along with watchmaking expertise: 16 complications on a double-sided wristwatch, beating to the rhythm of in-house calibre 2755 GCC16.
  • Inspired by mythology, the decoration gracing the pink gold case takes the form of a bas-relief sculpture featuring vine leaves and clusters of grapes set with rubies in a nod to Bacchus.

Geneva, January 2022 – The single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus combines Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in grand complication watches with its mastery of artistic crafts. This double-sided wristwatch comprises 16 complications, essentially astronomical and calendar-related, powered by Calibre 2755 GC16 with minute repeater and tourbillon. A technical feat housed in an 18K 5N gold case whose middle is sculpted in bas-relief. In tribute to the god of vines and wine, this “Bacchus” watch finds another source of inspiration in Johannes Kepler, resulting in a captivating association between mythology and astronomy.

The single-piece edition Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus offers proof that the tradition of combining artistic crafts with watchmaking expertise remains alive and well within the Maison. Vacheron Constantin’s master engravers and gem-setters have worked together to make this watch an applied arts masterpiece powered by in-house Calibre 2755 GC16, whose complexity is expressed through its 16 complications. This double-sided creation dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of vines and wine is adorned with ruby grapes set in gold foliage hand-carved. In addition to these mythological references, the tourbillon and minute repeater movement displays virtually every astronomical and calendar-type complication a timepiece can muster. This association between the study of the stars and the divine world, between Bacchus and Johannes Kepler, makes this timepiece doubly remarkable.

Artistic crafts perform a duet

The 18K 5N pink gold case of this Les Cabinotiers timepiece features a decoration composed of vine leaves interspersed with bunches of ruby grapes. The engraver’s work is complemented by that of the gem-setter on the outside of the case in giving life to figurative motifs, making this watch a piece of fine craftsmanship. The two master artisans working on this model took turns, with the gem-setter first taking the case from the engraver’s hands and then returning it for the last finishing touches, a progressive duet-style operation that required more than 300 hours of combined dexterity.

Before embarking on such a project, an initial gem-setting test had to be performed on part of the case middle that had been prepared beforehand, so as to ensure the feasibility of the project and the various phases of its development. After putting the decoration in place using a scribing tool, the engraver began to prepare the model using the bas-relief technique that consists of creating cells or troughs by delicately “gouging” the material with a burin to make the foliage motif stand out. This preparation included the 113 recessed spaces for the five different sized rubies that form the grapes along with enough surrounding material to hold them in place. The gem-setter then took over, in successive phases, in order to set the cabochon-cut rubies using a technique combining prong and bezel setting, involving a minimum of three points of attachment.

Once the bunches of grapes had been formed, the engraver took over the model to perform the finishing, while facing the added difficulty of having to work around the gem-set parts without touching them. The vine leaves were thus delicately modelled using the intaglio engraving technique that involve hollowing out the material and then polished. And because every detail is important, the engraver took the trouble to dig slightly below the outline of each leaf so as to accentuate the 3D visual effect. This foliage thus emerges clearly against the case middle, especially as the base has been delicately chased. To achieve this sandblasted effect, the engraver hammers the surface point by point so as to enhance the contrast with the raised polished elements.

The case decoration continues on the bezel and case-back with a hand engraving depicting vine leaves. The difficulty implied by this intaglio engraving lies in the absence of a border or contour line. Hollowed out across the entire width of the bezel, the garland thus stands alone thanks to the metronomic regularity of the motif. This latter aspect is picked up on the two fastening options – folding clasp and pin buckle – accompanying the watch and which required a full week’s work in themselves.

Calibre 2755 GC16

To create the movement of this highly complicated watch, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers took the Tour de l’Île as a reference, a timepiece presented in 2005 as a tribute to 250 years of watchmaking expertise cultivated by the Geneva-based Manufacture. In the same spirit, the Les Cabinotiers – Bacchus timepiece combines 16 complications, making it one of the most complex watches produced by the Maison. For the sake of precision timekeeping, its manual winding Calibre 2755 GC16 is equipped with a tourbillon regulator to compensate for the effects of the earth’s gravity on the mechanism. Featuring a cage shaped like Vacheron Constantin’s signature Maltese cross emblem, the tourbillon completes one full rotation per minute, thus serving as a small seconds indicator. This watch also incorporates a minute repeater chiming the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. To avoid unnecessary noise as well as wear and tear on the mechanism, the striking of the gongs is equipped with an ingenious centripetal flying strike regulator. This perfectly silent device regulates the duration of the musical sequences so as to obtain clear, distinct and regular sounds.

The calendar and astronomical functions play a starring role on both sides of the watch. On the front, where the mechanical ballet of the tourbillon can be admired at 6 o’clock, the perpetual calendar indications are displayed on three counters. Positioned in the upper part of the dial, they respectively show the date, day and month. Designed to keep track of the Gregorian calendar’s vagaries without any need for adjustment until 2100, this horological complication is further enhanced by the indication of the leap-year cycle. The latter appears in a small aperture next to the hand indicating the torque of the minute repeater mechanism between 1 and 2 o’clock. This striking mechanism power reserve is matched by an indication of the movement power reserve, which can be read by means of a serpentine pointer coaxial with the day of the week hand.

