Did Someone Say Platinum? Vacheron Constantin Turns 270
Anniversaries are always cause for celebration among the world’s biggest watchmakers, but after 270 years in the business, Vacheron Constantin is here to remind us that they remain in a class of their own. At Watches & Wonders Geneva, the brand revealed a bevy of covetable limited editions featuring ultra-thin movements (and an armoured truck’s worth of 950 platinum) that underscore its nearly three centuries of tradition. Here are some of the standouts.
Traditionelle and Patrimony
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Leading the charge are limited-edition versions of the Traditionnelle Manual-Winding (370 pieces in 950 platinum and 370 pieces in 18K 5N pink gold) featuring dials with a new geometric motif created for the brand’s 270th anniversary. Their movements are likewise enhanced by a ‘côte unique’ guilloche finish and engraved with an anniversary emblem. A new version of the Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date, meanwhile, is offered in white gold and pink gold (270 numbered editions apiece) with a silver-toned dial featuring the 270th-anniversary motif. There are also two 370-piece limited editions (in pink gold and white gold) of the Patrimony Self-Winding bearing the anniversary motif and including a 22K gold open-worked oscillating weight engraved with the brand’s signature Maltese cross.
“These two collections epitomize the understated elegance of the watches created by Vacheron Constantin over the last 270 years,” shares Sandrine Donguy, the brand’s product and innovation director. “These classic collections are elevated by signature complications, including the retrograde date display, and subtle details such as the Patrimony’s domed dial and the Traditionnelle’s fluted caseback.”
Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
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As its name suggests, this 127-piece limited edition pairs two of the most technically advanced complications in traditional watchmaking. All of the hallmarks of Vacheron Constantin’s skill with finishing are here, particularly a ‘côte unique’ finish on the bridges that reportedly took the brand’s guilloche engraving experts 500 hours to perfect. Thanks to a new ultra-thin in-house movement featuring an unusual peripheral rotor, the watch’s 950 platinum case is also remarkably wearable at just 11mm thick.
“It showcases the art of watchmaking that Vacheron Constantin has been cultivating since 1755 and embodies the quest for excellence that has been passed down through the generations,” explains the brand’s style and heritage director, Christian Selmoni. “As a testament to the Maison’s ability to continually reinvent itself while remaining faithful to its traditions, the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar strikes the right balance between our aesthetic and technical heritage and the new history that we are currently writing.”
Traditionnelle Openface
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One of the main challenges for a brand rooted in nearly three centuries of tradition is keeping one foot in the past while driving forward with new ideas. This spectacular collection embodies that duality in the Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date Openface, the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface, and the Traditionnelle Complete Calendar Openface, each limited to 370 pieces. In addition to celebrating two of Vacheron Constantin’s historical signatures (open-worked dials and retrograde displays), they also boast platinum cases and impressively thin movements. “We have taken the open-worked approach in new directions with these limited editions, adds Selmoni. “Unlike skeletonization, which involves removing as much material as possible to create a kind of mechanical lacework, the Openface dial displays the mechanism while maintaining a strong dial structure. It’s a subtle exercise, revealing the movement’s complexity and inner beauty without concealing any of its architecture.”
Needless to say, from the ultra-thin movements to the sampling platter of anniversary details and traditional finishing motifs, it’s all quite a lot to take in. If previous anniversaries are any indication, however, there may be a few more revelations still to come.
The post Did Someone Say Platinum? Vacheron Constantin Turns 270 appeared first on Sharp Magazine.