As the world's oldest watchmaker, Vacheron Constantin faces high expectations from its admirers and competitors. With this year's record-breaking ultra-thin pieces, a Japanese lacquer addition to the Metiers d'Art collection and the introduction of three complicated models in platinum, the brand more than delivers in response to demands.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin's Calibre 1003 which, with a thickness of 1.64mm, is still the world's thinnest mechanical manual-winding movement on the market.
The movement was first launched in 1955 to equip three round watches, which became the world's thinnest watches at the time, measuring 4.54mm. Vacheron Constantin reinterpreted one of those three watches this year to case the Calibre 1003. This new timepiece, the Historique Ultra-fine 1955, has now set the record for the world's thinnest hand-wound watch at 4.10mm thick.
To make 2010 a tribute year to the brand's success with ultra-thin timepieces over the years, Vacheron Constantin, founded in 1755, released another reinterpretation of a decades-old ultra-thin watch.
Production of the ultra-thin self-winding Calibre 1120 began in 1967 and the movement was housed in a square-shaped model from 1968.
The new model released this year is equipped with the same movement, but now with a water resistance of three bars and a Maltese Cross which decorates an oscillating weight which gives a power reserve of about 40 hours.