The complex mechanics of this piece also provide an astronomical reading of time representing a tribute to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), regarded as one of the founders of modern astronomy for having discovered the laws of planetary motion, in perfect agreement with Copernicus’ heliocentric hypotheses. The first astronomical functions thus appear on this same opaline champagne-coloured dial, starting with the equation of time positioned between 10 and 11 o’clock. As the Earth’s path around the Sun is not circular but elliptical, and since the Earth’s axis is inclined at 24° to the plane of its orbit, the time between two zenith passages of the Sun is not the same throughout the year. This difference between the (true) solar day and the (average) 24-hour civil day ranges from -16 to +14 minutes depending on the time of year and coincides only four times a year. Called the equation of time, or time correction in astronomical language, this differential is displayed by a dedicated pointer, while sunrise and sunset times – adjusted according to a reference city – appear at the bottom of the dial.

An astronomical watch as conceived by the watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin would not be complete without a sidereal time indication. This display finds its place the back of the watch in the shape of a rotating disc depicting the celestial vault with its constellations observable from the Northern hemisphere. Taking a fixed star in the sky as a reference point, the time required for the Earth to complete a full 360° rotation, or sidereal day, is exactly 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. Since the Earth is both spinning on its axis and revolving around the Sun, it takes about four minutes less than a calendar day to return to its point of origin relative to a given star. On this model, the “celestial” disc thus performs a complete rotation according to sidereal time with the time displayed on the periphery, opposite the date appearing on the periphery of the mobile disc. This same date is read off by a large central hand moving over the fixed outer flange bearing a scale graduated in five-day increments. This hand also indicates the sign of the zodiac, the season and the four dates corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes. Finally, the small central hand indicates the age of the moon, i.e. the number of days that have elapsed since the last full moon.

Comprising 839 parts and measuring a total 33.90 mm in diameter and 12.15 mm thick, this movement endowed with a 58-hour power reserve represents a technical feat that is all the rarer in that it displays all its functions in a perfectly legible manner on both sides. Equipped with a balance oscillating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz), it is housed in a 47 mm-diameter 18K 5N pink gold case, of which the characteristics been specifically designed to provide the best possible sound quality for the minute repeater.

“Le Temps Céleste”

 Each year, the Les Cabinotiers department unveils a range of single-piece editions relating to a theme cherished by Vacheron Constantin. The year 2021 is dedicated to “Le Temps Céleste” (which means Celestial Time), with timepieces referring to the astronomical origins of time measurement.

From the dawn of civilisations, the cycle of days and seasons, the evolution of constellations in the night sky, the phases of the moon and eclipses have exerted an almost mystical fascination. Eager to unravel the mysteries of the universe, the first human beings found in mythological tales a cosmogony blending legends with poetry. At a very early stage, the first scientific minds attempted to decipher the rhythms of Nature and to organise them according to predictable patterns.

It was from these calculations, and with the appearance of writing, that the first calendars were born, before the Babylonian sexagesimal system gave meaning to the physical division of time into units of angle. Traditional watchmaking is a direct heir to this rigorous and scientific approach, expressed today on watches with depictions of the calendar, the sky chart, moon phases, tides and seasons, and even civil, solar and sidereal time with their differentials. Vacheron Constantin has nevertheless sought to endow these genuine observation instruments with all the charm of the founding myths through the subtlety of its craftsmanship, through its work in guilloché engraving and the engraving of symbolic motifs, or in the “stellar” glittering of gem-set stones. This new Les Cabinotiers range is the expression of exceptional expertise in astronomical watches, dedicated to the poetry of time.

Vacheron Constantin and astronomical watches

Astronomical watches enjoy a rich and longstanding tradition within the Maison. The Vacheron Constantin archives reveal a first perpetual calendar in 1884, integrated into a double-sided yellow gold pocket watch, now part of the Maison’s private collection. This was the beginning of a mechanical “epic” that would singularly take shape at the turn of the century. In 1900, the Maison set up a workshop exclusively dedicated to the assembly of watches with complications, often incorporating astronomical functions. Orders flooded in for complicated and even very complicated watches. The perpetual calendar was then combined with other technical feats such as those enriching a 1905 pocket watch comprising a minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar with phases and age of the moon.

Delivered in 1929, the pocket watch made for King Fouad I of Egypt with chronograph, perpetual calendar, Grande and Petite Sonnerie and minute repeater functions is characteristic of this golden age. This exceptional watchmaking expertise, later applied to wristwatches, would be powerfully expressed in the Tour de l’Île with its 16 horological and astronomical complications, produced in 2005 to mark the 250th anniversary of the Maison. It features a sky chart, a complication that has become a speciality of Vacheron Constantin. Reference 57260, which has 57 complications, also features a sky chart, notably accompanied by sidereal time and a secular Hebrew calendar. In 2017, Vacheron Constantin once again innovated with Calibre 3600, powering displays of civil, solar and sidereal time, the latter synchronised with a mobile representation of constellations.

