The art of enamelling requires depositing vitreous powders with a fine brush on a metal base (copper, silver or gold). Thin layers of these pigments are successively fired to fix the colours. From the 16th century onwards, watchmakers adopted various enamelling techniques to create luminous works of art. Although vulnerable to impacts, enamel is an almost unalterable material whose vivid colours make it particularly precious for ornamenting watches.

Pocket watch with jumping hours  in yellow gold with champlevé enamel, guilloché silver dial – 1829

While engraving on watches originally served to reduce glinting , this art has since enabled an infinite variety of decorations on all parts of the watch using relief or intaglio techniques, chamfered and polished by hand. Engraving is often combined with other artistic crafts such as gem setting, guilloché and enamelling. 

This 1922 piece belongs to the grand tradition of engraved watches from the late 18th century, a true golden age for engravers. A line-engraved arabesque motif of leaves covers the caseback, while an enamelled frieze adorns the rim.

Engraved and enamelled yellow gold pocket watch – 1922

Guilloché work, or guillochage, involves the removal of material to engrave non-figurative, often repetitive motifs. The regularity and abstraction of these patterns distinguish guilloché from figurative engraving and are still produced by hand using special engines. Vacheron Constantin's master guillochage craftsmen work with vintage machines, some dating back to the 19th century.

This yellow gold watch has a classic watchmaking look with its finely guilloché black dial and double-bevelled bezel.

Yellow gold watch, black guilloché dial – 1953

Gemsetting involves drilling a seat into the underlying material, adjusting it to the stone it will receive and securing the latter in place. The gemsetting technique – bead setting, bezel setting, prong setting, channel setting, snow setting, invisible setting – varies according to the desired aesthetic.

The ‘gala dress’ jewellery timepiece features a bezel of 18 brilliant-cut, ten marquise-cut diamonds in a delightful floral pattern and a slender bracelet, set with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Gem-set white gold jewellery watch with integrated bracelet, sunburst silver-toned white gold dial – 1964

At the dawn of the 20th century, Grand Complication watches became very popular amongst collectors. As one of the few Manufactures to have a workshop dedicated to highly complicated made-to-order pocket watches, Vacheron Constantin enjoyed a horological golden age.

It was during this period that the Maison produced notable timepieces such as this hunter-type watch featuring a monopusher chronograph with a tachymeter scale, astronomical perpetual calendar and minute repeater.

Hunter-type pink gold pocket watch with minute repeater, chronograph and perpetual calendar, enamel dial – 1901

Building on a reputation for chronometry acquired thanks to numerous watchmaking prizes, the Maison decided to launch a range of such timepieces for everyday use. 

The Chronomètre Royal was born in 1907, when the Maison introduced this highly accurate pocket watch and trademarked the name. Originally designed to withstand the climatic constraints of South America, early models featured a robust, water-resistant case to protect the movement from dust and humidity.

"Chronomètre Royal" yellow gold pocket watch, enamel dial – 1907

Minute-repeater watches are in a class of their own in the world of watchmaking, leveraging both mechanical and musical expertise to deliver auditory clarity and precision. Throughout the 20th century, Vacheron Constantin created models featuring this prestigious yet challenging complication, often with the added constraint of being ultra-thin.

This 37 mm platinum watch is a masterpiece, combining elegant form and a rich, resonant 13’’’ JMV calibre measuring barely 3.25 mm thick.

Platinum minute-repeater watch, silver-toned dial – 1955

Extreme thinness is not traditionally regarded as a complication per se, since it adds no additional function. It does, however, involve a certain degree of complexity. The 20th century is considered the golden age of ultra-slim timepieces, with the rise of wristwatches.

This ultra-thin model is the pocket-watch version of the one nicknamed ‘Disco Volante’ by Italian collectors. Notable for its bevelled caseband, aka ‘knife-shaped case middle,’ it was designed to highlight the slender profile enabled by the Calibre 1003.

‘Disco Volante’ yellow gold pocket watch, sunburst gilt dial – 1959

From the early 19th century onwards, demand for watches incorporating accurate short-time measurements, initially for astronomical observations, evolved rapidly, thanks to aviation, military contexts and sports competitions. Vacheron Constantin participated fully in these developments, listing its first chronograph in 1874. 

This bicompax chronograph featuring a silver-toned dial with tachymeter and telemeter scales is remarkable for its balanced proportions and perfect symmetry. It is equipped with the Calibre 492, a column-wheel movement renowned for its reliability and accuracy.

Yellow gold chronograph watch, sunburst satin-brushed silver-toned dial – 1967

The Maison’s quest for technical mastery and aesthetics drives endless experimentation. Vacheron Constantin began designing pocket watches with jumping displays in the early 19th century, notably the “aperture-type”, where hours are indicated by a disc at 12 o'clock whose units shift incrementally. Later came watches with retrograde displays, so named because the indicator snaps back after completion instead of circling the dial.

The “jumping hour” complication may be paired with a “mysterious” minutes display, as on this model 43040 from 1995, directly inspired by timepieces from the 1920s.

Jumping-hour wristwatch with mysterious minutes display, in platinum, silver-toned guilloché dial, 1995

Developed in the 18th century, the tourbillon was an invaluable solution for pocket watches, worn vertically in a pocket during the day and placed horizontally on a table at night. It relies on a carriage housing the two key components of a mechanical watch: the escapement and balance-spring. Revolving on its axis, the carriage serves as a fourth (seconds) wheel, compensating for the pull of gravity on the balance wheel.

Two centuries later, Vacheron Constantin paired the tonneau shape of its ‘Malte’ collection with such movements, as witness this platinum watch with a sapphire dial showcasing a fully decorated skeletonised complication movement.

Malte tonneau-shaped skeleton tourbillon watch in platinum, engraved movement, power-reserve indicator – 2014