Vacheron Constantin Workshops:Witness the Birth of Masterpieces
Each year, Vacheron Constantin introduces a new annual theme, with several classic collections innovating and producing new pieces while retaining the style of the current collection.
The 2022 theme, "The Anatomy of Beauty", exemplifies Vacheron Constantin's meticulous attention to detail, with components of the movement crafted with precision and decorated with great care. The 2023 theme, "LESS'ENTIAL", showcases the brand's expertise in watchmaking, exemplified by slim silhouettes, clean lines and precise mechanical workmanship. The theme for 2023, "LESS'ENTIAL - The Essence of Simplicity", demonstrates how Vacheron Constantin has achieved the aesthetic of simplicity through a combination of slim silhouettes, clean lines and mechanical precision, with a minimalist black-and-white style even in that year's showroom.
This year's theme, "From Geometry to Artistry", is also an interesting one. Vacheron Constantin's timekeeping creations are not simply an arrangement of mechanical parts; they begin as a sketch, and as the geometrical contours of the watch take shape, a work of art is born from the interplay of form, colour and texture, thanks to the excellence of watchmaking. The result is a work of art where shapes, colours and textures meet. This realm of mechanical craftsmanship is comprised of geometrical lines, either graceful or sharp, where complex interlocking mechanical parts mesh and drive each other, singing the poetry of time with fidelity and precision.
Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grande Complication
The most emblematic piece of this rich theme is The Berkley Grande Complication from Les Cabinotiers - The Attic Craftsmen. Commissioned by a watch collector, it is the world's most complicated timepiece with 63 complications and the first timepiece in the world to feature a true Chinese perpetual calendar. The movement was assembled over a period of 12 months, after which each component was decorated and polished by hand. The final stage involved sandblasting to achieve a frosted finish, a process that can leave traces on the surface if not executed correctly. The calibre includes almost every complication in the field of haute horlogerie, including split-seconds chronographs, precision moon phases, Gregorian perpetual calendars, star charts, and apertures adorned with meticulously engraved polar azimuths to show the alternation of day and night.
Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph
In addition to the Berkeley Grande Complication, this year's annual theme of Vacheron Constantin's Geometry of Craftsmanship also features another limited edition for discerning collectors: the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph.
This timepiece, limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, is crafted in platinum, from the 42.5 mm-diameter case to the crown, dial, buckle and even the stitching on the strap. Inside is Calibre 3200, equipped with a single-pusher chronograph and a tourbillon regulator, two complications that have been technically optimised to ensure greater precision, reliability and ease of use. Every detail of the movement is meticulously decorated and polished. The bridges of the tourbillon carriage are meticulously polished by hand with rounded corners, an operation that takes 11 hours to complete. This polishing is not just for the movement's aesthetic appeal, but also to make its components more resistant to corrosion and to ensure that the movement remains reliable. The sapphire crystal caseback provides a clear view of the movement's sophisticated mechanics, including the Maltese Cross column wheel, the two zeroing hammers that return the chronograph hands to their original position, and the tourbillon's peripheral drive train. On the dial, the Maltese Cross-shaped tourbillon cage is displayed at 12 o'clock instead of its usual position on the lower half of the dial, providing an even more marvellous visual experience.