Les Cabinotiers: single-piece editions

In the Vacheron Constantin universe, Les Cabinotiers represents a department in its own right dedicated to the personalisation of Grand Complication models and single-piece editions. This tradition dates back to the 18th century, an age when master-watchmakers were called cabinotiers and worked in ateliers bathed in natural light, known as cabinets and located on the top floors of Geneva’s buildings. In the hands of these learned artisans, open to the new ideas of the Enlightenment, exceptional timepieces were born, inspired by astronomy, mechanical engineering and the arts. This expertise, which constitutes the great Geneva watchmaking tradition, has been flowing through Vacheron Constantin’s veins since 1755.

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Sum-up

Astronomy and mythology meet and mingle in the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus watch. This union of science and art finds an original field of expression in this highly sophisticated Grand Complication timepiece. The mythological references to Bacchus, the god of vines and wine, are symbolised by the ornamentation of the case with a vineyard motif. The Maison’s master engravers and gem-setters have worked together to create a bas-relief vine foliage on the case middle of the watch, embellished with ruby-set bunches of grapes. A masterpiece of applied arts, this model is doubly remarkable for its Calibre 2755 GC16 movement powering 16 complications and representing one of the most complex ever made by the Manufacture. A tourbillon and striking watch with a minute repeater mechanism, Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus brings together on its double-sided display the essential calendar and astronomical functions in tribute to Johannes Kepler, one of the founders of modern astronomy. The perpetual calendar offers an equation of time indication as well as sunrise and sunset times on the front, complemented on the back by a display of sidereal time with a rotating sky chart of the constellations, the age of the moon along with indications of the date, seasons and signs of the zodiac. Through this timepiece, Vacheron Constantin perpetuates the grand watchmaking tradition of pocket watches that are both mechanically complex and richly decorated.

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TECHNICAL DATA

Reference 9700C/000R-B755

Caliber 2755 GC16
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.90 mm diameter, 12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve
2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
839 components
42 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

Indications
Front side: Hours, minutes, small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage – Minute repeater – Tourbillon – Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year) – Power reserve indication – Equation of time – Sunrise time – Sunset time – Alarm torque indication
Back side: Sky chart – Age and phases of the moon – Sidereal hours and minutes – Seasons, zodiac signs

Setting
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions)
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case
Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece

Case
18K 5N pink gold with bezel and back side hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and case band hand-engraved with “vine leaves” and gem-set with 113 rubies for a total weight of approximately 1.84 cts representing bunch of grapes
47 mm diameter, 19.10 mm thick

Dials (face & back side)
Champagne opaline dials
18K 5N pink gold applied hour-markers
18K 5N pink gold hands

Strap
Dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales

Buckle
18K 5N pink gold folding clasp and buckle hand-engraved with a “vine leaves” pattern
Half Maltese cross-shaped

Box
Les Cabinotiers Prestige box

Accessories
Delivered with a corrector pen and a magnifying glass
A winder box

Single-piece edition
« Les Cabinotiers », « Pièce unique », « AC » hallmark engraved on caseback

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GRANDE SECONDE SKELET-ONE TOURBILLON: JAQUET DROZ, ARCHITECT OF LIGHT

GRANDE SECONDE SKELET-ONE TOURBILLON:
JAQUET DROZ, ARCHITECT OF LIGHT

The Maison unveils the new radically innovative aesthetic of its masterpiece, whose tourbillon is revealed through meticulous geometry.
The new Grande Seconde Skelet-One Tourbillon by Jaquet Droz paves the way for a new artistic horizon, breaking away from traditional designs and towards open-worked mechanics. With this sculptural, modern and powerful edition of the Tourbillon Skeleton, the iconic model is designed for connoisseurs.

The Grande Seconde Skelet-One Tourbillon displays its watchmaking precision, pushing the founding principal of the skeleton movement to the extreme: a minimum amount of material for the maximum amount of rigidity and light. The skeleton structure is brand new and focuses on straight lines, angles, modernity and perfect symmetry. This very contemporary skeletonization is as technical as its highly precise tourbillon movement can be, furthering the technical and aesthetic consistency of the piece.

Its bridges, finished in black, confer a powerful matte appearance. The tourbillon cage follows the geometry of the skeleton movement, with a triple cross shape which, once a minute, aligns perfectly with its bridges.

GRANDE SECONDE SKELET-ONE TOURBILLON: JAQUET DROZ, ARCHITECT OF LIGHT
GRANDE SECONDE SKELET-ONE TOURBILLON: JAQUET DROZ, ARCHITECT OF LIGHT

The hands, including the seconds hand that is attached to the tourbillon cage, have been redesigned to be more slender and majestic. They sweep over the two “multi-tier” dials, of which the first is crafted from sapphire and displays the seconds, minutes and hours ring, and is adorned with gold indexes.


This delicate, transparent choreography is underpinned by a second dial in Swiss smoky quartz that is almost invisible but no less essential, and which plays with light and empty spaces that contrast with the figure eight shape – the aesthetic signature of the Grande Seconde collection – and in turn enhances the hour display. Jaquet Droz takes the first steps in creating different illusions for its “multi-tier” designs by playing with the degree of transparency on the dials and reflector, from slightly smoky to completely transparent.


