By Jovan Krstevski
The SIHH 2019 is fast approaching and we are seeing more and more brands stretching up their sleeves for another glorious show for all the fans. Vacheron Constantin is just one of the brands pre-releasing selected models to satisfy our curiosity. The brand has released the first pictures of its two unique timepieces, the Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix and the Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart. I already covered the latter and to be honest I enjoyed that one. For this article, I am going to focus on the one that is supposed to rise from the ashes. Ok, so this is actually the 1st model of the 2 pieces just revealed by Vacheron Constantin and it is also a grand complication with 15 complications thrown in.
The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix is truly unique mixing an uber complicated movement with the ancestral arts or quite simply, the “Métiers d’Art” that are ingrained in Vacheron Constantin’s tradition. The name Les Cabinotiers also pertains to the watchmakers who worked on the top floors of the brand’s historic Geneva building.
The 15 complications of the Grande Complication Phoenix are housed in a pink gold case. The list is long: tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month and leap year indication), power reserve indication, equation of time, sunset time, sunrise time, sky chart, a striking mechanism torque indication sidereal hours and minutes, seasons, Zodiac sign, and age and phases of the moon. Moreover, the different indications are displayed on either side of the case. The anthracite dials against the pink gold case is a superb combo. The 839 part movement is amazing and it is based on the hand-wound calibre 2755 (2.5Hz) with a 58 hour power reserve.
The 18k pink gold case is large, at 47 mm and is understandably so considering the extraordinary movement it packs inside. The finishing of the case is an art in itself done by experts and meticulous craftsmen. The beautiful Phoenix theme is all done by hand combining pounced ornament – or bas-relief – for the case flanks and fine line engraving for the bezel and caseback. Pretty much it took 300 man hours to do the case, all that meticulous work of fully engraving the case paid off in the end.
Finally, the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix wears on a nice alligator strap with a folding buckle. To me, the dark tone of the leather strap adds a much-needed contrast to the golden shimmer of the case. Legibility is also vastly improved by the slate-grey opaline dials for both front and back that is then completed with 18k 5N pink gold applied hour markers and 18k 5N pink gold hands.
The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix is indeed a unique piece and it comes with a prestige winder box made of Makassar ebony wood with a corrector pen and a magnifying glass for the accessories. Visit Vacheron Constantin here.
