Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Rolls-Royce Watch Review
In the highest reaches of luxury, far above the clouds, you will find Vacheron Constantin and Rolls-Royce. Both marques have a history of acceding to their client’s requests, engineering breathtaking products. Recently, a client commissioned a bespoke Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail fitted with a one-of-a-kind dashboard clock, the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon. US-based journalist, Meehna Goldsmith briefly enters this near-ethereal world where no-compromise luxury is the order of the day.
Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail – bespoke car
Recently, Rolls-Royce revealed a commissioned Amethyst Droptail, which experts guess cost between $20-30 million. It’s a bespoke tour de force co-created with a client and Rolls-Royce’s Coachbuild department, a separate division where imagination goes to play and dreams are transformed into realities. From custom paint and grillwork to inlaid Calamander ‘Light open pore wood’ and rotary dials incorporating amethyst gems, the Amethyst Droptail is a work of art on wheels.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – bespoke watch
With a motorcar like the Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail, you don’t just stick a quartz clock in the dash as the finishing touch. That would be like wearing a Zegna suit accompanied by a clip-on tie. The Amethyst Droptail needed something special befitting the occasion. The owner called upon Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers department to create a complementary timepiece.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers – honouring Geneva’s past
In honour of Geneva’s 18th-century cabinotiers, Vacheron Constantin established Les Cabinotiers in 2006. Just like Rolls-Royce Coachbuild, Les Cabinotiers is an exclusive department, the place where bespoke horological dreams come true. Every year the Maison presents a collection of single-edition pieces. Some are envisioned by Vacheron Constantin, such as “Le Temps Céleste” or “Les Royaumes Aquatiques”. Others are made to order for private collectors, but most of the fantastical creations never publicly take a bow because their owners prefer to avoid the limelight.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – a collaborative effort
Fortunately for us watch geeks, the owner has allowed us to view the result of the collaboration: Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon. Since the timepiece was going to be road-tripping, first and foremost it had to stand up to the rigours encountered while driving. Rolls-Royce and Vacheron Constantin worked together to ensure the timepiece not only integrated into the aesthetics of the Amethyst Droptail’s interior but could also handle the shocks of the road. Another requirement was the timepiece had to be removable from a holding mechanism in the fascia panel.
Vacheron Constantin has previously created a timepiece for an automobile, but that was back in 1928. When the Maison was approached by the client, it was inspired and took up the gauntlet. This project has allowed Vacheron Constantin to showcase its state-of-the-art mechanics along with its mastery of decorative techniques.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – Calibre 1990
For the foundation of the Armillary Tourbillon, Vacheron Constantin and the client decided upon the Calibre 1990, a hand-wound movement developed and built in-house. It incorporates some technical developments from Reference 57260, which was presented in 2015 and still stands as the most complicated timepiece in the world.
What made the Calibre 1990 a perfect foundation was the bi-retrograde complication that instantaneously returns the hours and minutes back to the starting point once they’ve moved through the time cycle. This type of indicator, which resides at the top half of the dial, echoes a car’s speedometer. Constructed of titanium, a strong lightweight material, the hands reset in the blink of an eye. Most importantly, this composition has afforded room for the magnificent Armillary Tourbillon to take the spotlight. It resides at 6 o’clock and dominates the lower half of the dial.
Addressing the problem of gravity
In the 18th century, horologist Antide Janvier invented a moving sphere with a planetary gear called an armillary. Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon mirrors the interlocking circles and armillas of the scientific instrument modelling the celestial sphere. Moreover, the tourbillon is more than just a mesmerising amusement on the dial. Originally developed for pocket watches, the tourbillon addresses the effects of gravity on the regulating organ.
Since the Armillary Tourbillon will ride in the dash, held in a vertical position, the tourbillon makes sense from a technical perspective. For this tourbillon construction, two nested carriages rotate around two separate axes with one rotation every 60 seconds, creating a sphere in perpetual motion. Every 15 seconds the architecture of the carriages form the Maltese Cross, Vacheron Constantin’s emblem.
Silicon escape-wheel and pallet-lever with diamond pallets
Instead of a flat balance-spring, the Armillary Tourbillon employs a cylindrical one. This type of balance spring, invented by Jacques- Frédéric Houriet in 1814, doesn’t have terminal curves, allowing for a concentric beat that improves accuracy. Another advancement developed for the timepiece was an escapement comprised of a silicon escape-wheel and pallet-lever with diamond pallets. These materials were chosen to reduce friction without the need for lubrication.
To create the Armillary Tourbillon, Vacheron Constantin pushed technical boundaries, filing four patents for its innovations: a single-minute cam to synchronise the jump of the retrograde hands; the escapement collet made of titanium; the architecture of the tourbillon carriages that form a Maltese cross as they rotate every 15 seconds; and, the diamond-coated silicon pallet-lever.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – finishing
The mainplate grabs the eye with a mauve NAC coating with a circular satin finish, an original colour formulation to match the Amethyst Droptail’s leather seats. In keeping with Vacheron Constantin’s impeccable finishing, the matching mauve bridges, on view through the exhibition caseback, feature sharp, hand-bevelled angles decorated with Côtes de Genève motif.
The oversized crown at 12 o’clock makes sense from a practical point of view, enabling easy winding of the timepiece to its full 58-hour power reserve. Its positioning is also a reference to vintage hand-wound chronometers. Plus, the formidable crown just suits the Armillary Tourbillon.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – the holder
To frame the timepiece, a holder was designed that can be removed from the dash. Made of polished steel, it has a curved outer frame, along with a bevelled steel inner frame that’s laser-textured with a black PVD coating. If that wasn’t enough, the timepiece affixes to a white gold base-plate, hand-crafted with a sunburst guilloché motif featuring an applied Maltese cross.
For discretion, the holder can be hidden from view courtesy of a steel lid which is secured with a Maltese cross-shaped lock. In addition, the holder allows the watch to rotate 180° for setting, winding or simply admiring the matchless craftsmanship. When the timepiece and holder are removed from the dash, an identical empty holder can take its place.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – away from the car
When the Armillary Tourbillon isn’t aboard the Amethyst Droptail, it can retire to an equally stunning presentation box. Constructed with the same Calamander Light open pore wood and Amethyst leather as the Amethyst Droptail, it’s a beautiful companion piece to the Armillary Tourbillon. Equal attention was paid to the interior of the case, which is slightly curved to resemble the Amethyst Droptail’s fascia, a design element that puts Vacheron Constantin’s attention to detail on display.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon – closing thoughts
The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon is a stunning piece of horology. It’s a testament to what’s possible when creativity, vision and passion guide the way without guardrails. Although the Armillary Tourbillon was commissioned for the Amethyst Droptail, the Amethyst Droptail could just as easily have been built to accompany the Armillary Tourbillon.
Further reading
https://www.vacheron-constantin.com
Technical specifications
- Model: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon
- Reference: 9880C/000A-182C
- Case: stainless steel, diameter 43.8 mm, height 19.90 mm, sapphire crystal to front and exhibition case back
- Functions: retrograde hours and minutes, small seconds on tourbillon, Armillary tourbillon
- Movement: Calibre 1990, manual winding movement, frequency 18,000 vph (2.5Hz), 45 jewels, power reserve of approximately 58 hours, 299 components
- Watch holder: stainless steel and 18K white gold hand-guilloché for the background and Maltese cross
- Price: unique timepiece not for sale