To support the body of the watch, the bottom plate has been completely reworked with three objectives in mind: to distribute the circulating forces around the movement, thus ensuring it is sturdy and allowing as much light to pass through as possible. It is housed in a red gold 41 mm case with the

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Patek Philippe - GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P
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Patek Philippe – GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P

Patek Philippe

Grande Sonnerie 6301P

Patek Philippe - GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P

Patek Philippe – GRANDE SONNERIE REF. 6301P

Patek Philippe reasserts its mastery of the music of time by launching its first wristwatch with a grande sonnerie in its purest manifestation

The Genevan manufacture is fulfilling the expectations of many connoisseurs, collectors, and aficionados with the enrichment of its current collection by a wristwatch that features a highly coveted and extremely elaborate sound function: the grande sonnerie, that automatically strikes the full hours and the quarter hours. This grand complication, exceptionally rare in a wristwatch, is complemented with a petite sonnerie (that does not strike the quarter hours), a minute repeater (that strikes on demand), and with a patented jumping subsidiary seconds. The Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie has a new 703-part movement, cased in platinum as well as a black dial in grand feu enamel; it will round out and recrown the unique collection of Patek Philippe repeater timepieces.

The acoustic indication of time is derived directly from the origins of mechanical timekeeping. In the 14th century, the clocks that graced Europe’s cities had neither dials nor hands. Instead, they sounded the full hours with an automatic strikework. The first portable spring barrel timepieces of the 15th century were often fitted with automatic chiming mechanisms as well. This also applies to the first 16th-century pocket watches. The late 17th century saw the emergence of the first mechanisms that struck the time on demand – initially as quarter repeaters –, followed early in the subsequent century by minute repeaters. In 18th-century Geneva, the rules of the watchmakers guild required all artisans who wanted to become master watchmakers to demonstrate their skills by crafting a quarter repeater. This illustrates that mastering the acoustic indication of time was regarded as successful evidence of advanced horological know-how.

Patek-Philippe---GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

Patek-Philippe—GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

A core competence of Patek Philippe

Fully rooted in Geneva’s watchmaking tradition, Patek Philippe began to produce striking watches from the outset. In September 1839, four months after it was founded, the manufacture entered the first timepiece of this kind in its journal, a pocket watch with a repeater. In 1850, entries of pocket watches with a grande sonnerie appeared in the same journals. The catalog of the 1851 “Great Exhibition” in London (the first world exposition) mentions “repeaters” and “watches with automatic strikeworks” as specialties of Patek Philippe. This was followed in 1860 by Patek Philippe’s first pocket watches with minute repeaters, then in the course of the 19th century by further timepieces with quarter repeaters, five-minute repeaters, and minute repeaters.

In the early 20th century, with its striking timepieces, Patek Philippe definitely established itself as a front runner in watchmaking artistry, especially in their most elaborate and coveted manifestations – the grande sonnerie. The famous “Duc de Regla” pocket watch was sold in 1910 to the Duke of Regla, a Mexican nobleman. Today, it can be admired in the Patek Philippe Museum. It incorporates a grande and a petite sonneries plus a minute repeater which features a Westminster strikework that reproduces the melody of the Big Ben clock tower on five gongs almost authentically to the note. The 13 complicated timepieces crafted for American automobile manufacturer James Ward Packard between 1910 and 1927 included the first Patek Philippe pocket watch with a minute repeater and astronomical displays (delivered in 1927) as well as watches with grande sonneries, among them one with a Westminster chime on four gongs (1920). The famous “Graves” pocket watch delivered to wealthy New York banker and collector Henry Graves Junior in 1933, remained the world’s most complicated portable timepiece until 1989. Its 24 complications include acoustic functions on 5 gongs: a grande and a petite sonnerie, a minute repeater with a Westminster chime, and an alarm. At the same time, the manufacture pursued the miniaturization of repeater mechanisms to a wristwatch format and in 1916 presented its first wristwatch that struck the time – a five-minute repeater with a case and bracelet in platinum for a ladies’ wrist.

Patek-Philippe---GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

Patek-Philippe—GRANDE-SONNERIE-REF.-6301P

The renaissance of minute repeaters

In 1989, Patek Philippe celebrated its 150th anniversary, launching the Calibre 89 that would be the world’s most complicated portable mechanical timepiece for more than a quarter century. The 33 complications of this masterpiece of watchmaking artistry include the grande/petite sonnerie and minute repeater on four gongs. In this tribute to the renaissance of the mechanical watch, Patek Philippe also pays homage to repeating wristwatches. The caliber R 27 is the first minute repeater movement developed and crafted entirely in-house. It chimes in two commemorative wristwatches. The former manufacture president Philippe Stern was among the first to do away with the wildly chattering recoil anchor and optimized the striking functions with the centrifugal governor invented in the late 19th century. The Patek Philippe centrifugal governor had its debut in 1989 in the Calibre 89 and the two commemorative watches – the Ref. 3979 and 3974 – that are outfitted with the caliber R 27.
The impetus is set. In the course of the years, minute repeaters will enjoy a preferential position in Patek Philippe’s collections. Today, with a dozen models, they constitute the broadest selection of regularly produced minute repeater wristwatches, be they pure repeater models or combined with further complications (tourbillon, perpetual calendar, chronograph, World Time, etc.).
Since the pivotal year 1989 that marks the rebirth of the Patek Philippe chiming watch, the acoustic challenges have also occupied a prominent position in two further exceptional timepieces. The double-faced Star Caliber 2000 pocket watch (21 complications) was created to usher in the new millennium. For the first time in a case of its size, it accommodates a Westminster strikework with five gongs that plays the original melody of the tower clock of the parliament building in London – completely and correctly. It makes the minute repeater and the grande sonnerie a true feast for the ears. In turn, the Sky Moon Tourbillon presented in 2001 is the first double-faced wristwatch made by Patek Philippe. Among its 12 complications, it features a moving celestial chart and a minute repeater with cathedral gongs.


