THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT LES Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication, the world’s most complicated watch with the first Chinese calendar, will hog headlines for some time. But this doesn’t mean Vacheron Constantin’s other 2024 novelties should be left in the shadows. 

Certainly not when there are stunners such as the Grand Lady Kalla jewel watch or the fashion-forward Egerie – The Pleats of Time, a collaboration with haute couturier Yin Yiqing. 

Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication

With 63 complications, Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication is officially the world’s most complicated watch. It surpasses the previous record holder, Vacheron Constantin’s own Reference 57260 (circa 2015), with 57 complications.

Unusually for a commissioned piece, Vacheron Constantin has named the new pocket watch after its owner, William Robert Berkley. 

Both timepieces are housed in 18-ct white gold cases, but are far from being the dainty (by comparison) pocket watches that your grandfather might have owned. With a girth of 98 mm (about the size of a Starbucks tumbler lid) and a height of 50.55 mm, the Berkley tips the scales at 980 g. 

The Reference 57260 incorporates a Hebrew perpetual calendar. This time around, the Berkley sports a Chinese perpetual calendar – a world first. It took three watchmakers 11 years to develop the watch, including one year for assembly and testing. This was mostly because of the Chinese calendar’s complexity.

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The Chinese lunisolar calendar follows a 60-year cycle, with 10 celestial stems, five elements, and 12 zodiac animals. Chinese calendar months are lunar, with the 12 months being 11 days shorter than a solar year. The lunar and solar calendars synchronise only once every 19 years. To compensate, a 13th month is added every two to three years. 

The Chinese year can have as few as 353 days or as many as 385 days. To complicate matters, the start of the lunar year is marked by the Chinese New Year, which falls between Jan 21 and Feb 21. 

Taking all these factors into consideration, the watchmakers first translated the calendar into algorithms before transcribing it mechanically, ensuring accuracy until the year 2200. They used three mechanisms, or “brains”, to control the calendar’s different variables. 

The calendar’s indications are read off the watch’s front face. To the casual viewer, perhaps the most useful ones are the zodiac year (at 12 o’clock), the month (at 4 o’clock), the date of Chinese New Year (at 6 o’clock), and the day of the week (at 8 o’clock). 

On the reverse face, the Gregorian perpetual calendar (accurate until 2100) dominates. The features include a sky chart with constellations, sidereal time, and the equation of time. Pulsating at the 6 o’clock position is a triple-axis tourbillon, with a cage shaped like a Maltese cross – Vacheron Constantin’s emblem. At 9 o’clock, the watch displays a second time zone and above it, the city symbol.  

No grand complication is complete without a chiming mechanism, so the watchmakers incorporated a grande sonnerie with a Westminster carillon. It chimes the tune sounded by the bells of London’s Big Ben on the hour and every quarter-hour.

Grand Lady Kalla

The Grand Lady Kalla is a scintillating confection that’s more jewellery than watch. Inspired by a 1979 design, it boasts an 18-ct white gold case and bracelet festooned with 131 emerald-cut diamonds (totalling 32.44 cts). With its Art Deco vibe, it’s the perfect red carpet accessory. 

What makes the watch even more beguiling is that it transforms. The case can be detached from the bracelet – without the use of tools – and attached to a sautoir, or long necklace, composed of Akoya pearls, black onyx beads and brilliant diamonds. 

Or, if the wearer prefers, she can flip the dial around to wear the piece as a diamond bracelet. Alternatively, she can showcase the diamond-only facade as a pendant on the sautoir. 

Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph

This new edition of the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph exudes quiet luxury. From a distance, casual observers might not be able to discern that the polished case and sandblasted dial are hewn from 950 platinum, a new and noble material for 2024. So noble, in fact, that only 50 pieces have been made. 

The watch offers a monopusher chronograph with a 45-minute counter (at 3 o’clock), a power reserve indicator (at 6 o’clock), and a tourbillon regulator (at 12 o’clock) to keep the entire mechanism running smoothly. 

The oversized, see-through aperture in which the tourbillon resides – or “open-heart” to enthusiasts – is an invitation to admire the clockwork in its full glory. There, the manual-winding calibre 3200 showcases its column wheel crowned with a Maltese cross and the exquisite finishing on all 292 components.   

Overseas collection

In 2024, five new models join Vacheron Constantin’s only sporty elegant collection, the Overseas. The Overseas Tourbillon is now cased in grade-five titanium for an even sportier and more technical aesthetic. All other details remain the same, from the case size (42.5 mm) to the ultra-thin automatic movement, calibre 2160. 

The collection welcomes four other models with sunburst green dials – which tap into the ongoing green dial trend while also contrasting with the pink gold cases and bezels. The four models are: the 42.5 mm chronograph, 41 mm dual time, 41 mm date, and 35 mm gem-set. Pair the dial with a matching green rubber strap; there’s also a calfskin leather strap or the default pink gold bracelet. 

Patrimony collection

For those familiar with Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony collection, this year’s three new editions present a subtle evolution rather than a paradigm shift. The 20-year-old range is admired for its 1950s-style elegance, with thin bezels, baton hands and dauphine hour markers. 

The three novelties – the Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date and two variants of the Patrimony Manual-Winding – already exist in the collection, although the manual winding models have been trimmed to 39 mm. What’s new are the silver-toned dials and strap colours. The dial’s antique finish enhances the watches’ retro appeal, whereas the pop of colour from the olive green and azure blue straps keeps things fresh. 

Egerie collection

For the Egerie line, Vacheron Constantin partnered Yin Yiqing, the Chinese-born, Paris-based haute couture designer. The collaboration birthed two timepieces: a concept watch and a market-ready piece. 

On the concept watch, called Egerie – The Pleats of Time, the lilac dial bears a pleated appearance reminiscent of fabric. Mother-of-pearl inserts are embedded into the hand-embroidered fabric strap. 

The strap is also infused with a bespoke scent created by French perfumer Dominique Ropion, the nose behind Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb and Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower. Each nano capsule can last for up to 24 hours once “activated” – as the strap rubs against the skin and in step with wrist movements. On her part, Yin also created an accompanying haute couture dress.

On the market-ready watch, the Egerie Moon Phase, Vacheron Constantin reworked the existing Moon Phase model, applying the same lilac mother-of-pearl colouration and pleated effect to the dial. The 100-piece limited edition is equipped with an automatic movement and three interchangeable straps: alligator, grained calfskin, and satin-effect calfskin.