World's most complicated wristwatch unveiled, 'masterpiece of innovation'

This watch tracks the position of the sun in the sky. It sounds small hammers striking four gongs. It even tells the wearer when the 12 zodiac signs will appear.

Vacheron Constantin's new watch, unveiled at the 2025 "Watches and Wonder" trade fair in Geneva, Switzerland, features a record 41 complications. Photo: Vacheron Constantin

According to CNN, the latest watch from Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is not only packed with novel features, but is officially the most complicated mechanical wristwatch ever produced.

In the watchmaking industry, the word “complicated” refers to any function that goes beyond the usual time and date functions. Vacheron Constantin’s new “Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication” (Cabinotiers Solaria - Ultra Grand Complications) has a record 41 complications.

The unique design, which was unveiled at the Watches and Wonders trade fair in Switzerland on April 1, consists of 1,521 individual components. Watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is seeking to protect its new creation through 13 patent applications, including seven related to the chiming mechanism.

CNN reported that, during its presentation at the fair, the masterpiece clock presented three different measurements of time: A regular 24-hour day, stellar time (the time it takes for Earth to rotate on its axis, which is about four minutes shorter than a solar day) and a solar day (adjusted for Earth's elliptical orbit).

On the front of the watch (left), the absence of traditional decoration creates a distinctly modern aesthetic. With its grey metallic finish, the back (right) is reminiscent of a car dashboard gauge. Photo: Vacheron Constantin

Among its dozens of complex features, the watch incorporates interesting functions such as the astronomical function - which tracks the position, altitude, orbit and angle of the Sun relative to the Earth's equator. Additionally, a rotating display showing the 12 constellations of the Zodiac can be adjusted to indicate when these stars will appear in the sky.

The watchmaker said its record-breaking wristwatch took eight years to create, describing it as a “masterpiece of innovation.” The monolithic case is made from 18-karat white gold and contains more than 200 jewels, including several layers of sapphire discs.

Founded in 1755 and now owned by the luxury conglomerate Richemont, Vacheron Constantin also holds the record for the most complicated pocket watch. The brand's Berkley Grand Complication, launched last year, features 63 horological complications including a Chinese perpetual calendar displaying the intricate lunisolar cycle.

The watch can track the position of the Sun, play small chimes and even calculate when the constellations of the zodiac are visible from Earth. Photo: Vacheron Constantin

Despite boasting 22 more complications than the brand’s latest creation, pocket watches can be considerably larger than wristwatches. At 45mm, the new Solaria Ultra Grand Complication’s dial is less than half the diameter of the Berkley’s.

According to Vacheron Constantin's Director of Style and Heritage, Christian Selmoni, the design challenge also lay in integrating the watch's functions into a case small enough to wear comfortably on the wrist.

In a press release describing the wristwatch as a “miracle of miniaturization,” Selmoni said the brand’s watchmakers arranged the tiny components in the “most streamlined and compact way possible.”

“The main objective was to integrate all the important complications – including timekeeping, calendar, chronograph and minute repeater – on the same baseplate, while concentrating the astronomical functions on an additional baseplate,” says Selmoni. “Thanks to this design, we were able to create a wristwatch with harmonious proportions.”

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