DOVE WATCH
engraving, Grand Feu champlevé enamel, guilloché and gemsetting
FISH WATCH
guilloché and Grand Feu cloisonné enamelling
SHELL WATCH
engraving and Grand Feu champlevé enamelling
A new vision
of time and art
of time and art
For over 250 years, the watchmaking decorative crafts practiced at the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin
– the Métiers d’Art – have maintained a link from one era to the next by perpetuating ancestral skills.
A new testament to how graphic art and decorative techniques work their alchemy in the world of Haute Horlogerie, the
"Métiers d’Art - Les Univers Infinis" collection has brought together several of these decorative crafts around the same dial: enamelling, gemsetting, engraving and guilloché work.
Inspired by the technique of periodic paving (known as "tessellation") and by the work of Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher, these three exceptional watches invite us to explore a reality that plays with our perceptions.
– the Métiers d’Art – have maintained a link from one era to the next by perpetuating ancestral skills.
A new testament to how graphic art and decorative techniques work their alchemy in the world of Haute Horlogerie, the
"Métiers d’Art - Les Univers Infinis" collection has brought together several of these decorative crafts around the same dial: enamelling, gemsetting, engraving and guilloché work.
Inspired by the technique of periodic paving (known as "tessellation") and by the work of Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher, these three exceptional watches invite us to explore a reality that plays with our perceptions.
METIERS D’ART - LES UNIVERS INFINIS
DOVE WATCH
20-piece limited edition
engraving, Grand Feu champlevé enamel, guilloché and gemsetting
Doves in flight beautifully captured by the association of all the artistic crafts exercised within the Manufacture: engraving,
Grand Feu champlevé enamelling, gemsetting and guilloché work are intimately entwined to form a resplendent décor.
Grand Feu champlevé enamelling, gemsetting and guilloché work are intimately entwined to form a resplendent décor.
DOVE WATCH
86222/000G-9774
- ▪ Mechanical self-winding movement
- ▪ Caliber 2460 SC developed and crafted by
Vacheron Constantin - ▪ Stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva
- ▪ Dial inspired by the work of
Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher - ▪ Hand-crafted guilloché work and Grand Feu champlevé enamelling on an engraved base – a dove set with 38 round diamonds.
- ▪ Hours, minutes and central seconds hand
- ▪ Ø 40 mm
- ▪ Exhibition back fitted with a sapphire crystal pane
- ▪ Water resistance: 3 bar (approx. 30m)
- ▪ Pin buckle
- ▪ 18K white gold
- ▪ Individually numbered
METIERS D’ART - LES UNIVERS INFINIS
FISH WATCH
20-piece limited edition
guilloché and Grand Feu cloisonné enamelling
A shoal of fish, stemming from the association of guilloché work and grand feu cloisonné enamelling creating subtly graded shades of blue and grey.
FISH WATCH
86222/000G-9689
- ▪ Mechanical self-winding movement
- ▪ Caliber 2460 SC developed and crafted by
Vacheron Constantin - ▪ Stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva
- ▪ Dial inspired by the work of
Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher - ▪ Hand-crafted guilloché work and Grand Feu cloisonné enamelling
- ▪ Hours, minutes and central seconds hand
- ▪ Ø 40 mm
- ▪ Exhibition back fitted with a sapphire crystal pane
- ▪ Water resistance: 3 bar (approx. 30m)
- ▪ Pin buckle
- ▪ 18K white gold
- ▪ Individually numbered
METIERS D’ART - LES UNIVERS INFINIS
SHELL WATCH
20-piece limited edition
engraving and Grand Feu champlevé enamelling
Shells and starfish, stemming from a combination of engraving and Grand Feu champlevé enamelling, form a luminous
ocher-tinged seabed staging a fascinating dance which, depending on the light, showcases their beauty.
ocher-tinged seabed staging a fascinating dance which, depending on the light, showcases their beauty.
SHELL WATCH
86222/000G-9685
- ▪ Mechanical self-winding movement
- ▪ Caliber 2460 SC developed and crafted by
Vacheron Constantin - ▪ Stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva
- ▪ Dial inspired by the work of
Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher - ▪ Engraving and Grand Feu champlevé enamelling
- ▪ Hours, minutes and central seconds hand
- ▪ Ø 40 mm
- ▪ Exhibition back fitted with a sapphire crystal pane
- ▪ Water resistance: 3 bar (approx. 30m)
- ▪ Pin buckle
- ▪ 18K white gold
- ▪ Individually numbered
Back
Engraving
Beauty at the limits of the infinitesimally small
Since the very beginnings of watchmaking, there have always been engravings on cases, dials and even on the tiny parts of watch movements.
Today, Vacheron Constantin perpetuates this tradition by offering engravers exceptional opportunities for artistic expression.
The engraver can thus transcribe decorative elements into the material from which watch movements and parts of the case are made, carving them with delicate care. This work of "miniature sculpture" carried out by hand requires a clear artistic and aesthetic approach combined with exceptional dexterity.
