Bespoke timepieces from Vacheron Constatin – Atelier Cabinotiers

Vacheron Constantin’s Atelier Cabinotiers is a special workshop dedicated to custom builing bespoke timepieces. Recently this Atelier delivered two of such unique and very complicated timepieces.

In 2006 Vacheron Constantin started a special workshop, entirely dedicated to fine watchmaking and creating bespoke timepieces, Atelier Cabinotiers. Just recently they finished two bespoke timepieces and to say that the two new timepieces are impressive, is an understatement. Today Monochrome presents you the first… Philosophia.

This is a very complicated timepiece and was commissioned with a clear philosophy about the watch in mind. No wonder it’s called Philosophia. This hand-made unique wristwatch is based on the Patrimony collection and features a 60-second tourbillion, a minute repeater, a moon phase display… and only one hour hand on a 24 hour scale to tell the time! It might sounds strange at first, but the philosophy puts everything in place.

Coexistence of fine watchmaking and approximate time. Since Philosophia only has only one hand on a 24-hour scale, to tell the time, the owner will never be able to read the time exact to the minute. And this is combined with a 60-second tourbillion, a complication meant to enhance the watch’s precision. You ask yourself why?

Well, in some parts of the world, making an appointment “in the morning” or “in the evening” is quite sufficient to allow two people to meet. In the same spirit, knowing that it is 12 or 17 minutes past ten o’clock does not make the Philosophia’s owner any happier or unhappier.

However…. this man is also a connoisseur of fine watchmaking and  if he wants to know the exact time he simply engages  the Philosophia’s minute repeater. The minute repeater will chime low notes for the hours, low-and-high note pairs for the quarter hours and high notes for the minutes. Simply magnificent!

Through the sapphire crystal display back, the gorgeous hand-wound movement is visible. At the upper part of the movement you can see the hammers of the minute repeater. And at the right side a custom-made power reserve indicator is visible, decorated with the Ursa Major (great bear) and Ursa Minor (smaller bear) constellations.

The hand-wound mechanical movement of this magnificent timepiece comprises of 522 components. This custom-made movement has a power reserve of 58 hours. The rose gold case measures 43 mm in diameter.

For more information about Vacheron Constantin you can visit the website, their own forum called The Hour Lounge or the official Facebook page.