Vacheron Constantin, the renowned Swiss watchmaker founded in 1755, has unveiled its most complicated timepiece to date—Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication. This technical masterpiece contains an astounding 41 complications, the highest number ever integrated into a wristwatch.

Developed over 8 years by Vacheron Constantin’s team of watchmakers and engineers, the Solaria houses the new manufacture Calibre 3655 movement composed of 1521 components. The double-sided watch displays an array of astronomical functions never before combined in horology, including sidereal time, equation of time, and the height, culmination and declination of the sun. Most notably, it features the world’s first “temporal tracking of celestial objects” complication, allowing the wearer to calculate when a chosen star will appear at the center of their field of vision.

To create Calibre 3655, Vacheron had to overcome tremendous technical hurdles, filing 13 patent applications in areas like the architecture of the movement and the innovative chronograph mechanism. The Maison also developed a Westminster minute repeater with enriched acoustics through the shaping of the gongs and hammers. For the watch’s striking mechanism alone, 7 patents were registered.

Despite its vast array of complications, Vacheron succeeded in housing Calibre 3655 inside a 45mm white gold case just 14.99mm thick, setting a new bar for miniaturization. This necessitated meticulous hand-finishing of the movement’s miniature components using techniques like bevelling, brouillage, circling and sunray brushing. Vacheron also innovated a clever “plug-and-play” mounting system to connect Calibre 3655’s two main modules.

With its refined dial design and technical prowess, the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication represents the pinnacle of Vacheron Constantin’s watchmaking expertise. Its array of astronomical indications and world-first complication pay homage to the Maison’s rich heritage of Grand Complication timepieces.