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, it’s been planning something much, much grander – a true monument to time.

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.

Al-Jazari’s “castle clock” 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. The 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, La Quête Du Temps is certainly the most impressive; it was obviously built to astound and is even more impressive than L’Esprit des Cabinotiers the brand built 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.

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.

A royal inspiration

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 was restored in 2012 thanks to funding from Vacheron Constantin.

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.

The wristwatch 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 automaton specialist 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 stands 1.07 m tall measured from lapis lazuli-inlaid base to star sprinkled glass firmament, about half a meter wide, and weighs around 150 kg, or about 550 lbs.

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 clock, ‘The Berkley’ pocket watch, the Solaria wristwatch, 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.

Engraving the astronomer figure

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: Not for sale
Price: None

For more information, visit vacheron-constantin.com.