The World’s Most Complicated Watch? Vacheron Constantin Made It Look Easy

Some watches keep time, some watches define an era, and then some creations transcend both function and fashion. 

In 2024, Vacheron Constantin unveiled such a creation. Known as Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication, it is now recognised as the most complicated watch ever made. 

Containing 63 horological complications and 2,877 components, it surpasses even the maison’s own Reference 57260, which set the previous record in 2015 with 57 complications.

The client, known publicly as William R. Berkley, a prominent American businessman and collector, requested that Vacheron create the most ambitious and mechanically complex timepiece ever made. That is why it carries his name in the title. 

Vacheron Constantin entrusted the project to its Les Cabinotiers atelier, the department dedicated to bespoke masterpieces.

For eleven years, a team of three master watchmakers laboured in complete discretion, devoting a full year solely to assembly. 

The result is not only the most complex movement in existence but also an object of harmony and refinement.

The Berkley Grand Complication unites functions that have never before appeared together. It integrates three full calendar systems: the Gregorian, the Hebrew, and, for the first time in watchmaking history, a Chinese perpetual calendar.

Its astronomical indications include the rising and setting of the sun, lunar phases, the equation of time and a star chart. 

Its chiming mechanisms are equally extraordinary: a Westminster carillon with five gongs that echoes the melody of Big Ben, a minute repeater, and multiple alarm functions. Dual world time displays further connect it to the global rhythms of contemporary life.

The figures alone convey the scale of the achievement: 2,877 components, 245 jewels, 31 hands and nine discs. The case, crafted in white gold, weighs close to three kilograms. 

Yet despite this monumental complexity, the watch retains an elegance and legibility that exemplify Vacheron Constantin’s approach. It is not spectacle for its own sake, but an expression of balance, proportion and refinement.

In many ways, the Berkley Grand Complication is the heir to the Reference 57260, which itself once redefined the boundaries of horology. 

But where the earlier watch was a landmark, this new creation is a leap forward. It is not merely a successor; it is a reinvention of what is possible when history and imagination are given free rein.

Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest watchmaker in continuous production. Among the Holy Trinity of watchmaking, it has always held a distinctive place: admired for its discretion, its artistry, and its appeal to true connoisseurs. 

The Berkley Grand Complication crystallises that reputation. It is a piece created not for the crowd but for those who value heritage and mastery above all else.

For William R. Berkley, the commissioner of this extraordinary watch, it is a personal treasure that will never be replicated. For the world of horology, it is a cultural milestone, proving that mechanical watchmaking can still astonish, still inspire, and still achieve the impossible.

The Berkley Grand Complication is not only the most complicated watch ever made. It is a cathedral of horology, a monument to human ingenuity, and a reminder that in the passage of time, wonder endures.