Vacheron Constantin introduces nine unique timepieces to Les Cabinotiers – Récits de Voyages’ collection, depicting different geographical destinations that played a vital role in the brand’s international expansion. All watches are meticulously crafted with 18K white gold, or 18K 5N pink gold, or 18K 3N hand-engraved yellow gold.
Taking inspiration from the bond forged between the brand and different places, the timepieces in the collection include ‘Grisaille High Jewellery – Dragon’, ‘Minute Repeater Tourbillon – Tribute to Art Deco Style’ and ‘Tribute to Arabesque’, four timepieces in the ‘Les Cabinotiers – Memorable Places’ lineup, ‘Malte Tourbillon – Tribute to Haussmannian Style’, and Armillary Tourbillon – Tribute to Art Deco Style’.
Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery – Dragon
The timepiece reflects the first commercial contacts formed between the brand and China in the mid-19th century. The 40mm timepiece has an 18K white gold case set with 146 baguette-cut diamonds and a crown set with inverted brilliant-cut diamond. The reference 2017C/000G-096C features a ‘Green’ Grisaille translucent enamel dial, a first for the brand with a dragon background paying tribute to the mythical five-clawed imperial dragon, which is a symbol of symbol of power, nobility, good fortune, and wisdom. There are white gold leaf-shaped hands on the dial, which has no hour markers. Powering the timepiece is the Vacheron Constantin manufactured and developed automatic Calibre 1120, beating at a frequency of 19,000 vph, offering a power reserve of about 40 hours. A dark green Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales strap flank the case.
Minute Repeater Tourbillon – Tribute to Art Deco Style and Minute Repeater Tourbillon — Tribute to Arabesque
The two Minute Repeater Tourbillons—Tribute to Art Deco Style (Ref. 6520C/000R-085C) and Tribute to Arabesque (Ref. 6650C/000G-084C) are 44mm timepieces released in the line that commemorates the celebration of Ottoman, Arab, and Egyptian cultures. The watches feature a minute repeater function, played for the hours, quarters and minutes by the hammers striking the two circular gongs, activated from the slidepiece located at 9H and a tourbillon regulator positioned at 6 o’clock. The one-of-a-kind timepieces are equipped with an in-house Calibre 2755 TMR, offering a power reserve of approximately 58 hours. Flanking the cases are the dark blue (Art Deco Style version) or black (Arabesque version) Mississippiensis alligator leather straps with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched with 18K 5N pink or platinum stitches respectively, with saddle-finish and large square scales.
Minute Repeater Tourbillon – Tribute to Art Deco Style
The timepiece features a hand-engraved 18K 5N pink gold case with a Blue and black wood marquetry dial; the wood marquetry technique used by the brand for the first time, is inspired by cloisonné enamelling. To obtain the desired dial, the specialist required black and blue deep-stained and sanded pearwood and tulipwood’s 110 small wood veneers to fit into the perfectly crafted canvas of the dial. There are 11 baguette-cut diamonds set on the dial as hour-markers.
Minute Repeater Tourbillon — Tribute to Arabesque
The novelty is crafted with an 18K white gold case and with hand engravings that pays an ode to the architectural wealth of the Muslim world with its pointed arches, domes and mashrabiyas; the same engraving accentuates the lugs of the timepiece. Further the18K white gold hand-chiselled anthracite dial is incorporated with white gold "lattice-work cover" created with line engraving technique.
‘Les Cabinotiers – Memorable Places’
Entrance gate to Confucius temple and Imperial college museum (Ref. 2000C/000R-105C)
Tour de l’Ile (Ref. 2000C/000G-106C
Old summer palace (Ref. 2000C/000R-104C)
Entrance gate to Angkor Thom (Ref. 2000C/000R-103C)
The collection includes four unique timepieces measuring 40mm, in which three models are crafted in 18K 5N pink gold, and one in 18K white gold. The references are, ‘Entrance gate to Angkor Thom (Ref. 2000C/000R-103C), ‘Entrance gate to Confucius temple and Imperial college museum’ (Ref. 2000C/000R-105C), ‘Old summer palace’ (Ref. 2000C/000R-104C), and a ‘Tour de l’Ile’ (Ref. 2000C/000G-106C); all four depicting famous architectural sites in Geneva, South-East Asia, and China—the dials of all four are handcrafted in white, yellow, and 5N pink gold showcasing, entrance gate to Angkor Thom, gate of the Imperial College and Confucius Temple Museum in Beijing, the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, and Tour de l’Ile building in the aforementioned order. Also, there are leaf-type gold hands on the dial.
The transparent casebacks of the watches showcase one of the finest self-winding movements, in-house Calibre 1120, boasting a power reserve of 40 hours. The creations are fitted with dark brown (Entrance gate to Angkor Thom) or black Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales with matching metal clasp and pin buckle.
Malte Tourbillon – Tribute to Haussmannian Style (Ref. 30135/000R-089C)
The 41.5mm x 38mm timepiece is crafted in 18K 5N hand-engraved pink gold, and showcases the major work done by the late 19th century French official Georges Eugène Haussmann, under whose direction the modern renovation of Paris was carried out. The skeleton dial of the reference is crafted in 18K 5N grained pink gold, displays the small seconds on tourbillon located at 6 o’clock, date counter positioned between 2 and 3 o’clock, retrograde power reserve indicator in between 9 and 10 o’clock, and leaf shaped hands. The exhibition caseback displays Vacheron Constantin’s developed and manufactured manual-winding calibre 2790 SQ, offering a power reserve of about 47 hours. The watch is fitted with a brown Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales, with matching clasp and pin buckle.
Armillary Tourbillon – Tribute to Art Deco Style (Ref. 9860C/000J-090C)
The last one in line is inspired by various destinations including the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. The 45mm reference is crafted in 18K 3N hand-engraved yellow gold, featuring a black dial with small seconds on the bi-axial Armillary tourbillon located at 9 o’clock and the bi-axial retrograde Roman hours and Arabic minute on the right side. The name ‘armillary’ of the tourbillon is inspired by Antide Janvier, astronomer and watchmaker, one of whose greatest masterpieces was a moving sphere with a planetary wheel known as an armillary. Vacheron Constantin’s developed and manufactured manual-winding Calibre 1990 drives the watch and boasts a power reserve of approximately 59 hours. A black lack Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales with an 18K 3N hand-engraved yellow gold folding clasp complements the timepiece.
Images courtesy: Brand
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