The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art collection is a unique opportunity to travel through time and space, thanks to the talent of its master craftsmen. It is an opportunity to discover – or rediscover – some historical chapters or artistic and cultural symbols of our civilizations. In this sense, the partnership started with the Louvre in 2019 offers many inspirations. Working side by side with the museum’s teams, the Vacheron Constantin designers and developers have therefore created a new series of four Métiers d’Art watches (each made in just 5 pieces) directly inspired by the Louvre’s masterpieces. All four of these exclusive watches, which are part of the collection called Métiers d’Art Homage to the great civilizations, are available only at rolex replica.
The project represented a challenge for the artisans, called to reproduce the expressive power of the works on a dial less than 40 mm in diameter, characterized by ornaments inspired by the decorative arts of the different periods and by inscriptions. The choice of techniques, the rare talents required to implement them and the original composition of these timepieces offer a fascinating spectacle, at the height of these great moments in history.
To power these Métiers d’Art watches that pay homage to great civilizations, Vacheron Constantin has chosen the self-winding Manufacture caliber 2460 G4 / 2, equipped with four discs that indicate hours, minutes, days and date. The openings that display hours, minutes, day and date, symmetrically positioned in the peripheral area of the dial, leave a wide field of expression to the craftsmen. No hand, therefore, disturbs the spectacle offered by these miniature masterpieces. On the back of the movement, the oscillating weight, which beats at 28,800 vibrations / hour, also features a representation (based on an 18th century lithograph) of the eastern facade of the Louvre and its colonnade, the design of which was made by Louis Le Vau and Claude Perrault. The matrix of the design was sculpted by hand and then used to print the twenty oscillating masses that make up the series.
Furthermore, the dial is surrounded by a frieze: two distinct and concentric elements in which the talent of the master craftsmen is expressed. The ornamentation of the dial is inspired by works from the Louvre that represent the decorative arts of the four selected periods: Roman mosaics; a painted Egyptian sarcophagus; Greek pottery and vases painted or with bas-reliefs; a Babylonian-inspired brick frieze with colored glazes.
The dial and the frieze are composed of various decorative elements taken from works of the same period as the one depicted in the application. To create these beautiful backgrounds, Vacheron Constantin used multiple techniques from different craftsmen, such as champlevé enamel, grisaille enamel, stone inlay, stone micro-mosaics and engraving.
