Wine and watches are always a great pairing.

As the oldest watchmaking manufacture in continuous operation, Vacheron Constantin is renowned for both its craftsmanship and watchmaking expertise, as demonstrated most clearly in its Les Cabinotiers timepieces.

Its latest creation, the Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus is a piece unique that flaunts the Maison’s skills through 16 complications in a double-sided masterpiece. Not only does it require gem-setters and engravers to work in tandem, the Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus also features calendar and astronomical functions, as well as a tourbillon and minute repeater.

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On the artistic front, this Les Cabinotiers timepiece comes in an 18K 5N pink gold case with intricately engraved vine leaves, interspersed with rubies of various sizes to form the “grapes” in this wine-themed creation. A tribute to Bacchus, the god of wine, the timepiece required over 300 hours of painstaking work that included using a burin to delicately carve out the foliage, as well as creating 113 recessed spaces for the rubies.

In paying great attention to detail, the engraver used the intaglio technique to create the vine leaves. This involved hollowing out the gold and then polishing it meticulously. To enhance the 3D effect, the engraver also dug slightly below the outline of each leaf, all the while working around the gem-set portions of the case without touching the rubies.

Engraving the bezel of the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

Just as intricate as the handiwork on the timepiece is the movement itself. Inspired by the Tour de I’lle from 2005, the manual-winding Calibre 2755 GC16 is one of the most complex movements created by the Maison.

Not only does the minute repeater chime pristinely on demand, the striking of the gongs is also equipped with a centripetal flying strike regulator. The mechanism not only nullifies unnecessary noise, and prevents wear and tear of the components, it also regulates the duration of the chiming sequences.

The double-sided watch displays both calendar and astronomical functions, with the front showing the perpetual calendar indications including the leap-year cycle. Esteemed 17th century astronomer, Johannes Kepler, gets a hat-doff here as the watch’s astronomical readings of time pay tribute to Kepler’s discovery of the laws of planetary motion. Featuring both equation of time and sidereal time indications, the Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus also indicates the signs of the zodiac, seasons, solstices and equinoxes, as well as the age of the moon.

While that’s a lot to pack into a 47mm case (the movement comprises 839 components), the energy-sapping multi-complication still manages to offer 58-hour power reserve— a testament to Vacheron Constantin’s unwavering focus on functionality and reliability. Crafted on champagne opaline dials and paired with a dark brown Mississippiensis alligator leather strap, the Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus is truly a work of art that needs to be seen in the flesh. But as there is just one piece in the world, we’ll settle for ogling at its stunning images for now.