The horologists behind Vacheron Constantin’s La Quête du Temps reveal how they crafted the mechanical masterpiece to mark the maison’s 270th anniversary
For seven years, a cadre of horologists worked under a cloak of secrecy for a big project. They would covertly meet for discussions, then quietly return to their ateliers, workshops and benches, and put their hand to the plough. Four masterminds were behind the classified orchestration. The task? To build a timekeeping marvel the world has never seen. The occasion? Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary.
The quartet in question are François Junod, a master automata designer and builder; Arnaud Nicolas, the CEO and creative director of clockmaking house L’Epee 1839; Vacheron Constantin’s senior designer of Les Cabinotier Alexia Steunou and special development project manager Luc de Siebenthal.
It had been an internal affair all this while — hundreds of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) were signed by those involved — until early June, when a handful of journalists were invited to the maison’s manufacture in Geneva as the first “outsiders” to behold the completed creation.
“What you’re going to see is something we’ve had in mind for a long time,” said CEO Laurent Perves, who welcomed the intimate group. “It’s also a work of collaboration, which is very different from what we usually do. In the world today, everyone pretends to do everything by themselves, but it’s an ecosystem and the watch industry would not exist if we did not have amazing inventors, suppliers and artists.”
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The creation of La Quête du Temps unified masters of many different disciplines
Easter eggs were planted throughout the year. Vacheron Constantin’s theme, The Quest, which was emblazoned on its travelling exhibitions and campaigns, was the most obvious clue.
Then, there was the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, a feat of genius with a record-breaking 41 complications and rare astronomical functions that tracked the course of the sun. It was followed by the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial series, which brought to life the beauty and mystery of the night sky through 12 zodiac watches.
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This year’s novelties were a tribute to the cosmos. Each piece, a celebration of the heavens, emerged from a perfect union of cutting-edge technical expertise and exquisite fine craftsmanship. The apogee of the maison’s milestone anniversary honours the legacy of astronomers, scientists and watchmakers, those who first looked to the stars and, through the guidance of celestial light, unlocked the secrets of timekeeping. The result is a piece that stands as a living testament to human curiosity and ingenuity, a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern horology. The grand finale, Perves revealed, is named La Quête du Temps, which means “the quest of time”.
The magnified components leave no room for error or imperfection
The art of astronomy
We were told we needed to go to a separate location for the viewing. Perves explained there was not enough room in the manufacture — hinting at its proportions — and that it would be simply impossible to work on the project without rousing suspicion from its own people. Fortunately, fellow Richemont brand Piaget, with whom they often share logistics and facilities, had a spare space.
The four sentinels, alongside product and innovation director Sandrine Donguy and style and heritage director Christian Selmoni, stood guard in front of the closed doors. As they were pushed open, the numbers were announced: La Quête du Temps comprises 6,293 mechanical components, 23 watchmaking complications and 15 filed patent applications, stands 1.1m tall and weighs about 250kg.
Unveiled to us was a mechanical masterpiece, meticulously decorated. A hushed reverence settled over the room, the kind you feel when stepping into an ancient chapel or gazing up as the Milky Way spills across a pitch-black sky. All eyes settled on the gilded man standing dignified at the top, a celestial vault surrounding its periphery.
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“La Quête du Temps is so exceptional in the sense that for the first time, we have an automaton that tells you the time,” says Selmoni, breaking the spell. It takes the form of a humanistic Astronomer who performs a choreography when activated, inviting viewers to contemplate the marvels of the cosmos and, with its arms, point to the hours and minutes of the present moment.
Breaths were held once more as the automaton was wound, and the dance ensued. In the first sequence, the Astronomer wakes from its slumber and takes in its surroundings. It turns its head towards the day and night indication at its feet and presents the sculpted retrograde moon, then returns its arm by its side.
Next, the right arm introduces the celestial vault painted on the dome, its gaze following its gesture. It hovers for a moment on Polaris, the North Star. Then the left arm points ahead to Vega, the second brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere and fifth most luminous in the entire night sky. It returns to its neutral position once again.
Finally, the right arm raises to indicate the hour, and the left arm, the minutes, on the curved 3D-printed titanium scales suspended within the dome. The numerals are arranged in random order rather than sequentially, making the programming for the automaton that much more impressive and offering a different motion even if only a short time has elapsed between activations.
The Astronomer is capable of performing 144 gestures, requiring a mechanism based on a carousel with 158 cams. Selmoni describes its operations as having a “mechanical memory” that transmits information between the clock on the second tier to the top.
Junod, who spent his entire career imbuing life into machines — his collaborations with Van Cleef & Arpels have yielded a number of extraordinary objects, including this year’s spectacular Naissance de l’Amour — admits that this is by far the most difficult project he has ever undertaken. The challenge was keeping the movements natural, from the tilt of the head to the roll of the shoulders. The automaton can even be programmed to run up to 24 hours in advance.
Moreover, the melody that accompanies the minute-and-a-half choreography was specially composed with the help of French musician and artistic director Woodkid, a long-time collaborator of Vacheron Constantin. A metallophone and Wah-Wah tubes are integrated within the structure and play a dedicated tune for each sequence.
The 3D retrograde moon is the subject of one of seven watchmaking patent applications
Road to ascension
Monumental in both scale and presence, La Quête du Temps is defined by three sections: the base, the astronomical clock and the dome.
The octagonal foundation of the structure houses the mesmerising mechanism that drives the automaton’s movements and instruments that play the music during the animation. Viewers are able to admire the orchestra of parts through transparent rock crystal and quartzite, depicting a geometric motif of the sun and moon.
