Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary tour de force continues with the La Quête Du Temps – Mecanique D’art, a metre-tall astronomical clock, automata, and decorative object. While the brand teased us with the most complicated wristwatch ever made earlier this year, they’ve been planning something much grander.

Initial thoughts

I see La Quête Du Temps as part of a near millennia old tradition of astronomical clocks and mechanical follies. During the very late 12th century, an Artuqid king commissioned an exceptional astronomical water clock from famed Islamic inventor Ismail al-Jazari. The “castle clock” as it known kept time, but only as an ancillary function. The clock tracked the passage of the sun, the passage and phase of the moon and the zodiacs, and on the sixth, ninth and twelfth hours a cast of five life-sized automata sprung to life, playing drums and trumpets to dazzle the royal court.

Other kings commissioned similar astronomical clocks from inventor in their courts, as symbols of their power and sophistication. If not kings, it was congregations and city councils raising these models of the heavens on Earth as symbols of prosperity and prestige. And today, Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watch manufacturer, builds one for itself. Solaria, the most complicated wristwatch yet made, was not the brand’s 270th anniversary flagship – this is.

This year has been more clock-heavy than any I can recall. First, Patek Philippe launched its Rare Handcrafts perpetual calendar desk clock at Watches and Wonders, alongside clocks from Panerai, Chanel, even Rolex, while Breguet Sympathique No. 1, Cartier Portico No. 3, and Frodsham No. 2294 brought impressive results during the spring auction seasons. And, I suspect, Breguet has another clock lined up for later this year.

Of all the clocks this year, this is certainly the most impressive; it was obviously built to astound and is even more impressive than the L’Esprit des Cabinotiers the brand build for its quarter millennial anniversary. Often it can be difficult for people outside the watch scene to understand why something is impressive. That could not be less of an issue with La Quête Du Temps, which will dazzle people visiting the Louvre, or just scrolling through Instagram reels today in the same way al-Jazari’s castle clocks did almost a thousand years ago.

La Quete du Temps_l’objet_9260_17270_horloge_ automate_270_

I can only complain that is timepiece is built too much like a watch, and not enough like a clock. Unlike semi-portable timepieces, such as carriage clocks and chronometers, this clock has no need of a balance, and I’d prefer a pendulum instead, as well as a weight driven movement rather than springs. However, I won’t hold it against Vacheron Constantin for sticking to what it knows.

Background

Vacheron Constantin appreciates the historical context of its latest creation, and will exhibit La Quête du Temps at the Louvre in Paris, alongside 10 other clocks in the museum’s collection. One of the supporting acts is Pendule La Création due Monde, a dramatic astronomical sculpture clock made for King Louis XV that Vacheron Constantin funded the restoration of in 2012.

Pendule La Création due Monde

In addition, the brand developed the Quest of Time wristwatch, which combines many of the clock’s elements, including the Astronomer, a three-dimensional moon phase, bifurcated power reserve display, and planisphere. It also builds on the brand’s long history of time-on-demand complications, going back to the pocket watch era.

While Vacheron Constantin has concentrated an enormous amount of skill within its walls, this project required significant external support from automatician François Junod and the specialty clock maker L’Épée 1839. Despite the current obsession with “in-house” manufacture, collaboration was historically key to the most ambitious projects – even the famous Henry Graves Supercomplication didn’t use an “in-house” movement.

Significant stature

The clock is 1070 mm from lapis lazuli inlaid base to star sprinkled glass firmament, about half a meter wide, and weighs around 150 kg, or about 550 pounds. As it is difficult to assertion the clock’s size from press images alone, I’ve created a to-scale size comparison between the present timepiece, The Berkley Grand Complication, Solaria, and a stainless steel ref. 222.

The sky 270 years ago – the celestial vault

The automata, named Astronomer stands within a pair of armillary circles, atop a rotating half-hemisphere that acts as a day/night indicator. Astronomer’s gold-plated body was cast from bronze engraved with constellations, using 122 tiny diamonds to mark each star.

The glass dome containing Astronomer reproduces the sky as it was above Geneva on September 17, 1755, at 10 am, forever frozen in time. On that day 270 years ago, Jean-Marc Vacheron signed an apprenticeship contract with Esaïe Jean François Hetier, which the brand considers the beginning of its history.