The grand master of chimes

In 2014, timed for the company’s 175th anniversary, Patek Philippe presented a further quantum leap in the domain of acoustic complications. It was the launch of the Ref. 5175 Grandmaster Chime, a double-faced wristwatch. Crafted in seven exemplars, it unites 20 complications, including a grande and petite sonneries, a minute repeater, an instantaneous perpetual calendar with a four-digit year display, and two patented world debuts: an acoustic alarm that strikes the preselected alarm time and a date repeater that sounds the current date. This first Patek Philippe wristwatch with a grande sonnerie is also the manufacture’s most complicated wristwatch and as the Ref. 6300 became part of the regular collection in 2016. The anniversary year 2014 also gave Patek Philippe the opportunity to demonstrate its competence in chiming watches with a further commemorative timepiece in a limited edition. It was the Ref. 5275 Chiming Jump Hour with jumping displays for the hours, minutes, and seconds as well as an automatic strike at the top of every hour.

The Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie

Patek Philippe has leveraged this momentum to enrich its regular collection with a masterpiece of miniaturization and acoustic perfection: the Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie. This grand complication is the manufacture’s first wristwatch that presents the grande sonnerie as the epitome of horological complications in its purest form, complemented with a petite sonnerie and a minute repeater. It is an event long awaited by watch enthusiasts.

To implement the grande sonnerie as envisioned, Patek Philippe developed a new movement as a spin-off of the caliber 300 of the Grandmaster Chime. Given its 703 parts, the caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM is remarkably compact for such a complex mechanism (diameter: 37 mm; height: 7.5 mm). One of the traditionally greatest difficulties for the engineers of grande sonneries is mastering energy flows and power reserves. Unlike in minute repeaters which must be triggered on demand by actuating a slide or a pusher, the grande sonnerie needs to have sufficient reserve power to automatically sound the required number of time strikes with uniform acoustic quality.

To address this challenge, Patek Philippe endowed the caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM with two tandem-connected twin mainspring barrels, one for the going train and the other for the chiming mechanism. This configuration delivers a power reserve of 72 hours for the movement and of 24 hours for the strikework. A three-day power reserve for the movement is what can be expected of a modern watch that is worn daily, in keeping with the customer-centric creation philosophy of Patek Philippe. The 24-hour power reserve for the strikework allows the watch to strike the full hours and the quarter hours during an entire day and thanks to a uniform torque characteristic to assure optimized sound intensity. The two twin mainspring barrels are wound with the crown pushed in and rotated clockwise to wind the going train and counterclockwise to wind the strikework. The four mainsprings feature slip bridles to avoid overtensioning.

A strikework with three gongs

As regards the strikework, Patek Philippe opted for three classic gongs – low, medium, high. This technical option requires more energy than systems with two gongs. It also complicates the watchmaker’s work when tuning each gong until all three create the legendary “Patek Philippe sound” so coveted by connoisseurs. Attached to the movement, the three gongs must not touch one another nor other parts of the case or movement despite the compact space in which they hover. Three hammers of identical size and mass guarantee a uniform strike for all three pitches. The selection of platinum as the case material also presented a challenge because it is difficult to master acoustically and requires Patek Philippe know-how that at the manufacture is handed down from one generation to the next.

The hours are struck on a low-pitched gong, the quarter hours with a three-strike high-low- medium sequence. The melody for the first quarter hour (15 minutes) sounds once, for the second quarter hour (30 minutes) twice and for the third quarter hour (45 minutes) three times. Each quarter-hour sequence is automatically preceded by the number of elapsed hours, and followed by the number of quarter hours. Thanks to the energy stored in the twin mainspring barrel of the strikework, this adds up to an impressive total of 1056 strikes in 24 hours. The owner can also select the strikework mode petite sonnerie; it strikes the full hours but omits the repetition of the hours when striking the quarter hours. In the silence mode, the automatic time strike is switched off altogether.

