Reference 57260


The Reference 57260 is a single highly complicated mechanical pocket watch introduced by Vacheron Constantin in 2015.
Displaying the Gregorian, Judaic, and lunar calendars featuring 57 complications, it has been called "the Most Complicated Watch in the World" by Hodinkee. Vacheron Constantin announced that Reference 57260 was the most complicated mechanical pocket watch ever created at the time, succeeding the Patek Philippe Calibre 89, assembled in 1989 and featuring 33 complications. The Reference 57260 took eight years to assemble. The watch has 2,826 parts and 31 hands, weighs and has a diameter of.
The Reference 57260 is one of Vacheron Constantin's tailor-made pocket watches with grand complications. Members of the lineage include James W. Packard's minute repeating pocket watch, which was auctioned for US$1.763 million by Christie's in New York on 15 June 2011, and King Fuad I's pocket watch No. 402833, which ranks among some of the List of [most expensive watches sold at auction|most expensive watches sold at auction], fetching US$2.77 million in Geneva on April 3, 2005. In addition, in 1946 Vacheron Constantin made a customized pocket watch for King Farouk of Egypt, the successor of King Fuad I, and in 1948 the company tailored another pocket watch for Count Guy de Boisrouvray of France.

Price

The price agreed between the company and the client is confidential and has not been officially disclosed; however, various sources estimate the price to be in excess of $US10 million. It was built for a single customer, whose details are kept confidential and is only described as "A major watch collector".

Technical specifications

  • Reference: 57260/000G-B046
  • Material: White gold
  • Diameter: 98 mm
  • Thickness: 50.55 mm
  • Caliber: 3750
  • Diameter: 72 mm
  • Thickness: 36 mm
  • Number of components: Over 2,800
  • Number of jewels: 242
  • Frequency: 2.5 Hz / 18,000 vibrations per hour
  • Power reserve: 60 hours
  • Number of complications: 57

    Fifty-seven complications by function

Time measurement (6 functions)

  1. Hours, minutes, seconds, average solar time
  2. Three-shaft tourbillon
  3. Tourbillon regulator with spherical balance spring
  4. 12-hour time zone, second hours and minutes time zone
  5. 24-city display for each time zone
  6. Day/night indication for 12-hour time zone

    Perpetual calendar (7 functions)

  7. Gregorian perpetual calendar
  8. Gregorian day name
  9. Gregorian month name
  10. Gregorian retrograde date
  11. Leap year and four-year cycle display
  12. Number of the day of the week
  13. Week to view

    Hebrew calendar (8 functions)

  14. Hebrew perpetual calendar and 19-year cycle
  15. Hebrew day number
  16. Hebrew month name
  17. Hebrew date
  18. Hebrew secular calendar
  19. Hebrew century, decade and year
  20. Age of Hebrew year
  21. Golden number

    Astrological calendar (9 functions)

  22. Seasons, equinoxes, solstices and signs of the Zodiac indicated by the hand on the sun
  23. Star chart
  24. Sidereal time hours
  25. Sidereal time minutes
  26. Equation of time
  27. Sunrise times
  28. Sunset times
  29. Length of day
  30. Length of night

    Lunar calendar (1 function)

  31. Moon phases and age

    Religious calendar (1 function)

3-column wheel chronograph (4 functions)

  1. Retrograde seconds chronograph
  2. Retrograde split-seconds chronograph
  3. Hours counter
  4. Minutes counter

    Alarm (7 functions)

  5. Alarm with its own gong and gradual striking
  6. Alarm strike / silence indicator
  7. Choice of normal alarm or carillon striking alarm indicator
  8. Alarm mechanism coupled to the carillon striking mechanism
  9. Alarm striking with choice of Grande or Petite Sonnerie
  10. Alarm power-reserve indication
  11. System to disengage the striking mechanism when alarm barrel fully unwound

    Westminster carillon striking (8 functions)

  12. Westminster carillon chiming with 5 gongs and 5 hammers
  13. Grande Sonnerie passing strike
  14. Petite Sonnerie passing strike
  15. Minute repeating
  16. Night silence feature
  17. System to disengage the striking barrel when fully wound
  18. Indication for Grande or Petite Sonnerie modes
  19. Indication for silence / striking / night modes

    Others (6 functions)

  20. Movement power reserve indicator
  21. Power-reserve indication for the striking train
  22. Winding crown position indicator
  23. Dual barrel winding system
  24. Time setting in two positions and two directions
  25. Secret mechanism

    Other complicated watches