The dome was painted by hand

A pair of titanium and gold scales for the hour and minutes adhere to the inside of the dome, against which the automaton indicates time.

Astronomer

The dome’s other occupant is a highly unusual moon phase display, a three-dimensional moon passes in front of Astronomer. One side is gold and the other, black. The moon turns as it advances, displaying the moon phase when the clock is viewed head on.

Inside the moon is a small mainspring barrel, that winds as the moon advances. Once the moon completes its journey, this mainspring provides the return force for the retrograde, sending the moon hurdling back to its start. Retrogrades are, of course, a favourite of the brand and a recurring motif within this clock.

You can activate Astronomer on demand, or at a specific time using an alarm. Once triggered, music plays using a metallophone and “wah wah” tubes concealed elsewhere in the structure as Astronomer looks around before gesturing to the day/night indicator and then the moon before returning to its resting position.

As music plays again, Astronomer turns its attention skyward, admiring the stars before returning to rest once more. These animations play out identically during each activation.

Finally, during the third sequence, Astronomer points to the titanium and gold scales to indicate the hours and minutes before returning to rest. To add visual variety, the minutes and hours are arranged randomly on the scales. The entire ensemble takes a minute and a half to complete.

A familiar face – the astronomical clock

Four stainless steel columns inlaid with rock crystal support Astronomer’s dome, under which sits the astronomical clock. The dial, made from four layers of rock crystal, tracks the hours and minutes with retrograde displays, which use gravity as the return force rather than the typical spring, while a massive tourbillon acts as a seconds hand.

The perpetual calendar includes day and month in apertures, a retrograde date, time of sunrise and sunset, and a subtle leap year indictor near the tourbillon, though the equation of time is oddly absent. The overall layout resembles the calendars used on the 250th anniversary Tour de l’Ile, and similarly complicated watches, which helps tie this clock in with Vacheron Constantin’s other creations.

The enormous tourbillon contains an almost 17 mm diameter balance and sits behind a magnifier. Baguette diamonds frame both it and the 24 hour indicator – with a hand engraved sun and moon – below.

The rotating cylinder below, displaying “17” is used to set the alarm.

Two separate up/down arcs track the 15 day power reserve, supplied by five separate barrels. One up/down covers 0 to 7.5 days, and other 7.5 to 15, an approach used on the Saint Gervais anniversary watch from 20 years ago, as well as the matching Quest of Time wristwatch.

The planisphere on the reserve continues that continuity, and displays the sky in real time for the northern hemisphere and another, this time unified, up/down display. An annual calendar ring marking the months, seasons, equinoxes, and signs of the zodiac with a gold sun hand frames the planisphere.

The stars are printed on a clear disk which rotates once per sidereal day, or 23 hours 56 minutes or 4 seconds, above a stationary blue sky.

Squares for adjusting the clock and alarm are easily accessible by way of holes drilled into the rock crystal, and Vacheron Constantin equipped the clock with a rapid correction system powered by a separate barrel which advances all indications by one day at a time. There is also a power reserve indication for this hidden in the base.

The octagonal double pith supporting the clock includes a rotating 24-hour cylinder used to set the alarm. It is inlaid with high-grade lapis lazuli, probably from mines in Afghanistan, on top, and polished and faceted alongs its rock crystal flanks.

Stone cabochons representing the planets adorn both layers; the Earth is azurite and, I assume, malachite, which is a particularly good representation of our blue marble. These are purely decorative and do not move. Each planet is labelled with white mother-of-pearl (nacre) inlay – also used for the stars.

Holding the Weight of the World – the Base

The base is the most massive of the three segments. The octagonal frame is made from stainless steel and panelled with rock crystal on its sides, and mirror glass on top.

Inside is the massive movement that controls the automata using 158 cams, which allow Astronomer to perform 144 unique motions. The clock movement communicates time and alarm settings to the automata movement through a pair of vertical shafts. The automata movement stores this information using cam-based mechanical memory for later use.

The very bottom steps inwards, and is panelled in lapis lazuli – this is where the metallophone and “wah wah” tubes hide. These are controlled by a toothed cylinder, also used in chiming clocks and music boxes. Vacheron Constantin enlisted French musician Yoann Lemoine for the musical arrangement.

