Witness the birth of the most complicated timepiece with Vacheron Constantin

  2015 9 17, isVacheron ConstantinOn the anniversary of its founding260, the brand will unveil the most complex timepiece in its history“”. Starting in early 6, Vacheron Constantin selected 12 watchmaking influencers globally, sending each a “ puzzle piece”, representing a part of the structure or function of this super-complicated timepiece. These materials are available for sharing, speculation, and discussion. However, it is not until 9 17, when the 12 individuals gather in Geneva with their 12 “ puzzle pieces”, that the full details of this timepiece will be revealed.

Mr Ding Zhixiang, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of "Chronos Watches" magazine

 

    According to the brand, this prestigious and elegant double-dial timepiece features the most exceptional mechanical construction and technical innovation to date. To achieve this, Vacheron Constantin assembled a dedicated department of three master watchmakers who spent eight years on its design and development. This remarkable project originated from a “ challenge ” posed by a world-renowned collector, which Vacheron Constantin not only accepted but successfully fulfilled.     This timepiece continues the tradition of classic watchmaking while incorporating twenty-first-century thinking, making it a brand-new original creation from Vacheron Constantin. Featuring an unprecedented construction, this complicated timepiece required calculations, design, and development from scratch, resulting in an entirely new movement. Furthermore, many well-known complex mechanical devices were revised, reinterpreted, and redesigned to ensure the overall harmony of the finished timepiece. The conception and realisation of this vision required not only extraordinary imagination but also superior mathematical logic and a deep understanding of craftsmanship. The successful launch of this timepiece demonstrates the brand's new complications in watchmaking, while the development process refined many areas of knowledge and technology, representing another significant contribution to the mechanical watchmaking techniques that have evolved since the 20 20s.

Seasonal astronomical indications
    The “ puzzle ” I received includes a “ shared information ” and an “ exclusive information ”, each targeting a set of functions of the timepiece.     The content of the “ shared information ” is the “ seasonal astronomical indication ” function: one of the two main dials is surrounded by a delicate and precise multi-functional perpetual calendar and astronomical scale, which can simultaneously provide three sets of precise data indicated by a central gold hand (with a sun balance logo). The outer scale is the perpetual calendar scale, which indicates the month and automatically adjusts for the number of days in each month. The middle ring is a scale indicating the year based on the zodiac cycle principle, and also adds the function of indicating the vernal and autumnal equinoxes—the two days in a year when day and night are of almost equal length—as well as the summer and winter solstices, the two days in a year when the sun is at its highest and lowest relative positions to celestial bodies. The inner ring is correspondingly marked with indication scales for the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.     The seasonal equinoxes occur in March and September respectively. In the northern hemisphere, the equinox in March is called the “vernal equinox”, usually occurring on 3 19, 20 or 21. The equinox in September is called the “autumnal equinox”, usually occurring on 9 22, 23 or 24. The Earth's rotation axis and the orbital plane, namely the Earth's orbit around the sun and the ecliptic plane, always maintain an angle of 23.5 degrees. On other days of the year, either the northern or southern hemisphere tilts slightly towards the sun. However, on the two equinox days, the Earth's rotation axis is perpendicular to the direct sun rays, making day and night lengths almost equal, hence these two days are called “ equinoxes ”.     The two solstices (summer and winter) and the equinoxes (vernal and autumnal) are closely linked. In many cultures, the summer and winter solstices mark the beginning or midpoint of winter and summer. In the northern hemisphere, the summer solstice around 6 20 and 21 is the day with the highest sun altitude and the longest daylight hours of the year; conversely, the winter solstice around 12 21 and 22 is the day with the lowest sun altitude and the shortest daylight hours of the year.

Equation of time

 

    The content of my “ puzzle ” exclusive information “ ” is “ Equation of Time ”: The Equation of Time display shows the difference in minutes between solar time and mean time. Each year, solar time can be up to 16 minutes and 33 seconds faster than mean time (around 11 3) and up to 14 minutes and 6 seconds slower (around 2 12). There are only four days a year when solar time and mean time are identical. The movement's hands are controlled by an irregular cam designed according to the principles of sidereal time calculation; this sidereal Equation of Time mechanism can also indicate the seasons via the solar hand. Historically, mastering the Equation of Time was an essential skill for navigators, who typically used a portable mean solar time watch to observe the sun's altitude and then compared it with their home time to calculate the specific time difference.     There are two main factors that cause the Equation of Time. The first is the angle between the Earth's orbital plane and the equatorial plane. The second is that the Earth's orbit is elliptical rather than perfectly circular.     The Equation of Time caused by the obliquity of the ecliptic (the Earth's axial tilt).     If the Earth's axis of rotation were not tilted relative to its orbital plane (the ecliptic), sunlight would shine directly onto the equator along the ecliptic orbit, and the solar incidence angle at the equator would be identical at all times. However, this is not the case; the subsolar point is not distributed along a straight line but fluctuates up and down the equator according to the time of year. When the ecliptic plane is parallel to the equatorial plane, the solar altitude angle reaches its maximum (at the summer and winter solstices), while at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, the solar altitude angle is at its minimum.     The Equation of Time caused by the orbital revolution (the Earth's elliptical orbit).     The Earth's orbit around the sun is elliptical. The distance between the Earth and the sun is at its minimum around 12 31, and at its maximum around 7 1. The Earth's longitude changes fastest when it is closest to the sun. The sun shines directly on the meridian at noon on these two days, and the elliptical orbit determines that the equation of time is zero on these two days. The mean solar day is calculated by astronomers based on the average daily time throughout the year, and for the convenience of daily life, a day is defined as 24 hours. Solar time and mean time are identical only four times a year: 4 16, 6 14, 9 1, and 12 25. The equation of time is zero on these four days. On the other 361 days, one must rely on the Equation of Time display to understand the difference between the two times. This difference, along with sunrise and sunset times, is self-corrected daily at local noon. The equation of time is usually represented by the symbol 8, the “ globe 8 character curve ”, and can be calculated using the following equation: E = 9.87 * sin (2B) – 7.53 * cos (B) – 1.5 * sin (B) where: B = 360 * (N-81) / 365 where: N = number of days, 1 1 = day 1.