WATCH & JEWELRY /
SIHH＆BASEL
March 26, 2015
Vacheron Constantin | 2011 S.I.H.H. Report!
Vacheron Constantin
The most anticipated is the world time model, achieving groundbreaking functionality.
Showcasing excellence in both complicated and dress watches.
This year's highlight is a world time model that adds a new chapter to the history of Vacheron Constantin, a brand renowned for its exquisite world timepieces. Also featured are models with perfect calendar functions and the "Historiques" collection, inspired by archival pieces, presenting a wealth of masterpieces that reflect the brand's over 250-year legacy.
By Yasuto Shibuya
The origin of Vacheron Constantin dates back to 1755, the very year the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, considered a progenitor of modern human rights thought, published his seminal work "Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men." In that year, the 24-year-old watchmaker Jean-Marc Vacheron opened a workshop in Geneva. For over 250 years since, without a single interruption in watchmaking, the brand has consistently produced mechanical timepieces of the highest caliber, both in elegance and mechanism, catering primarily to European celebrities, royalty, and nobility in the cosmopolitan city of Geneva. Last year, the company unveiled the "Historiques Extra-Flat 1955," the world's thinnest hand-wound dress watch at a mere 4.1mm case thickness, earning overwhelming acclaim from watch industry professionals and discerning collectors alike.
This year, this venerable maison, boasting the longest history in the Swiss watchmaking industry, has once again garnered widespread praise from watch professionals worldwide with its new "Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time" model, featuring innovative and practical new functions for world timekeeping.
The other new releases are equally compelling, sure to captivate the attention of discerning watch enthusiasts and sophisticated gentlemen who appreciate true value.
The "Patrimony Contemporaine Perpetual Calendar," which achieves an ultimate handsome face described as "no more perfect dial design" for a currently manufactured perpetual calendar model, and the "Historiques Aronde 1954," inspired by an elegant rectangular model from 1954, the golden age of Swiss mechanical watches, are must-sees.
Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time
View the current time in 37 time zones, including those with 15-minute differences, at a glance!
The most advanced mechanism for displaying world time currently in practical use was developed in 1932. The "World Time" system divides the world into 24 time zones based on the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, as longitude zero. The basic principle of this mechanism involves two discs: one depicting a world map and the other listing major cities in the 24 time zones. Vacheron Constantin also adopted this as a base, releasing a desk clock in 1936 that showed the current time in 31 cities, and wristwatches from 1957 onwards that displayed the time in 24 world cities. Since then, the brand has introduced numerous historic masterpieces in this field.
The newly announced "Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time" is a groundbreaking world time model, equipped with a new mechanism developed and patented by the company. In addition to displaying the current time in 24 time zones and for 24 major cities, it can also show the current time for 13 time zones and 13 cities with 15- or 30-minute differences, which could not be displayed by previous world time watches. This achieves a display for a total of 37 time zones and 37 major cities worldwide. Furthermore, by covering the world map with a gray gradient disc, it allows for an at-a-glance understanding of whether it is day or night in each location.
This is the ultimate world time watch, befitting those who operate on a global stage.
Self-winding, 42.5mm diameter pink gold case, alligator strap, sapphire crystal case back. Estimated price: 3,465,000 yen. Scheduled for release this autumn.
Patrimony Contemporaine Perpetual Calendar
The legendary perpetual calendar mechanism adorned in elegant attire.
A perpetual calendar mechanism, which displays not only hours, minutes, and seconds, but also the month, date, day of the week, and moon phase, programmed to account for leap years every four years, requiring calendar correction only about once a century, is a complex timepiece representing the pinnacle of design and manufacturing technology—an "art to wear."
Among Vacheron Constantin's current models, the skeletonized version of the "Patrimony Contemporaine" collection is known as a masterpiece. This is the "Caliber 1120SQ," which adds a perpetual calendar mechanism to the company's exceptionally thin automatic movement, the "Caliber 1120," developed in-house in 1967 with a thickness of just 2.45mm, achieving a remarkable movement thickness of only 4.05mm. This model features this perpetual calendar movement meticulously skeletonized by hand, allowing its intricate beauty to be admired through both the front and back of the see-through case.
The new "Patrimony Contemporaine Perpetual Calendar" houses the same "Caliber 1120SQ" movement as the skeletonized model, but within a case featuring a see-through back rather than a skeletonized construction, resulting in an ultra-thin perpetual calendar model. While the legendary mechanism is, of course, present, the greatest allure of this model lies in its beautifully balanced dial design, which has achieved a level of perfection that seems beyond further refinement.
Self-winding, 41mm diameter pink gold case, alligator strap, sapphire crystal case back. Estimated price: 5,943,000 yen. Scheduled for release this autumn.
Historiques Aronde 1954
An elegant rectangular style revived after more than 50 years.
Vacheron Constantin has produced countless masterpieces, from pocket watches and desk clocks to jewelry watches. Among these, wristwatches, particularly those from the 1920s to the 1960s that faithfully reflect the brand's simple and minimalist design philosophy crafted by master artisans, are especially captivating. The "Historiques" collection, formerly known as "Commemoration," was born to reinterpret these legendary historical pieces from that era with a contemporary perspective, carrying forward their spirit and expertise into the future. Each year, one model is introduced, inheriting the charm of a past masterpiece.
As its name suggests, this year's "Historiques Aronde 1954" takes its design inspiration from a model manufactured in 1954. The term "Aronde" in the model name is an old French word meaning "seagull's wing," derived from the case's design, which features two rounded peaks resembling the wings of a bird. Complementing the elegant case design is the exquisite silver dial, adorned with hand-crafted guilloché engraving and possessing a delicate, beautiful luster reminiscent of opal, reflecting classic beauty.
This is a special dress watch for gentlemen, from the world's oldest watch manufacture, embodying its unique heritage.
Hand-wound, 44.5 x 31.2mm pink gold case, alligator strap. Price: 2,268,000 yen. Scheduled for release in April.