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Vacheron Constantin ignites the past
Watches and Wonders

Vacheron Constantin ignites the past

Thursday, 01 October 2015
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal

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3 min read

Hailed as the maker of the most complicated timepiece ever, the Genevan manufacture is bringing its 260th anniversary year to a remarkable conclusion. It chose Watches&Wonders for the unveiling of Heures Créatives, a new collection of vintage-inspired watches that is already setting women’s hearts alight.

The newly revealed Reference 57260 – the very one that spread the Vacheron Constantin name like wildfire across web and media as the creator of this 57-function timepiece – could easily distract from the fact that the manufacture exerts its talent in segments other than the ultra-technical. At Watches&Wonders, the Haute Horlogerie exhibition in Hong Kong, the maker of the most complex watch ever was out to set the record straight. Yes, Reference 57260 took pride of place at the centre of the brand’s booth, where it was joined for the occasion by other pocket watches, each outstanding in its own right, which Vacheron Constantin had manufactured over the course of its history for King Farouk, James Ward Packard, King Fouad or Count Guy de Boisrouvray. However, this conjunction of unique timepieces, rarely seen together given their various provenances, wasn’t the only surprise that Vacheron Constantin had reserved for its Asian fans. The brand, which this year celebrates 260 years of uninterrupted activity, is paying its tribute to women with a stunning collection that is also a reminiscence on the brand’s rich past.

Vacheron Constantin Heures Créatives Heure Audacieuse

“We haven’t had many opportunities to say so, but Vacheron Constantin can count on a loyal female clientele who represent between 25% and 29% of sales, depending on the year,” explains Chief Executive Juan-Carlos Torres. “At certain periods, particularly the turn of the last century, the brand was in fact better known for its ladies’ timepieces than for the ones it made for men. Through our new Heures Créatives collection, which is making its debut in Hong Kong, we wanted to revive these rich moments from the past.” Three of the Maison’s historic timepieces, representing the artistic periods of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the 1970s, have respectively inspired the Heure Romantique, Heure Discrète and Heure Audacieuse watches. This trilogy, driven by the hand-wound Calibre 1055, is a masterful demonstration of an aesthetic sensitivity and a command of the different gem-setting techniques. Indeed, when it comes to watchmaking’s métiers d’art, Vacheron Constantin has nothing to prove. It recently added to the Eloge de la Nature line, part of the Métiers d’Art collection, with Swan, crafted as two one-of-a-kind pieces that call on the arts of gem-setting, engraving, guillochage, grand feu enamel and Limoges white enamel.

A world record on a bed of diamonds

As though its trio of Heures Créatives wasn’t enough, Vacheron Constantin, whose recently extended premises in Geneva now bring virtually all its specialisations together on a single site, also came to Hong Kong with Historiques Cornes de Vache – inspired by a 1955 chronograph of which only 36 were made – that demonstrates the Maison’s talent for returning to coveted designs from its past while avoiding the pitfalls of merely copying or transforming beyond recognition. Extensions to two ranges complete the line-up of new models shown at the fair. They are a Patrimony Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731, the thinnest hand-wound minute repeater on the market in a platinum version, and a Traditionnelle World Time with a revisited dial.

A world record on a bed of diamonds.

There is a reason for such a flurry of new releases: Vacheron Constantin has a position to defend in China, a historic market which the brand has worked long and hard to develop through its presence in 24 cities. “We have always respected our Chinese clientele with a long-term approach and after-sales service which can repair and service all timepieces except minute repeaters,” notes Juan-Carlos Torres. “This prompted a double-digit increase in sales in 2014, which we fully intend to repeat this year. This growth, while unable to compensate the slowdown taking place in Hong Kong, bodes well for the brand.” For there is one thing Vacheron Constantin had no intention of “missing out on”, in Juan-Carlos Torres’ words, and that is an anniversary year that began in perfect Harmony and ends with a world record on a bed of diamonds.

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