Supporting the second section is a two-level plinth clad in lapis lazuli, which was a challenge to source due to its large size, Donguy noted. The planets in our solar system are presented against the vivid blue through outstanding stone marquetry. Steunou had carefully chosen each material to offer a similar aesthetic to the planets they represent. For example, azurite was selected for its resemblance to Earth, while red jasper mimics fiery Mars. The dramatic swirls of crazy lace agate recall Jupiter’s cloudy atmosphere, and moon-like Mercury is depicted through silver obsidian.
Fine inlays of mother-of-pearl spell out the name of each celestial body, and if you take a closer look at the sprinkling of stars, they feature two different types of the iridescent material to create a more realistic effect. There are over 1,000 ornaments throughout the highly decorated object, Donguy added.
Moving up to the central section, an astronomical clock dominates the core of the structure. Layers of mirrored rock crystal bring visual lightness to the series of concentric arcs and circles. A large tourbillon whirs at 12 o’clock. It is topped with a magnifying glass to enable viewers to peer into its heart, which features a Maltese Cross-shaped cage. A ring of baguette-cut diamonds frames this aperture as well as the 24-hour display at 6 o’clock. The sun and moon appliqué on the latter is an exquisite work of art. Hand-engraved in haut relief, it is set on a disc that is expertly hand-guillochéd with a pattern of sunrays.
Several discs make up the rotating 24-hour display, Nicolas explained the patented idea. “The numbers are engraved on the back of the front disc, which creates a sense of depth. In the middle, there is the sun, which is beautifully engraved. We wanted to highlight it, so we made a counterweight with a ball bearing on the other side, allowing gravity to keep it steady.”
The retrograde display of the 15-day power reserve is divided between two curving brackets set with lapis lazuli and moonstones. The same display is used for the sunrise and sunset times as well as the hours and minutes. Small apertures indicate the leap year, calendar days and months.
The reverse side of the enormous dial depicts the celestial vault of the Northern Hemisphere and tracks the movement of the constellations in real time, making a full rotation in one sidereal day (23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds). In a series of concentric circles, the months are displayed by number in the first ring, the seasons and equinoxes on the second and astrological zodiac signs on the outermost. An additional retrograde power reserve display is set on the upper part of the dial.
At the apex is the automaton. As if standing at the centre of the universe, the Astronomer is positioned beneath a borosilicate glass dome decorated with constellations that reflect how the sky would have appeared at 10am in Geneva on Vacheron Constantin’s founding day, Sept 17, 1755. The exact chart was identified with the help of astronomers from the Geneva Observatory. Through this collaboration, they also discovered that during the specific time, four planets — Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — were visible above the city, with a rare conjunction between the Sun and Jupiter.
In hindsight, the dome turned out to be one of the more unexpected hurdles. It took a total of three years to conceptualise, source for the right specialist, produce and hand-paint from the inside. “If you look closely, it’s not cut at the centre, but below the centre, which made it much more complicated to manufacture. Almost no one was able to make it. Only one guy took on the challenge,” said Nicolas, who revealed it was an American producer he got in touch with through Nasa.
The horologists also agreed that the 3D retrograde moon posed a great challenge. Viewed as a new complication and second automaton in its own right, the 110-year precision moon phase indicator runs on a 29.5-day cycle. “It is a fact that when you go one direction, then the other, you’ll have gaps inside the teeth so that you won’t have accuracy. To overcome that, we needed to embed energy. But since it needed to be close to the element and we didn’t want to have a barrel on top of the moon, we hid it inside. It was a vital innovation,” Nicolas explained of the pending patent.
As for the Astronomer, Junod was in charge of sculpting the androgynous figure. Beginning with a clay mould, it was cast in bronze in eight sections to allow the smooth and natural articulation of movements, then gilded in 3N yellow gold. Steunou shared her inspiration for its form was derived from the beings from Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction novel The City and the Stars.
The clock sits on a plinth inlaid with plaques of old-mine lapis lazuli
Nothing is impossible
Vacheron Constantin was forged during the Age of Enlightenment, a period where traditional and religious ideas were challenged by science and reason. Isaac Newton’s work on the laws of motion and gravity provided a new, unified understanding of the universe. Galileo Galilei’s use of the telescope presented powerful empirical evidence supporting a sun-centred solar system, and William Herschel expanded on these astronomical developments, leading to the discovery of Uranus.
The same pioneering and ambitious spirit was what brought La Quête du Temps to life. “The maison always had a philosophy of pushing the boundaries of different domains. Nevertheless, in terms of mechanism and artistry, the automaton world was not connected to our universe. When you look back at our archives, there has always been a connection between heritage, what we stand for in terms of design or movement, and future, what we want to speak about and prove,” said Donguy.
“So, putting these elements together, merging with the Astronomer, was really the dream the team had for the automaton world. That was the starting point.”
The core team of four was involved from day one. “When you work so closely for so many years, you know each other very well,” Nicolas reflected. “We had trust and respect for each other. There were so many challenges, but there was never once when we said it was too difficult to overcome. It was always about finding a solution together and opening our minds. If we did not have true team spirit, it never would have worked.”
After its completion, La Quête du Temps had come to represent more than just an accomplishment to Steunou. “It was an experience. Like the name, it was a quest where I improved myself and expanded my knowledge. I would like to continue to dream about time and what it means for us and translate philosophies and perceptions into design,” she added.
“I know this will be a milestone for the entire industry. Bringing these elements together and being part of this maison that allowed the space and freedom for creativity — it’s an honour. We took the time to do things right, from an artistic, creativity and innovation point of view. It’s all the good ingredients that will enliven the maison for decades to come,” Donguy chimed in.
Representing a milestone in Vacheron Constantin’s partnership with the Louvre, La Quête du Temps acts as the centrepiece of an eponymous exhibition at the museum in Paris until Nov 12.
