The Geneva Grand Prix d'Horlogerie pays tribute to Jean-Luc Perrin, Yannick Pintus and Micke Pintus, three Master Watchmakers from the Vacheron Constantin Manufacture, for Reference 57260, the most complicated watch ever made. The Jury's Special Prize has a particularly symbolic value in the world of Haute Horlogerie, because it celebrates above all the work of the Watchmaker. The eight years of work required to create the Reference 57260 were "a true human adventure", explains Jean-Luc Perrin, and drew on exceptional savoir-faire as well as a strong determination to push the limits of feasibility. The three master watchmakers, who have created many of Vacheron Constantin's most complicated watches, have already won the "Aiguille d'Or" award ten years ago, in 2005, for the Tour de l'Ile, which at the time was the most complicated watch in the world. Reference 57260, a watchmaking masterpiece made to order with the Hallmark of Geneva, boasts 57 complications, several of them unprecedented, including multiple calendars and a double retrograde chronograph. This timepiece was born out of the desire to take on the most difficult challenges, typical of the character of three men who are masters of their art. The research and expertise developed during its manufacture represent the greatest contribution to the evolution of mechanical watchmaking since the 1920s.
