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If I Could Only Afford This One

Syd

Renowned Member
3/7/06
694
0
0
If I could only afford this dream, a piece of heaven on my wrist. Will you sell your soul to the devil to have this watch? It sold for $2,350,000.00

vacheron-constantin2.jpg


Brand: Vacheron Constantin
Style Number: 80250.000R.9145
Series: Tour de I'lle
Style: Mens
Case: 18k Rose Gold
Dial Color: 2 dials, both silvered 18k Gold guilloche
Bracelet / Strap: Leather - Deep brown alligator
Clasp Type: 18k Rose Gold Tang Buckle
Movement: Mechanical Hand-wound
Engine: Caliber 2750 (18,000 vph, 38 rubies)
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Subsidiary Seconds, Repetition (qtr, mins), Tourbillon, Power Res., 2nd Time, Moonphase, Moon Age, Striking Torque, Perpetual Calendar, Equation of Time, Sunrise, Sunset, Sky Chart
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal, glareproof
Case Diameter: 47.0 mm
Case Thickness: 17.8 mm
Caseback: Sapphire Crystal, Snap-in
Bezel Material: 18k Rose Gold
Bezel Function: Fixed
Water Resistance: Dust Resistant
Crown: 18k Rose Gold, Fluted with VC Logo
Calendar: Perpetual Calendar (Day, Date, Month, Leap Years), Perpetual Equation of Time, Phases & Ages of Moon
Power Reserve: 58-hour power reserve
Bracelet Length: 8.0 inches
Bracelet Width: 23.0 mm

Only 7 pieces will ever be made, the last few of which are still being manufactured. However, all pieces, including this one which may be purchased from Gemnation, have been spoken for.

This is the world's most complicated and spectacular wristwatch. The watch consists of 834 individual parts and took over 10,000 hours of design work. The Tour d'Ille won the L'Aiguille d'Or, top honors at the 2005 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve. The watch also bears the Geneva quality hallmark. It is named for an historical site of Vacheron Constantin located next to the current Maison Vacheron Constantin on the Quai de l'Ile.

The watch bears a secret Signature at 12 o'clock (1755 - 2005). The winding stem has 2 positions. The second time-zone & moon-phase are adjusted using 2 correctors housed along the case. The perpetual calendar is adjusted using 3 correctors housed along the case. The sidereal disc is adjusted using a lockable push-button and crown.

This piece features a one-of-a-kind hand-guilloché motif on the back dial, guaranteeing its authenticity and uniqueness - none of the 7 pieces have the same guilloche pattern.

The bezel is equipped with 2 catches that are used to activate the striking mechanism by rotating to the right. The sky chart correction system is operated by rotating the crown. The caseback features a snap-in design and is of sapphire crystal, glareproofed on the inner face and mounted on a joint. The case is hand polished with fine fluting on the sides of the bezel and case-back. The soldered lugs are unique to the '250th anniversary' collection of wristwatches. The front dial features 18k gold roman numerals and applied hour-markers. The dial also features an 18k gold applied Poinçon de Genève logo. The hour and minute hands are inspired by a 1926 vintage Vacheron & Constantin model. The seconds hand is in 18k pink gold, baton-shaped, and mounted on the tourbillon carriage. The counters are in blued steel. The strap is hand-sewn alligator leather with a silky satin finish and large square scales with a pin buckle in 18k pink gold.

One is immediately aware of the off-center hour and minute hands. These hands complete their revolutions around an inner circle that has its origin at the 12 o'clock position. Instead of a 45-minute marking inside this circle, Vacheron have engraved '250', in deference to the manufactory's historic anniversary in 2005. The complications on the watch are nothing short of spectacular. The tourbillon, front and bottom center strikes the viewer immediately - not only for its unique Maltese cross design, but for its rather oversized presence. Yet it takes nothing away from the majestic and rather elegant dial configuration. The moonphase disc, situated inside an aperture at 3 o'clock, is on a blued disc and hand engraved. The engraving process takes over two weeks to complete. The minute repeater's winding torque is indicated via a blued hand on a circular dial at 1 o'clock. A 24 hour second time zone dial is located at 11 o'clock, and a power reserve crescent dial is located at 9 o'clock. The two repeater sliders are located on either side of the bezel.

