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Vacheron Constantin, spelled V for vintage
History & Masterpieces

Vacheron Constantin, spelled V for vintage

Sunday, 15 October 2017
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal

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4 min read

Recent releases from Vacheron Constantin salute some of the firm’s historic timepieces, a way of highlighting a heritage which, in today’s market, has become the sign of authentic watchmaking.

Heritage is a serious business at Vacheron Constantin. With a good two and a half centuries of history to its name, it could easily qualify as a member of the Henokiens, that small circle of companies operating for at least two hundred years, were it still a family-owned firm. No matter, this heritage is no less a 260-year-old “treasure” which the company’s Geneva headquarters are at pains to preserve as well as enhance. This is, as one can imagine, a substantial legacy, comprising a collection of over 1,300 items: pocket watches, wristwatches and clocks produced by the firm from the eighteenth century right up to the present day, together with some 600 machine tools from the manufacturing workshops, furniture, and – the jewel in the crown – some 350 linear metres of archives. “With 260 years of uninterrupted history, familiarity with our past puts us in better stead to prepare for the future. This legacy is an extraordinary asset for Vacheron Constantin. It confirms our legitimacy, fuels our creativity, and proves our authenticity.”

Alongside its Chronogram project (launched three years ago with two research laboratories at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) to digitise the firm’s archives and develop a virtual reality consultation experience, Vacheron Constantin has thus “inherited” an incredible wealth. These are watches that triumphed in their day, and with no more than a dust-down can happily live again. Not to mention that anything with a link to the past now qualifies as “vintage”, a trend that has reached almost fanatical proportions among certain watch enthusiasts. And if a “vintage” timepiece also has a legitimate name hung on it, it’s almost guaranteed to attract attention – provided its positioning is not completely beyond what the market can support, as was the case not so long ago. Of course, as we have seen, Vacheron Constantin has legitimacy in abundance.

Nostalgia, nostalgia…

In recent months, the company has come up with several new releases that have all been brushed with nostalgia. Whetting our appetite was the Patrimony Collection Excellence Platine, issued at the height of summer as a limited edition of 150. As the brand took time to remind us, “Patrimony provides a pure and contemporary reinterpretation of a noble classic from the Vacheron Constantin heritage, stemming from the traditional watchmaking of the 1950s.” Carrying on the theme, several new styles joined the Historiques line in early October, an opportunity for Vacheron Constantin to drive home the message behind this incomparable collection: “For almost 20 years, the Historiques collection has been giving a new lease on life to the icons of Vacheron Constantin’s technical and aesthetic heritage. This range composed of legendary watches revisited with a contemporary twist is produced in modest quantities, implicitly extending a discreet invitation to collectors of rare pieces and vintage watch connoisseurs.” First in line was a smaller, 36.50mm-diameter version of the inimitable American 1921, followed by two complete calendar models: the Triple Calendar 1942 (date by hand, day and month in apertures, small seconds) and the Triple Calendar 1948 (precision moon phase inside the subsidiary seconds dial).

These aren’t watches which the Manufacture has pulled out of a hat. First of all, they are driven by Caliber 4400 and its derivatives, a new-generation, manual-wind, in-house movement which in 2009 replaced the 1400, Vacheron’s first workhorse movement, providing greater power reserve (65 hours) and precision. Then there is the choice of models: a women’s watch in the shape of the American 1921, and a 40mm diameter, now considered standard, for the Triple Calendars. Last we have the useful complications, housed in gold cases but also in steel for the Triple Calendar 1942 as a means of reaching a wider audience. Throw in the vintage appeal and, to borrow a phrase from Chief Executive Louis Ferla, “you buy a Vacheron Constantin for a reason”!

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