4/29/2023 0 Comments Horology magazines![]() The storied Swiss watchmaker started from scratch to create the tonneau-shaped caliber 2790 SQ. Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon Openworked, Image: Vacheron ConstantinĪ fantastic example of some of these techniques being executed to the highest possible standards is the Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon Openworked. With 876 parts in the movement alone, it takes a highly experienced watchmaker almost a year to assemble from start to finish. They do, however, boast some seriously impressive watchmaking, with perhaps the most notable example of recent times being their 2013 Grande Complication.Įquipped with both a grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater, a chronograph with rattrapante as well as flying seconds and a perpetual calendar, it is the most complicated wristwatch ever created by the German watchmaker. Lange & Söhne, although they can’t lay claim to the same lengthy heritage as the main three. For some time now, there has also been a fourth brand that is considered part of this group, the German watchmaker A. Just as the Grande Complication brings together the holy trinity of watch complications, there are three big brands that are considered to represent the holy trinity of watchmaking in its totality: Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet. Successfully creating one, however, all but guarantees your membership into the elite club of haute horlogerie. Mastering the assembly of any single one of the complications from this selection can take a watchmaker years, let alone creating one from scratch, so the Grand Complication is reserved for those rare few that have gained both the knowledge and the skills required. Historically, those complications must come from three specific groups: calendars, timing, and chiming. Perhaps the best-known example of this is the Grande Complication, which brings together the holy trinity of watchmaking complications into one timepiece. In fact, more often than not, several must be present in a single watch to demonstrate the watchmaker’s true mastery of his or her craft. However, it’s important to note that the presence of any one of these complications alone does not necessarily qualify a watch for the title of haute horlogerie. ![]() ![]() The tourbillon or flying tourbillon complications are often found in haute horlogerie timepieces.Īudemars Piguet Minute Repeater, Image: Bert Buijsrogge – View offers on Chrono24 These include acoustical complications, such as alarms, repeaters and Grand Sonneries astronomical complications, such as the perpetual calendar, equation of time and sidereal time and timing complications, such as the rattrapante split-second chronograph and the dead-beat second. Some are exceedingly more difficult to create and master than others and it is these that we are interested in.Īlthough it’s not possible to cover every single complication you need to be aware of in one article, there are a few keys categories you should familiarize yourself with. However, not all complications are created equal. As you are no doubt aware, a complication is any function a watch can perform in addition to the indication of hours, minutes, and seconds, regardless of whether the mechanism is hand-wound, automatic, mechanical, or electronic.Ī chronograph is a good example, as is a world time or dual time watch. So, what sort of things should we be looking for when it comes to identifying a piece of haute horlogerie? The first and often most obvious element is the movement itself, and specifically the complication or complications present in the watch. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual, Image: Bert Buijsrogge – View offers on Chrono24 This focus hasn’t changed much in the last forty years what has changed, though, is the number of brands claiming to have achieved this pedigree of watchmaking. The focus was very much on quality, complexity, and the ability to demonstrate a mastery of the watchmaking arts. The term first came about in the late 1970s following the quartz crisis and was initially (and to a degree, still is) used as a marketing tactic to differentiate super high-end mechanical watches from the mass-produced quartz models that were quickly becoming ubiquitous. So, just what is haute horlogerie?īefore we go too far down this intriguing rabbit hole, it is important to note at the outset that there is no single, clear definition of haute horlogerie that everyone can agree upon. However, to a very select group of highly skilled watchmakers, artisans, designers, and, of course, watch collectors, it is a way of life. Translated into English, the phrase means the “ high-art of watchmaking.” This makes the term somewhat clearer, but overall, it’s still vague. To most people, the phrase “ Haute Horlogerie” means little to nothing.
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