THE MALTE PERPETUAL CALENDAR MINUTE REPEATER
INCORPORATING THE LAST 30 CALIBER 1755 MOVEMENTS
Vacheron Constantin is justly proud of its rose gold Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater – a limited edition complication wristwatch incorporating the last 30 exceptional Caliber 1755s.
In 1992, Vacheron Constantin created a limited edition of 200 Caliber 1755 Minute Repeaters. The last remaining 30 having been put aside for this, a very special complication among grand complications – the hand-wound Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater in 18K rose gold. Destined to be much sought after by aficionados of the brand, this epitomé of Haute Horlogerie truly evokes the more than 250 years of tradition and expertize which endorse the values of the House of Vacheron Constantin.
A MASTERPIECE OF PURE TIMEKEEPING
Not just a grand complication more a masterpiece of pure timekeeping – the new polished rose gold Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater is a ‘must’ for any collector of technical watchmaking masterpieces. An historic complication bearing all the hallmarks of its Malte heritage, including its mechanical hand-wound mechanism, it carries a superbly contemporary look thanks to its slightly larger 41mm diameter and ample easy-to-read, exquisite silvered “Vieux Panier” hand-guilloched 18K rose gold dial. The 18K rose gold fan-shaped hands confidently calculate the passing hours and minutes, the hours being indicated by traditional Roman numerals and pyramidal indexes in applied 18K rose gold. Subdials with blued steel hands indicate date and days of the week at 3 and 9 o’clock respectively and a larger 48-month subdial, with inner subdial indicating the position in the leap-year cycle, is situated at 12 o’clock. At 6 o’clock elegant polished rose gold moon phases pass tranquilly over a lapis lazuli blue sky.
The overall harmony of the silvered hand-guilloched rose gold dial and the case in 18K polished rose gold stand as a timekeeping statement, masterly representing the art of the grand complication with the minute repeater striking mechanism repeating slide smoothly positioned on the side of the case at 9 o’clock. Proud of the superb workmanship of its master craftsmen, and in the certain knowledge that this is a watch that is bound to appeal to the true connoisseurs of grand complications, Vacheron Constantin offers us a final opportunity to truly appreciate its superb caliber 1755 handcrafted movement through a large sapphire anti-reflective crystal in the case back.
CALIBER 1755
When, after more than 200 years of research and commitment to their passion, Vacheron Constantin presented their caliber 1755 to the world, they named it in honor of the year of the company’s founding. It was based on a celebrated 1940s wristwatch movement, which they had lovingly and painstakingly taken apart and analyzed. Today the movement exemplifies the rich traditions Vacheron Constantin have skillfully preserved throughout its quarter millennium – the highest expression of the art of complications.
The mechanism is infinitely small, an alliance of passion and precision, of the visible and the invisible. Complex, the most sophisticated of watch complications – a minute repeating perpetual calendar – it is one that will forever please, with its melodic yet subtle dual tones: the lower pitch marking the hours, the higher pitch the minutes, while an alternating high and low pitch chimes the quarter-hour. Expertly hand-tuned, since the slightest modification to the mechanism can influence its purity, the mechanism demands that the watchmaker demonstrates not only his master watchmaking abilities but also an acute musical ear – the duration of each strike must be perfectly precise: since the chimes indicating four hours, three-quarters and four minutes must not exceed seven to eight seconds! Made up of over 330 perfectly hand-finished parts it is fitted with an "all-or-nothing" mechanism that ensures the striking mechanism always functions to the utmost accuracy.
DESTINED TO BE MUCH SOUGHT AFTER
Vacheron Constantin pays particular attention to the finish of these watches. The passionate watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin, for whom technicality and beauty are of equal consequence, decorate, chamfer, finish the parts to perfection – including the coveted côtes de Genève – hand-working each stage with the utmost delicacy, scrutinizing every fraction of a millimeter of metal under the watchmaker's loupe, making these complications – the last remaining 30 caliber 1755 incorporated in this hand-wound 18K rose gold Malte Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater – destined to be much sought after by connoisseurs of the grand complication.