The selection of the strikework mode is performed with a slide switch in the caseband at 6 o’clock. The petite sonnerie mode is on the left adjoining the grande sonnerie mode in the middle and silence on the right. This special feature is the subject of a patent that was already developed for the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime and describes a mechanism that enables the selection and activation of the strike mode with a single slide switch. Formerly, two switches were needed to execute these steps. Another patent, also developed for the Grandmaster Chime, allows the complete isolation of the grande sonnerie in the silence mode, eliminating power consumption. On request, the minute repeater can be triggered by pressing the pusher in the crown at 3 o’clock. In response, it strikes the number of hours with low tones, the quarters with three-strike sequences (as in the grande sonnerie mode), and, on the higher-pitched gong, the number of minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. The minute repeater can be triggered at any time, even if the slide is set to the silence mode.

A patented jumping second

When they reworked the caliber 300 from the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, the engineers and designers at the manufacture added a small jumping seconds display, which was never done with a grande sonnerie. Inspired by the four patents of the 175th-anniversary model, the Ref. 5275 Chiming Jump Hour, they endowed the new Ref. 6301P with an innovative jumping seconds mechanism. Its system does not rely on jumper springs as usual but instead with wheels and a release lever that instantaneously unblocks the wheel train every second, making energy consumption easier to regulate and control. Thus, the new Ref. 6301P chiming watch presents a novel face characterized by the subsidiary seconds hand at 6 o’clock. With the blink of an eye, it jumps along the railway track minute scale from one second to the next, recalling the regulator clocks that were used in old watchmaking ateliers to synchronize the time. The new Ref. 6301P also benefits from the entire experience and the latest insights gained in the design and production of the commemorative watches crafted on the occasion of Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary.

An exceptionally refined movement architecture

The new caliber GS 36-750 PS IRM – it can be admired through the sapphire-crystal case back – fulfills all the strict requirements of the Patek Philippe Seal. This applies to the technical parameters (rate accuracy, dependability) and to the finissage and attractive architecture of the individual components. Yet again, this clarifies the fact that at Patek Philippe, the complexity of a movement should never lessen its beauty and elegance, and like the case and the dial must measure up to the strict scrutiny of manufacture president Thierry Stern. Special attention was devoted to the design of the movement bridges, especially the barrel bridge (a key element of grande sonneries) and the transversal balance cock (balance bridge), a Patek Philippe rarity that assures a secure seat and pleasing visual proportions. Connoisseurs will discover many other aesthetic details, including the many reentrant angles that are very difficult to polish. The centrifugal governor that regulates the speed of the time strikes is decorated with exquisitely smoothed and polished finishes that are now visible to the observer. This spectacular movement is rounded out with a Gyromax® balance, the Spiromax® balance spring in Silinvar®, the three gongs coiled around the movement, and their respective hammers. The antireflective sapphire- crystal back positioned very close to the movement offers a fascinating glimpse into a micromechanical realm. It can be replaced with a solid platinum back that is delivered with the watch.

The livery: modern and elegant

The new Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie stands out with finesse, true to the Patek Philippe key principle that a grand complication must also be pleasant to wear in everyday situations. The platinum case, inspired by the Ref. 5370 split-seconds chronograph presented in 2015, expresses subtlety and balance in its curves and rounded contours, with the concave bezel for a perfect transition from the slightly cambered sapphire-crystal glass and the countersunk satin- finished case flanks. Like all Patek Philippe platinum cases, it sports a small diamond set in this instance at 12 o’clock because the usual 6 o’clock position is occupied by the slide switch for selecting the strikework mode.
Patek Philippe has leveraged its skills with respect to artisanship and rare handcrafts, notably on the black grand feu enamel dial with the “glacé” finish, applied Breguet numerals, and leaf- shaped hands in luminescent white gold. The slightly slanted Breguet numerals add a dynamic touch to the classic yet contemporary face. The displays for the hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock are well proportioned alongside two power-reserve indicators for the movement and the strikework at 3 and 9 o’clock with semicircular scales identified with the inscriptions MOUVEMENT and SONNERIE. The timepiece is worn on a hand-stitched shiny black Alligator strap with square scales and a fold-over clasp.
A new sonorous chapter
The relaunch of the 1989 minute repeater wristwatches gave Patek Philippe the opportunity to push the door wide open for the return of modern repeater timepieces. With the presentation of the Grandmaster Chime in the anniversary year 2014, now followed by the new Ref. 6301P as part of the regular collection (although its complexity limits production to a few pieces per year), the manufacture has opened up a new chapter that paves the way to new developments in the field of grande sonneries – much to the delight, aesthetically and acoustically, of all connoisseurs and aficionados who are passionate about the music of time.

The 6 complications of the new Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie

1. Grande sonnerie
2. Petite sonnerie
3. Minute repeater
4. Movement power-reserve indicator
5. Strike work power-reserve indicator
6. Jumping seconds

Patents

• Isolation of the grande sonnerie in the silence mode (Patent CH 704 950 B1)
In the silence mode, this mechanism totally isolates the grande sonnerie from the power flow and eliminates energy consumption.

• Selection of the strikework mode (Patent CH 706 080 B1)
This mechanism enables the selection of the strikework mode (petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie, silence) with a single lever and a single slide switch. Two slide switches were formerly required for this operation.

• Jumping display with a jumping seconds wheel (Patent CH 707 181 A2)
This innovative mechanism for jumping displays does not require springs and levers but instead uses wheels and a release lever that instantaneously unblocks the wheel train every second, and features a coiled return spring as the only power element. The advantage of this system is that it makes energy consumption easier to regulate and control.

