This unique, prototype Voutilainen Vingt-8, is perhaps the most important and impressive Vingt-8 that has come onto the market. It is numbered 000 and is the only Vingt-8 ever made that has been issued a certificate from the Besançon Observatory, representing the pinnacle of chronometry in watchmaking. It comes as a full set, with box and papers, a certificate from Besançon and a personal letter from Kari himself, certifying the watch.
While Voutilainen’s early Obervatoire watches, using the Peseux 260 ebauche were certified by the Besançon Observatory, his later in-house Cal. 28 movements were not, with this piece as the exception.
To be awarded a certificate from the Besançon Observatory, the watch had to go through a stringent testing period where the tolerances for error is much finer than any other standard, including certified chronometers from COSC. The certificate received with this watch states the actual performance of the movement, and its status as an observatory chronometer.
In order to achieve this feat, the movement itself was modified by Kari to be able to pass the test and in the letter written he stated:
“This particular watch, number 000, represents the very first time that a watch using my new escapement design has been issued a certificate from Besançon Observatory. For these Besançon Observatory trials, the movement of number 000 has undergone several notable changes concerning the weight of the balance itself, the configuration of balance screws as well as the design of certain escapement parts. These optimisations represent a further refinement of my dual escapement wheel concept and have also led to a notable decrease in power consumption of the entire movement design.”
This example, delivered in 2014, features a 39 mm platinum case and Voutilainen’s distinctive teardrop lugs. It has a salmon coloured dial, made of silver and engine turned with three different guilloché patterns. It features applied arabic numerals and index markers, and blue steel Breguet hands. The modified in-house Cal. 28 movement has been expertly finished and elaborately decorated, featuring a frosted baseplate and an engraved line motif on the bridges made from gold. This style of decoration from Voutilainen is not often seen and is representative of the unique quality of this example.
Closer look
| Brand: | Voutilainen |
| Model: | Prototype Vingt-8 - Unique Piece |
| Movement: | Manual-winding |
| Functions: | Time-only: Hours, Minutes, Sub-seconds |
| Features: | Display Back, Blue Hands, Guilloche Dial |
| Case material: | Platinum |
| Case diameter: | 39mm |
| Crystal: | Sapphire front and back |
| Strap: | Blue alligator strap with tang buckle |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Box & papers: | Original papers from Voutilainen |
This watch comes with a 12-month warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
