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Reviewed by Matthew Ashton
Some companies seem to operate on a different stratosphere to the rest, evoking a sense of awe and prestige that cannot be fully encapsulated in a price tag. Ultra-luxury watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is one of these brands.
With 268 years in business, Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest continuously operating watchmaker, surviving the French Revolution, World War I and II, and a global pandemic. The brand’s longevity is a testament to their long history of watchmaking excellence, placing them in a league of their own.
The beginning
Founded in 1755 by 24-year-old watchmaking apprentice Jean-Marc Vacheron, the company early on demonstrated the technical expertise for which they’d later be known, particularly with regards to complications. In the watchmaking world, a complication is any function that does more than tell the time. Under the hands of the founder’s grandson, Vacheron Constantin began making a name for themselves with their complications, which included musical watches that could play two different tunes.
François Constantin joined the company in 1819, and so the company became ‘Vacheron et Constantin.’ But the partnership would create more than just a new name, but a commitment to craft excellence expressed in the company’s over 200-year-old motto, taken from a letter written to Vacheron by Constantin: “do better if possible – and that is always possible.”
Indeed, the brand’s ‘never-ending quest for excellence, innovation, expertise and artistry’ has earned Vacheron Constantin extraordinary success throughout the eras. In 1889, they created one of the first ever ladies’ wristwatches, won the title of Grand Prix at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906, and in 1907 launched their Royal Chronometer, which was unlike any other watch available at the time in that it remained accurate and reliable even in harsh climates. In 1955, Vacheron Constantin, by now a long globally esteemed brand, created the ‘thinnest ever manually wound movement’ with a thinness of just 1.64mm
One of not many
Vacheron Constantin has attracted clientele that includes the likes of King Farouk I of Egypt, Princess Diana, Harry Truman, and even Napoleon.
Yet the brand has chosen not to use celebrity partnerships to elevate the prestige of their company, unlike many other brands in the world today. Instead, the watchmakers have chosen to partner with individuals who are ‘renowned originators in their field.’
Among the chosen few are haute couture designer Yiqing Yin, multidisciplinary designer and ‘simplexity’ inventor Ora Ito, and New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Chan Chun Wai. These partnerships perfectly exemplify the brand’s self-proclaimed spirit: ‘one of not many.’
Vacheron Constantin’s partnerships extend beyond distinguished individuals to esteemed cultural institutions. The Hong Kong Palace Museum, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Louvre are just a few of the cultural icons with whom the brand has partnered in their ‘perpetual pursuit of excellence.’
Collecting Vacheron Constantin
Along with Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin belong to the Holy Trinity of watchmakers.’
Owning a watch from one of the ‘Big Three’ is therefore quite the collectors’ item, but Vacheron Constantin in particular is known for its incredible value, according to eminent auction house Christie’s. For one, a vintage Vacheron Constantin Ref. 4072 chronograph can be bought for less than half the price of a Patek Philippe equivalent, at around $20,000, even though fewer of the Vacheron Constantin model were made.
But perhaps the most significant reason people want to own a Vacheron Constantin lies at the very centre of each timepiece. Take the Métiers d’Art collection, for example, which honour notable events in art, culture, and history. The latest addition to the collection is a set of timepieces inspired by ancient China, and include tributes to the Chinese zodiac, ‘moonlight slivers’, ‘eternal flow’, and more. Each creation features a painstakingly crafted dial that doubles as a veritable work of art, and so their engravers and enamellists double, too, as artists.
To own a Vacheron Constantin, then, is to own more than a masterpiece – but to own a work of art.
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Sources
Company Heritage – Our Timeline | Vacheron Constantin
A Legacy As Precious As Time | Vacheron Constantin