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 skilful 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.