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Louis Vuitton compra “Sewelô” uno de los diamante más grande del mundo

Louis Vuitton adquirió el segundo diamante más grande del mundo marcando un hito importante en la incursión de las firmas de lujo en moda dentro de la alta joyería.

Louis Vuitton compra “Sewelô” el segundo diamante más grande del mundo

El diamante en bruto pesa 1758 quilates. Se trata del segundo más grande del mundo hallado desde 1995. Fue descubierto en abril de 2019 en Botswana y recuperado por Lucara Diamond Corp. Debido a su color oscuro y su gran tamaño, la compañía minera lo llamó “Sewelô”, que significa “hallazgo raro” en el idioma tswana del sur de África.

Sewelô es un diamante verdaderamente raro, tiene el tamaño de una pelota de tenis. Mide 83 mm x 62 mm x 46 mm, y pesa 352 gramos, el Sewelô es el segundo diamante en bruto más grande en la historia. (El primero es el Cullinan, de 3106 quilates descubierto en 1905 y que ahora pertenece a la corona británica).

¿Cómo lograron sacarlo?

¿Cómo lograron sacarlo? El diamante permaneció intacto pese a su extracción, gracias al circuito XRT de alta tecnología de Lucara, un proceso de recuperación altamente avanzado que evita el aplastamiento de la roca con diamante, un inconveniente de procesos anteriores.

Aún no se ha revelado el valor por el que la marca de lujo ha adquirido la gema, pero sí que será deconstruída para crear un exclusiva colección de joyas. Para ello, Lucara y la compañía HB, un fabricante belga de diamantes, ahora “entran a colaborar” con Louis Vuitton para pulir y fabricar una serie de joyas más pequeñas del diamante Sewelô, según un comunicado de prensa.

“El propósito de esta colaboración sin precedentes entre un minero, un fabricante de vanguardia y una gran marca de lujo será la planificación, corte y pulido de una colección de diamantes del Sewelô”, dijo el comunicado de prensa, agregando que el “pleno potencial” de la piedra solo se revelará después de haber sido pulida.

Un guiño a la alta joyería

La casa francesa, reconocido por sus tradicionales piezas de marroquinería y prêt-à-porter, ingresó en el mundo de la joyería en 2004 y en la alta joyería en 2009. El año pasado, el grupo LVMH adquirió el icónico joyero de Nueva York Tiffany & Co. por más de US$ 16.000 millones. El conglomerado también posee la marca de joyería italiana Bulgari y los relojeros TAG Heuer y Hublot.

“Nadie espera que nosotros pongamos tanto énfasis en la alta joyería, creo que las cosas se pondrán un poco interesantes. Un despertar para la industria”, comentó Michael Burke, jefe ejecutivo de Louis Vuitton al New York Times.

El primer diamante en bruto, el Cullinan, fue descubierto en 1905 en Sudáfrica y estaba compuesto por 3,106 quilates. Fue cortado en piedras más pequeñas, algunas de las cuales ahora forman parte de las joyas de la corona de la familia real británica.

Otros Diamantes: THE GRAFF LESEDI LA RONA, EL DIAMANTE DE TALLA ESMERALDA MÁS GRANDE DEL MUNDO.

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C Seed 301 – Televisión de lujo exterior más grande del mundo

El equipo de I + D de C SEED hizo un esfuerzo superior para transformar esta obra maestra de ingeniería para establecer un nuevo récord: un televisor de 301 pulgadas hecho de fibra de carbono y titanio, súper grande, súper rígido pero súper ligero.

C Seed 301 – Televisión de lujo exterior más grande del mundo

Presentamos el nuevo televisor desplegable C SEED 301, este monolito altísimo que mide 301 pulgadas en diagonal (7,6 metros). Su excepcional luminosidad de 4.500 nits y su relación de contraste de 4.500: 1, junto con una profundidad de color de 48 bits, producen una imagen nítida para el entretenimiento de TV al aire libre de última generación, incluso bajo la luz directa del sol.

Cada uno de los más de 3.956.736 LED procesa datos de imagen hasta 100.000 veces por segundo, lo que permite que C SEED 301 muestre 281 billones de colores radiantes. Con tecnologías completas de refinamiento de imagen HDR para brindar un brillo y contraste máximos óptimos que admiten una resolución de hasta 4K, con un sistema de sonido de seis altavoces de banda ancha y tres subwoofers con una potencia de salida total de 2700 vatios.

I + D innovador y los mejores materiales El marco y la columna del televisor C SEED 301 están hechos de fibra de carbono con bisagras de titanio. Cada una de las piezas únicas se procesa y acaba en su totalidad en Austria: desde el diseño hasta la producción y el montaje. La capacidad de carga de la fibra de carbono, más alta que la del acero, brinda la ligereza excepcional y la refracción perfecta de la luz, ofreciendo la mejor estética y funcionalidad. 