Key facts and price

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art “Tribute to The Quest of Time”
Movement No. 5840763

Diameter: 503 mm
Height: 1070 mm
Material: Stainless steel, rock crystal, semi-precious stones, glass.
Water resistance: Not water resistant

Movement: Cal. 9270 
Functions: Astronomical clock, automata.
Winding: Key wind
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 15 days

Limited edition: Unique piece
Availability: Through Vacheron Constantin
Price: Not confirmed

For more information, visit vacheron-constantin.com.

It seems like no brand is having as much fun in 2025 as Vacheron Constantin (VC), which has delivered several consecutive hits to mark its 270th anniversary. The latest is the Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Quest of Time, a double-sided wristwatch with a bi-retrograde time display that all but cements the brand’s status as the industry leader in astronomical complications.

The Tribute to the Quest of Time, limited to 20 pieces in white gold, debuts alongside its muse, the La Quête du Temps astronomical clock, and features a miniaturised and simplified version of the clock’s magnificent astronomer automaton.

Initial thoughts

Following on the heals of the Solaria Ultra Grand Complication and Tribute to the Celestial, the Tribute to the Quest of Time continues VC’s winning streak in spectacular fashion.

While the Solaria impressed with rare scientific complications, like declination of the Sun, the Tribute to the Celestial focused its attention on the culture of astrology, brought to life with skillful gem-setting and creative use of a straight-line engine.

In contrast, the Tribute to the Quest of Time takes a more humanistic approach, focusing on the romance of mankind’s quest to understand our place in the universe, using a mix of traditional complications and modern decorative techniques.

Despite the functional differences between these watches, there’s a clear commonality between them; each watch, in its own way, reflects its creators’ reverence for the cosmos.

The dial of the Tribute to the Quest of Time, like many of the brand’s Métiers d’Art pieces, makes a powerful first impression. A large golden humanoid figure, representing mankind, is set against a detailed celestial dome rendered in navy blue fumé sapphire crystal. The positions of the stars and constellations are part of the story, depicting the night sky exactly as it looked on the day VC was founded, 270 years ago tomorrow.

The bi-retrograde display has two modes; the first indicates the time continuously, like the brand’s other bi-retrograde watches, past and present. The second mode is more advanced, and acts like a hybrid of an automaton and a minute repeater. In this standby mode, the figure keeps its arms at its sides, and indicates the time in a synchronised motion at the push of a button.

With this much going on dial-side, the 18k white gold case could hardly be any smaller than it is at 43 mm in diameter and 13.58 mm thick. It’s not small, but the design makes good use of the case size to allow the various indications room to breathe and allow the celestial dome to shine.

The watch is powered by the cal. 3670, an all-new movement that borrows a few key details from other recent VC calibers. It’s a high-beat movement that ticks at 36,000 bph, but manages to offer a 144 hour power reserve from three barrels.

The cal. 3670 is more elaborate than it first appears, and in addition to its signature dual-mode bi-retrograde time display and three-dimensional moon phase, it also tracks the age of the moon, the sidereal day, and displays the six-day power reserve on sequential scales.

Pricing has not been confirmed, but the Tribute to the Quest of Time will sit near the top of the range for VC, so expect something around CHF400,000. A worthy watch in its own right, it benefits from its association with the astonishing La Quête du Temps astronomical clock.

The La Quête du Temps clock, shown to scale next to “The Berkley” Grand Complication, the Solaria, and the ref. 222.

The celestial dome

Let’s start with the golden figure on the dial; you can’t ignore it. A direct homage to the complex automaton found in the La Quête du Temps clock, the three-dimensional figure indicates the hours and minutes in a familiar bi-retrograde format that VC has used going all the way back to the 1930s. But like the clock that inspired it, this figure has a trick up its proverbial sleeve, namely the ability to indicate time in two different modes.

The first is what you’d expect; the continuous indication of the hours with the right arm and the minutes with the left.

But there is also an on demand mode, in which the figure keeps its arms lowered until the pusher at 10 o’clock is pressed, which triggers the figure to raise its arms simultaneously to indicate the time. This is a simplified version of the larger clock’s automaton, but it’s impressive nonetheless, requiring a mechanical governor, like those used in minute repeaters, to get the timing right.

