The Vacheron Constantin Tribute To The Quest Of Time Is A Wristwatch That Takes After Its Own Remarkable Automaton Clock

Vacheron Constantin often creates artistic, wrist-worn tributes to many things—nature, culture, the arts—but this time the inspiration comes from within. Last month, the manufacture unveiled the one-of-a-kind La Quête du Temps, a horological tour de force and a seven-year project that culminated in an edifice that combines an astronomical clock with musical automaton. It will be on display at the Louvre until 12 November.

Celebrating this feat in a more portable fashion is a 20-piece limited-edition wristwatch: the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time. It heavily references La Quête du Temps in terms of aesthetics and function as well, in a few key aspects. The centrepiece automaton astronomer of La Quête du Temps is reproduced on the dial, in titanium with a golden PVD finish. It is flanked by retrograde displays for hours and minutes. Above it is a moonphase display with a hand-engraved and polished titanium moon, with its own PVD treatment that fades from golden to deep blue. The double-layered sapphire dial includes a blue gradient effect that hints at the movement beneath, and also holds a display of constellations that floats ethereally around the figure, as they would have appeared in Geneva on 17 September 1755, the day of Vacheron Constantin’s founding. And there is more around the back, too—here is another dial with indications for sidereal time, and a sky chart that can track the movement of constellations in real time.

The hand-wound Calibre 3670 consists of 512 components and has a few serious tricks up its sleeve. Its calling card is that the retrograde displays, wherein the figure’s arms act as indicators, can be set to display continuously, as in a typical indicator. It can also be set to only show time on demand, where each activation of the pusher at 10 o’clock will briefly awaken the figure from a rest state. It also has three barrels, providing a power reserve of six days. This is quite an impressive feat, considering that the movement ticks at 5Hz, and the dual-mode retrograde displays take a lot of torque to function.

There are, in fact, four patent-pending features to this watch: the double power reserve display that operates sequentially, like it does on La Quête du Temps; the governor for the retrograde displays that ensures they jump in perfect synchronicity; the moonphase indicator, which also shows the exact age of the moon in relation to its phase; and the moon correction, which allows manual adjustment of the moon display.

Three years in development, the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time is presented in a white gold case that is 43mm in diameter. It might not be quite as much of a powerhouse as the objet d’art that inspired it, but it is a mighty horological statement in its own right.

Vacheron Constantin