The rear dial (in its unique guilloche design) features additional complications. Top and center are the months of the year in a circular dial. To its bottom left, the days-of-the-week subdial. To its bottom right, the date subdial. A tiny aperture at 1 o'clock displays leap-year status. The center dial display illustrates the equation of time. The time for sunrise and sunset are just below at 4 and 8 o'clock. The gorgeous sky chart emanates from a blue dial in an aperture at 6 o'clock. This dial also displays sidereal time as it occurs every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds.

Words fail the observer when viewing such a masterpiece of horological engineering excellence. Never before have so many complications gone into the manufacture of a single wristwatch. One is left speechless by the audacity of the Vacheron Constantin master watchmakers to have even attempted such a feat. When one hears the quarters and minutes sounded off from the majestically sonorous repeaters, one is forgiven for mistaking the sound for the voice of angels - for a watch as sublime as this surely belongs in the angelic realm.
 

Sylar

Banned member, the goat does not approve
Banned
17/1/07
2,549
0
0
That is waht watch mamking is about. Exquisite.
 

horologie_unitas

Respected Member
3/12/06
5,148
3
38
such a watch is the zenith of real watchmaking, endless experience and background in this metier.

i would rather buy a house for it...if i had the money.

even though i love Panerai - Panerais are childsplay compared to these complicated watches.
 

juanstar

Known Member
30/5/07
101
0
0
wow!!!
this watch is outstanding, I will be really interested to see the heart of the beast...
So many complications! it's a real piece of art.

Nothing is missing, Maybe the GMT? :lol:

Who can afford such a watch????
 

OiRogers

Renowned Member
24/8/06
865
28
28
juanstar said:
Nothing is missing, Maybe the GMT? :lol:

It's got a 24 hour register... as long as it can be set independantly of the main hour... you've got a GMT.

Check the photo again... look at the 11 o'clock index. :D
 

seraphe

Renowned Member
9/10/06
656
1
0
Holy Moly!

Doesn't matter 'who can afford this watch'. Rather, I wonder 'who will wear this watch'.

*imagines reaction of owner when hammering this watch with a mallet*
 

leftydna

Known Member
7/10/06
188
0
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______________
Don't be LEFT out
LeftyDNA

LEFT intentionally BLANK ........ or speechless
 

Syd

Renowned Member
3/7/06
694
0
0
seraphe said:
Holy Moly!

Doesn't matter 'who can afford this watch'. Rather, I wonder 'who will wear this watch'.

*imagines reaction of owner when hammering this watch with a mallet*

Yeah, only 7 of them made. Who will be the lucky seven owners?

If I owned it and it was hammered down with a mallet, I think I'd commit suicide. :wink:
 

dadog13

Respected Member
Patron
Certified
15/3/06
5,095
3,254
113
Syd said:
seraphe said:
Holy Moly!

Doesn't matter 'who can afford this watch'. Rather, I wonder 'who will wear this watch'.

*imagines reaction of owner when hammering this watch with a mallet*

Yeah, only 7 of them made. Who will be the lucky seven owners?

If I owned it and it was hammered down with a mallet, I think I'd commit suicide. :wink:

this one was the special edition made for snow white...and she'll give them to the 7 dwarfs...
 

jkwhyd

Active Member
30/5/07
390
0
0
They are probably the seven most exquisite watches that man has ever made. They should be admired and looked at in awe.

As to selling my soul?....they are only watches.

jk
 

jkwhyd

Active Member
30/5/07
390
0
0
Syd:

Thanks for the effort and time for a wonderful, informative and thought provocative post. It is wonderful and beautiful watch and as I said that best that humans can make.

I would pay $100 just to hold it in my hands for a few minutes.

jk
 

TheTokyoKid

Known Member
17/5/07
125
0
16
I bet you can afford the rep verison of this tho

Nah man. Even to make a quartz version would cost a bit. A mechanical rep would run ya some big bucks. This thing has 16 complications; not only the most complicated wristwatch, but one of the most complicated timepieces, ever (I know of a Patek Philippe pocket watch cal. 89 that had 33 complications and sold for nearly 5 million US dollars in 1989).

We can buy a rep of a $10,000.00 tourbillion for $750.00 here. So... at the same scale, a fully-working, nice Chinese rep of this beauty should be $176,250.00. Quartz model might only be $3,500.00 LOL!

Or... non-functioning complications, huge retainer ring for about $600.00!

Nah... cool watch but I'll get a PAM on my meager College Lecturer salary.
 

heckelman

Do not accept unsolicited offers
3/11/07
10
0
0
Really nice.. really nice...

Pitty i never saw a good rep of something like this...