Today, Vacheron Constantin perpetuates this tradition by offering engravers exceptional opportunities for artistic expression.
The engraver can thus transcribe decorative elements into the material from which watch movements and parts of the case are made, carving them with delicate care. This work of "miniature sculpture" carried out by hand requires a clear artistic and aesthetic approach combined with exceptional dexterity.
Back
Enamelling
Exceptional expertise to show colors in their best light
The art of enamelling was invented by oriental craftsmen nearly 4,000 years ago. With the development of watchmaking in the 17th century, Geneva became the center of Grand Feu miniature enamelling for watch decoration. Vacheron Constantin today perpetuates this refined ancestral craft.
The enameller creates or faithfully reproduces designs or miniature patterns on the dial with the aid of a brush. Other techniques are also used: cloisonné enamelling, which involves using wire to mark the outline of a zone, and champlevé enamelling, in which the material is hollowed out at the locations where the enamel is to be received. This decorative craft requires very highly developed artistic and technical skills.
The enameller creates or faithfully reproduces designs or miniature patterns on the dial with the aid of a brush. Other techniques are also used: cloisonné enamelling, which involves using wire to mark the outline of a zone, and champlevé enamelling, in which the material is hollowed out at the locations where the enamel is to be received. This decorative craft requires very highly developed artistic and technical skills.
Back
Gemsetting
The art of the meticulous
to create watches of prestige
to create watches of prestige
The first Vacheron Constantin ladies' pocket watches were both watches and jewels, veritable accessories that formed an integral part of the costume of the times. The advent in the 20th century of the baguette-shaped wristwatch – the thinnest in the world – contributed enormously to the reputation of the Manufacture.
The gemsetter's role is to arrange precious stones on a timepiece while respecting the codes of quality concerning the alignment of the stones in relation to the cut and the refraction of light.
The gemsetter's role is to arrange precious stones on a timepiece while respecting the codes of quality concerning the alignment of the stones in relation to the cut and the refraction of light.
Back
Guilloché
The hands govern
the path of the machine
the path of the machine
Originating in the 16th century, this ancient traditional craft became widespread in all aspects of watchmaking throughout the course of the 19th century. It is many years since the machine tools used for guilloché work have been manufactured and they survive thanks to the expertise maintained by a handful of Manufactures such as Vacheron Constantin, where the art of guilloché work has reached a zenith of creativity.
The guillocheur guides the machine to trace symmetrical guilloché motifs with incredible dexterity. With one hand he turns the handle that inserts the piece to be decorated, and with the other he pushes the frame that holds the chisel so that he can trace the fine, regular strokes.
The guillocheur guides the machine to trace symmetrical guilloché motifs with incredible dexterity. With one hand he turns the handle that inserts the piece to be decorated, and with the other he pushes the frame that holds the chisel so that he can trace the fine, regular strokes.
Back
making-of
DOVE WATCH
The engraver begins by drawing the outline of the doves on a yellow gold dial base, before proceeding to "champlever" them, meaning engraving the motif before the enameler fills the cavities thus formed.
The enameller then creates perfect harmony between the various shades of color which, once bonded by firing at a high temperature, create this radiant violet hue. He applies a translucent enamel or an opalescent white enamel coating to the doves, therefore endowing the engraved motifs with a striking depth effect
The gemsetter in turn highlights one of the doves with diamonds chosen for their luster and their clarity.
Finally, the guillocheur begins his task of accentuating the depth effect of the dial. Due to the extreme difficulty of this process, it is extremely rare for an enamelled piece to be guilloché-worked as a final phase
Engraving
Grand feu champlevé enamel
Gemsetting
Guilloché
Back
making-of
FISH WATCH
The engraver first carves out the motif from the white gold dial base and meticulously hollows out the eyes of the fish.
The guillocheur then forms tenth-of-a-millimeter symmetrical motifs, while displaying extreme dexterity and genuine artistic sensitivity.
The enameller marks out the outlines of the motifs using a fine gold wire to separate the various enamel colors, a process known as cloisonné enamelling. The enamel is finally placed in each fish and fired in an oven at a very high temperature, an operation that the artisan will repeat several time in order to intensify the color.
Guilloché
Guilloché
Preparing the cloisonné
Grand feu cloisonné enamel
Back
making-of
SHELL WATCH
First of all, the engraver traces the shapes of the shells on the dial using a drypoint and then hollows out the fields or cavities while protecting their outlines in order to create a relief engraving using the champlevé technique.
Then comes the turn of the enameller, who applies the enamels before firing them several times in an extremely hot oven.
The engraver sets the final touch by engraving the surface of the starfish.
The champlevé enamelling technique calls for excellent mutual understanding and cooperation between the two artisans which will strongly influence the final result, since any discordance could jeopardize their joint work.
Engraving
Engraving
Engraving
Engraving