Cover The triple axis tourbillon of Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual

Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Piaget were among those who pushed the technical envelope

From among the expansive slate of new references of familiar models at Watches and Wonders 2024, a handful delivered the wow factor. IWC Schaffhausen, for instance, was already generating buzz before the event when it previewed to the media its Portugieser Eternal Calendar. The complication not only automatically corrects the peculiarity of the Gregorian complex leap-year exception rule by skipping three leap years over the next four centuries, it also features perhaps the most precise moon phase yet, deviating from the moon's orbit by only one day after 45 million years. 

Read more: What’s new from Rolex and Patek Philippe 

Over at Vacheron Constantin was the most complicated watch ever made— the Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication with 63 complications, surpassing its record of 57 complications for Reference 57260. 

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Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication
Above Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication
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Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication
Above Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication with the perpetual Chinese calendar indications

Created for a VIP client, the one-of-a-kind Berkley Grand Complication pocket watch took 11 years to complete and features the world's first Chinese perpetual calendar that is correct until 2200. The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar and solar cycles, making it one of the most complex to interpret mechanically. While others have created Chinese calendar watches, this is the first to appear in the form of a perpetual calendar. 

The watch is also endowed with a Gregorian perpetual calendar with retrograde date, a grand sonnerie with Westminster Carillon chiming, a triple-axis tourbillon, and a split-seconds chronograph, among many others. 

See also: Vacheron Constantin celebrates the wonders of the East

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual.
Above Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual

Jaeger-LeCoultre has redesigned the Duometre collection, with the most impressive being the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual that features a triple-axis tourbillon fitted a cylindrical hairspring and a perpetual calendar. The tourbillon is positioned at 9 o’clock, visible on the dial to better enjoy the spinning motion of the three titanium cages. 

The perpetual calendar features the classical grand date display at 3 o’clock; the year can be found inside the month counter at 6 o’clock while the moon phase turns inside the day counter at 12 o’clock.

This Duometre's Caliber 388 boasts two barrels and two gear trains, one to supply energy to the timing indication, the other reserved for operating the complications. Keeping the energy sources separate ensures a steady power supply to guarantee a high degree of accuracy. This is why you’ll find two power reserve indicators, flanking either side of the hour-and-minute counter. 

Limited to 20 pieces, it comes in a new 44mm pink gold case.

In case you missed it: Watches and Wonders 2024: The editors pick their favourite watches

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Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon
Above Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon is a slender beauty at 2mm in height

And then there was Piaget, which took ultra-thinness to a new extreme with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, just in time to celebrate the maison’s 150th anniversary. Measuring only 2mm in thickness, the watch is all the more mind-blowing when factoring in the fact that it also houses a flying tourbillon, held in place by the underside with the outer edge supported by a ceramic ball bearing. 

To save space, the caseback is also the movement mainplate while the crown is integrated into the caseband. Incredibly, it boasts a power reserve of 40 hours, the result of a custom mainspring and the systematic use of ball bearings that allow for the mobile elements to rotate thus reducing friction, which in turn allows the watchmakers to go even thinner. 

The handsome blue cobalt case is as thin as a coin. 

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