An artistic heritage second to none

After 250 years, Vacheron Constantin still aims to get better every year

Any way you measure it, a quarter of a millennium is a long time. In terms of the life-cycle of most companies, it's almost an eternity.

Established in 1755, master watchmaker Vacheron Constantin this year celebrates 250 years of producing some of the finest watches the world has ever seen.

Juan-Carlos Torres, the brand's deputy chief executive, said that the company's heritage was second to none.

'This is a unique celebration in the watch industry. No other manufacturer can boast 250 years of history without interruption,' he said.

In celebration of this momentous milestone, the brand put together an impressive collection of 250 rare, antique and new pieces that went on auction in Geneva last month. The auction included the first models of 10 limited-edition watches, each fitted with a special black dial that the watch maker will never repeat.

The highlight of the new watches was the stunning Tour de l'Ile, which has been hailed as the most complicated watch ever made. There was also a one-of-a-kind objet d'art that displayed the true magic Vacheron Constantin's artisans are capable of creating.

'Vacheron Constantin has a unique combination of skills, technical know-how and aesthetic values, all linked to its heritage and that give you something different to other brands,' Mr Torres said.

'It is easy to see that Vacheron Constantin is one of the top Swiss watch brands. We are definitely in the top two, or if not that then the top four. We are not No1. It is not our target to be No1, just to be better than last year.'

He said rival brands did not always need to fight against one another; rather, they could learn from each other.

'We know that Patek Philippe is No1, but we have the opportunity to be close behind,' Mr Torres said. 'We are not a copy, but we have the same origin, the same philosophy.'

The Swiss watch industry was like a large family with two sons, he said, and so Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe were like brothers.

'We have a lot of respect for Patek Philippe, but we are going our own way,' Mr Torres said.

What really set Vacheron Constantin apart was its open-door corporate philosophy.

'Nothing is closed. Everyone can speak to a watchmaker or with the boss,' he said. 'We create walls to build this tower, but break walls between people. This is l'esprit du Vacheron. We have a lot of fights, but they are always about real things.'

When someone was willing to openly challenge their superior it showed they were passionate and cared about their work, he said. That passion was evident in the quality of workmanship in the brand's watches, particularly in this year's new creations.

The show-stealing centrepiece of the anniversary collection was L'Esprit des Cabinotiers (See page 2), a simply breathtaking one-of-a-kind creation of exquisite beauty. A beautifully engraved sphere of 18-carat pink gold 220mm in diameter, this astronomical clock opens with the flick of a hidden catch. The upper half of the globe breaks into eight segments that open like the petals of a lotus flower, and the clock itself emerges from within.

The location of the switch to activate the opening mechanism is a secret known only by the owner and a select few people at Vacheron Constantin. At auction, the piece fetched 2,206,250 Swiss francs ($14.5 million).

The watch collection is headed up by the fantastic Tour de l'Ile minute repeater, named after the Geneva building that housed Vacheron's workshops for more than 200 years. With an incredible 16 complications, this watch has been lauded as the most complicated watch ever, and it really is a remarkable feat of watchmaking engineering.

The displays for its many complications need to be spread over both sides of the watch; the front dial shows time, the tourbillon, the power reserve, the phase of the moon, a second time zone and a power indicator for the minute repeater, while the reverse displays day, date, the time equation, age of the moon, the position in the leap-year cycle, plus a representation of the night sky over Geneva.

After heavy bidding, the first of the series finally sold for 1,876,250 Swiss francs - breaking the world record for a modern wristwatch. Six other pieces will be made to complete the limited edition.

Speaking before the auction, Mr Torres said there were two pieces that had caught his eye.

'One is an old, old chronograph in steel from the 1940s,' he said.

'The other is from the new collection, the Saint-Gervais with the 250-hour power reserve. It's great - 250 years and 250 hours. But the technology inside is very special.'

One step down from the Tour de l'Ile, the Saint-Gervais is a limited edition of 55 pieces. Its white gold case contains a Calibre 22509 movement powered by a four-barrel power reserve that lasts 250 hours. Two indicators on the dial show the status of the power reserve, one arm showing from 250 to 125, and the other from 125 downwards. The first in this series was sold for 446,250 Swiss francs.

Paying tribute to the rhythm of the seasons, Metiers d'Art is a four-watch boxed set edition of highly artistic value. The dial has been used as the canvas for a seasonal scene depicted in relief - with Apollo and his chariot taking centre stage - so the hours, minutes, day and date are displayed in 'jumping hour' style through four arced windows encircling the picture.

Each season takes a different metal as its theme - white gold for spring, yellow gold for summer, pink gold for autumn and platinum for winter.

Twelve sets of the four watches are being produced, with the first set having fetched the same amount at the auction as the Saint-Gervais - 446,250 Swiss francs.

The last of this year's releases is the Jubile 1755, a classically understated Vacheron Constantin watch. Powered by an automatic movement, the watch has a simple dial featuring simply the time plus offset dials for day and date, plus a power reserve indicator above the 6 o'clock position.

The watch is a limited edition of 1,755 - 500 in yellow gold, 500 in white gold, 500 in pink gold, 250 in platinum and five more which will remain in the Vacheron Constantin museum.

Before the auction, the entire collection toured the globe, beginning in New York then going on display in Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong and Beijing before arriving in Geneva.

In addition to I'Esprit des Cabinotiers and the first issues of the brand's 250th Anniversary Special Edition Timepieces collection, the sale included 242 historic pieces dating back to the late 18th century.

Researching the history and checking the documentation of every antique piece had been a major effort, Mr Torres said, but worth it in the end.

When it all went under the hammer in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhone, Geneva, on April 3, the collection raised an incredible 18,123,069 Swiss francs.

Born in the Spanish city of Barcelona, Mr Torres moved to Switzerland in 1960 after he had finished his university degree. His entry into the watch industry was with Camy Watch, a small company which he said was 'low level' and 'difficult to develop'. But Mr Torres must have done something right; in 1981, he was approached by the then director of Vacheron Constantin.

'I said 'Okay - what is Vacheron Constantin?' I was very young.'

When he arrived in the company's workshop, however, he said he was 'immediately convinced'. The staff's belief in the company was contagious, he said, and he was soon under the spell too.

'It's a great story, a great adventure,' Mr Torres said. 'When I started with Vacheron Constantin, we were just 65 or 67 people. Now there are more than 500 employees and the turnover and profit have increased by 20 times.

'This gives us something to be proud of.'

Looking to the future, Mr Torres said the brand had to avoid losing touch with its heritage.

'We must continue with serenity,' he said. 'We have 250 years, now we have to continue to 251, 252, 253, and on to the 300th anniversary.

'It's important to respect the past because this is not a short story - there is no quick payback.'