Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watchmaking manufacturer in the world, with 266 years of uninterrupted activity. Throughout its long history, the Maison has created timepieces that reflect the innovative capabilities of its Manufacture, the technical mastery of its watchmakers, the creativity of its talented designers and craftsmen. To illustrate this rich heritage, Vacheron Constantin presents a selection of emblematic models that have marked different periods of the Maison’s history. The selected timepieces – from Vacheron Constantin’s private collection – are exhibited in the Milan boutique in Via Verri 9 in Milan until 28 October. The selection of watches displayed in the Milan boutique is an invitation to discover the world of Vacheron Constantin. Each embodies the Maison’s motto: “Do better if possible, and it’s always possible”. Thanks to a set of archives and a private collection comprising around 1300 timepieces – both managed by the House’s heritage specialists – today Vacheron Constantin is able to offer an introspective journey to the borders of history.
Here is the selection of watches present.
Silver pocket watch – 1755. A distinctive feature of fake vacheron constantin is extraordinary longevity and this silver pocket timepiece is a precious testimony to this. Dating back to exactly 1755, it is the oldest piece in Vacheron Constantin’s private collection, consisting of around 1300 watches. It is the only timepiece that bears the full name of the founder of the Maison, engraved on the movement, including the initials of the first name. The creation, signed “J.M. Vacheron A GENEVE “, indicates the hours and minutes by means of thin, finely worked gold hands. Equipped with a verge escapement and a balance bridge adorned with delicate arabesque motifs, this watch would have forged Vacheron Constantin’s destiny for technical skill and elegance.
Pocket watch in yellow gold – created in 1825. 1819 must be remembered as a pivotal one in the history of Vacheron Constantin. That year, Jacques Barthélémy Vacheron (1788-1854), grandson of the founder, signed an agreement with François Constantin, responsible for the commercial development of the Maison. It is precisely to François Constantin that we owe the Maison’s motto, which has come down to the present day. A tireless traveler, on July 5, 1819 he wrote a letter to his new partner, encouraging him to “do better if possible, and it is always possible”. The dial of this 1825 yellow gold pocket watch bears the inscription “Vacheron & Constantin.
Ultra-flat pocket watch in platinum – created in 1931. Since the early 20th century Vacheron Constantin has excelled in the creation of ultra-flat watches that express competence and elegance, such as this extraordinary pocket model with a diameter of 46 mm. The dial already has a pure and minimalist style, attributable to the Bauhaus school. Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar as a laboratory for new and often utopian experiments, the Bauhaus has had a lasting influence on the world of watchmaking through the golden rule according to which function dictates form. Utopia could be the leitmotif of this 1931 timepiece, whose movement (caliber RA 17 ‘5/12) is only 0.94 mm thick. Such a subtle movement is difficult to achieve even in our day, despite the availability of computers and equipment. This impression of timeless elegance is emphasized by the platinum case.
Rose gold wrist chronograph (Ref. 4178) – 1942. The reputation Vacheron Constantin has always enjoyed in the world of watchmaking complications necessarily entails a perfect mastery of chronometry. The latter was expressed in particular in the production of chronographs, whose fame has conquered the markets since the beginning of the nineteenth century. The advent of the wristwatch confirms this reputation, in an era in which instrument-high quality replica watches uk are becoming increasingly important. Like the Reference 4072 and the Reference 4178, equally well known among collectors and still considered a point of reference today. Building on its success, this gold chronograph with 30-minute counter remained in production until the 1970s, equipped with calibers V492 and V434, as in this version.
Corps of Engineers pocket chronograph – created in 1919. Vacheron Constantin was one of the first watch manufacturers known for its functionality in the field of calculating short times. The first chronograph in its collections to feature a minute counter dates back to 1874. Marketed in the United States, this pocket timepiece emphasizes the full value of Vacheron Constantin’s chronometry. Wishing to equip the battalions of the genius with a reliable, legible and robust watch, the US military turned to Vacheron Constantin. In 1917, the famous Corps of Engineers, founded in 1775, at the beginning of the American War of Independence, was involved in the reconstruction work in Europe. After presenting two prototype pocket chronographs without minute counters, housed in oxidized silver cases and perfectly legible thanks to the innovative radium luminescence, Vacheron Constantin received an order from the Swiss office of the Corps of Engineers of the United States, which commissioned several thousand watches, delivered in batches until 1920. Equipped with 19-line movements, some in rhodium silver, they bore the “Corps of Engineers” engravings. USA.” and “Vacheron & Constantin Genève” on the caseback.
Jubilee men’s wristwatch in yellow gold – created in 1936. This men’s watch in yellow gold with a diameter of 30 mm was called the “Jubilee” in reference to the 150 years of the Maison, celebrated in 1935. Since in the 1930s it was not yet The contract certifying the hiring, in 1755, of an apprentice by Jean-Marc Vacheron (1731-1805) was discovered, the historians of the Manufacture erroneously dated the origin of the Maison to 1785. This explains the celebration of a century and a half of history in 1935, the year preceding the creation of this model with the crown at 12 o’clock. An original feature that derives from the Lépine movement used to animate the timepiece: a caliber originally intended for pocket or pendant watches, supplanted by wrist models in the first half of the 20th century. The dial features the intense black color “Duco”, which takes its name from a nitrocellulose-based enamel lacquer invented by the American company Dupont de Nemours in the aftermath of the First World War. Intended for the automotive industry, this new substance made it possible to reduce the painting cycle of cars from three weeks to three days.
“Les Quatre Grands” men’s wristwatch in yellow gold, Reference 6032 – created in 1954. On July 18, 1955, the conference of the “Big Four” began in Geneva, bringing together the heads of government of the United States, the Soviet Union and Great Britain and France, accompanied by their respective foreign ministers and delegations. Each of the eight heads of state and their ministers received a tribute from a group of citizens of Geneva: a Vacheron Constantin watch accompanied by the words “Puisse cette montre marquer toujours des heures heureuses pour vous-même, pour votre peuple et pour la paix du monde. ” [May this replica watches always mark happy hours for you, for your people and for world peace ”]. This model in yellow gold, Reference 6032 – powered by the 12 ½ lignes P453 / 3B caliber – belonged to Antoine Pinay, French Foreign Minister. With a diameter of 34 mm, it features the pure and elegant design typical of the time.
Jubilee calendar wristwatch 1755, Reference 85250 – created in 2005. Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin celebrated 250 years in business in 2005. To celebrate this extraordinary event, the Maison has created a series of timepieces, including this Jubilee 1755 wrist model, Reference 85250, produced in a limited series of 1755 pieces, of which 500 in yellow gold, 500 in pink gold, 500 in gold white, 250 in platinum, as well as five watches not sold. This yellow gold model, engraved with the inscription “Museum”, was immediately destined for the private collection of Vacheron Constantin. An emblematic creation of the Maison, it is a timeless classic enhanced by the dial of the