The figure is set atop a multi-level sapphire crystal dial depicting the celestial dome exactly as it appeared on September 17, 1755, the day founder Jean-Marc Vacheron formally set up shop by hiring his first apprentice. The markings, which display the stars and major constellations, are applied in painstaking detail using metallisation.

This process, which is akin to printing with vaporised metal, allows for extremely fine detail and results in indelible markings that are more robust than those applied using traditional pad printing. What’s more, the designers worked with astronomers at the Geneva Observatory to get the positions of the stars and constellations exactly right.

While the figure itself is crafted from PVD-coated titanium, the rest of the dial furniture is crafted from solid gold, including the opaline-finished semi-circular scales that hold the 27 individual 18k gold appliqués for the hours and minutes.

Standing on the shoulders of giants

The cal. 3670 is a new design, but it’s clear the constructors raided the parts bins of some of the brand’s greatest contemporary movements.

The dual-mode time display consumes a lot of energy, so the engineers looked to the 5 Hz cal. 3610 movement first seen in the Twin Beat perpetual calendar for inspiration; the abundant available power and high frequency help minimise the practical effects of the automaton’s movements on the balance amplitude.

For the case back, designers referenced the sidereal time display developed for the Celestia cal. 3600, which uses two superimposed sapphire crystal discs to indicate the real-time positions of the stars over the northern hemisphere, accurate to one day in 9,130 years.

If the sequential power reserve display looks familiar, that’s because it was borrowed from the cal. 2250, which debuted two decades ago in the Saint-Gervais Grande Complication as part of the brand’s 250th anniversary. The display on the left counts down the first 72 hours, at which point the second display on the right counts down to zero.

But despite these familiar details, there are some glorious new additions like the three-dimensional titanium moon phase that mirrors a similar indicator on the La Quête du Temps clock. Brands like De Bethune have done spherical moon phases in the past, and have gone even further by bluing the titanium using heat.

VC has gone a different route, using a PVD treatment to create the gold and blue hemispheres. But what differentiates VC’s spherical moon phase is the fact that it’s set within a rotating ring that indicates the age of the moon; these indicators rotate perpendicular to one another once every 29.5 days. Credit goes to the designers of this system, which can be safely adjusted at any time of day.

Given the double-sided semi-transparent displays, the designers also considered how the finishing would play a part in the design, eschewing showy Côtes de Genève in favour of a more minimalist brushed finish. Though the look is minimal, the effort clearly is not, with numerous crisp inner angles visible front and back.

Overall, the cal. 3670 looks to be among the brand’s best finished movements, on par with the Twin Beat and Celestia and just a notch below the cal. 3500 in the Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph.

If pressed, I’d admit to being disappointed in the lack of a free-sprung balance; the cal. 3670 appears to use the same smooth ring balance as the cal. 3610, which makes sense as it’s the only other 5 Hz movement in the brand’s catalogue. Considering what else the Tribute to the Quest of Time brings to the table, this is a minor annoyance that just barely diminishes an otherwise brilliant watch.

Key facts and price

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art “Tribute to The Quest of Time”
Ref. 7200A-000G-H103

Diameter: 43 mm
Height: 13.58 mm
Material: 18k white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: Cal. 3670 
Functions: Retrograde hours and minutes (en passant or on-demand), moon phase, sky chart, sidereal day, and power reserve
Winding: Hand wind
Frequency: 36,000 beats per hour (5 Hz)
Power reserve: 144 hours

Strap: Alligator with matching folding clasp

Limited edition: 20 pieces
Availability: Only at Vacheron Constantin boutiques
Price: Approximately CHF400,000

For more information, visit vacheron-constantin.com.

On episode 10 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the highlights and hands-on impressions from Geneva Watch Days, including the Greubel Forsey QP Balancier, Lange 1815 Tourbillon Black Enamel, Gérald Genta’s new Minute Repeater, and the latest perpetual calendars from Audemars Piguet.

We also discuss the significance of Tag Heuer’s carbon hairsprings; after a short-lived launch in 2019, the brand has taken a mulligan and relaunched this technology with a key difference that might make carbon hairsprings a real alternative to silicon.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.