Vacheron Constantin has unveiled the world’s most complicated wristwatch at the 2025 Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva. The Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication features a record-breaking 41 functions, making it the most complex mechanical wristwatch ever produced. In horology, a “complication” refers to any function that goes beyond standard time-telling.
The new timepiece comprises 1,521 separate components and is protected by 13 patent applications. The watch presents three different measures of time: a conventional 24-hour day, sidereal time, and solar day. It also includes astronomical functions that track the sun’s position, height, trajectory, and angle relative to Earth’s equator.
A masterpiece of innovation
A rotating display featuring the zodiac’s 13 constellations can be adjusted to show when those stars will be visible in the sky. Vacheron Constantin described the watch as a “masterpiece of innovation,” noting that it took eight years to develop.
The single-model watch’s case is made from 18-karat white gold and contains over 200 jewels, including several sapphire discs. Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin’s Style and Heritage Director, said in a press release that the brand’s horologists arranged tiny components in the “most logical and compact way possible” to fit all the functions into a case small enough to be comfortably worn on the wrist. At 45 millimeters (1.8 inches), the new Solaria Ultra Grand Complication’s case is less than half the diameter of the brand’s record-holding pocket watch, which features 63 horological complications.
Founded in 1755 and now owned by luxury conglomerate Richemont, Vacheron Constantin continues to push the boundaries of watchmaking with this latest creation. The Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication showcases the brand’s expertise in haute horlogerie and sets a new standard for complex wristwatches.
Photo by; Frank Park on Unsplash
