Close-up view of the Solaria Ultra Grand Complication watch

Time, Stars, And Tides, All On Your Wrist

When asked ‘what makes you tick?’ the engineers at Vacheron Constantin sure know what to answer – and fast, too. Less than a year after last year’s horological kettlebell, the 960g Berkley Grand Complication, a new invention had to be worked out. And so, they delivered. Vacheron Constantin’s Solaria Ultra Grand Complication is more than just the world’s most complicated wristwatch. It’s a fine bit of precision engineering, packed with 41 complications, 13 pending patents, and a real-time star tracker the size of a 2-Euro coin.

Yes, there’s a Westminster chime and a tourbillon, but the real novelty is a dual-sapphire sky chart that lets you track constellations using a split-second chronograph. Start the chrono at dusk, aim your arrow at the stars, and it’ll tell you when a chosen star will appear overhead that night.

Built by a single watchmaker over eight years, the 36mm-wide movement houses 1,521 parts and 204 jewels. Despite the mad complexity, the watch stays wearable at just 45mm wide and 15mm thick, smaller than your average Seamaster. This is a wonder of analog computational mechanics. Just before you think of getting it gifted for Christmas, think twice – rumors are it’ll be quite pricey.