La atracción del uso de fibra de carbono y titanio depende no solo del ahorro de peso en un componente en particular, sino también del efecto que este ahorro de peso tiene en las partes circundantes. Con sus enormes dimensiones C SEED 301 pesa solo 1650 kg, aún así su diseño robusto y su rigidez pueden soportar cargas de viento de 50 km / h antes de que la TV se retraiga automáticamente a su compartimento.

Despliegue de belleza con el poder de una bestia La pantalla del televisor C SEED 301 está oculta en su carcasa de almacenamiento subterráneo, esperando la activación con solo presionar un botón en el control remoto. La columna C SEED 301 tarda 25 segundos en alcanzar su altura total de 19 pies o 6 m sin esfuerzo. Siete paneles LED masivos del más nuevo estándar tecnológico, se despliegan igualmente silenciosos en los próximos 40 segundos. Los paneles se entrelazan para formar una pantalla de TV perfecta que estalla en acción. Con la misma facilidad, el televisor panorámico C SEED 301 se sumerge en el suelo para ahorrar espacio cuando no está en uso. Junto con el ajuste preciso y las actualizaciones en la pila electrónica y de software, es un momento tecnológico definitivo que redefine la experiencia y la estética de la TV tal como la conocemos.  

El precio de venta es de alrededor de 1,5 millones de dólares. Los pedidos se pueden realizar ahora con tiempo de entrega a mediados de 2020.

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Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21
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Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Azimut Grande S21 es un yate de fibra de carbono con 28 metros totales de eslora y una espectacular velocidad máxima, alcanza los 35 nudos gracias a sus dos motores MTU 2600 Hp; cuenta con cuatro estupendos camarotes dobles y dos más para la tripulación y un total de 7 aseos, uno privado por camarote y uno más de uso compartido.

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Los materiales empleados por Azimut Yachts han sido diseñados y desarrollados para ofrecer al usuario la representación más exacta posible del yate. El acabado, el equipamiento estándar y la gama de elementos opcionales ofrecidos pueden variar de casco a casco.

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Eso en lo que a las cifras se refiere, que son de por sí bastante espectaculares, pero lo más excepcional y bello del Azimut Grande S21 no son sus cifras, no al menos para los amantes utópicos de la navegación, sino su magnífico diseño que es obra y arte de Alberto Mancini en lo que se refiere al estilismo exterior y concepto y de Francesco Guida en lo relativo al interiorismo.

La información proporcionada mediante materiales (Visita Virtual, imágenes, vídeos, etc.) solo tiene propósitos informativos. A pesar de que Azimut Yachts hace lo posible por proporcionar información precisa en su sitio web, puede haber imprecisiones técnicas o errores tipográficos.

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21 interior

Azimut Yachts no ofrece ninguna garantía acerca de lo precisa, completa o auténtica que puede ser la imagen o la representación del producto mostrado con respecto a la imagen o representación del producto en la realidad.

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21

Azimut Yachts se reserva el derecho de modificar en cualquier momento, sin previo aviso, cualquier contenido o característica de cualquier yate, incluyendo, pero no limitándose a, colores, materiales, elementos opcionales y equipamiento.

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21 interior

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21 interior

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21 interior

Yate de Lujo, Azimut Grande S21 interior

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JOYERIA: Pendientes XXL

El pendiente es el accesorio que sin duda, más favorece a la mujer. Muchas veces, un collar o unas pulseras no nos quedan igual de bien que un buen pendiente. Por este motivo, las grandes firmas de moda han decidido hacer pendientes de un tamaño XXL para todas nosotras.

El pendiente, además, nos hace femeninas y atractivas. Por eso, es un accesorio que nunca pasa de moda y que, por contra, siempre está en demanda. Lo único que cambia temporada tras temporada es la forma, el color o las dimensiones.

Según los expertos en joyería, este año se han creado muchos tipos de pendientes que, a pesar de ser muy distintos entre ellos, todos han tenido un gran recibimiento en los looks de las mujeres.

El primero es el llamado “pendiente cuff” que a pesar de llevar un par de temporadas en nuestras orejas este año ha ampliado su propio formato. Este tipo de pendiente se caracteriza por ser un adorno que no requiere tener la oreja perforada y además, favorece al lóbulo de la oreja que no sufre por el peso de estos pendientes tan grandes. Hay tres tipos de pendientes “cuff”: candados, clips y híbridos.

Dsquared2 

En segundo lugar encontramos un pendiente que su principal característica es la cadena. Una cadena muy finita y con aspecto muy frágil.

Chloé 

Otro tipo de pendiente que jamás pasará de moda es el que contiene piedras semipreciosas como la esmeralda, el ópalo, entre otros. Lo que harán este tipo de pendientes es aportar luminosidad al look final.

Stella McCartney

Este verano también veremos mucho el uso de dos pendientes diferentes. Esta tendencia a provocado diversión de opiniones entre los consumidores. El hecho es que los diseñadores apuestan mucho por ella. El objetivo es llevar dos pendientes que luzcan distintas formas, colores, materiales y tamaño.

Y, por úlitmo, también encontramos el efecto de un solo pendiente. Un pendiente que luzca muy granda y sea de lo más llamativo.

Stella McCartney

 

Este verano las orejas acapararan todas las miradas.

 

Todos estos productos:

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