At the occasion of its 260th anniversary celebrations, the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin is making a remarkable return to its roots by enriching its Métiers d’Art collection with two timepieces distinguished by movements that are entirely hand-engraved in keeping with classic ornamental watchmaking traditions. The plates and bridges of the hand-wound 2260 and 4400 calibers are adorned with delicate floral motifs, reminiscent of the engravings gracing the first pocket Brewitling replica watches online created by Vacheron Constantin from 1755 onwards. Housed in a precious platinum case, these two iconic movements from the Manufacture feature traditional tone-on-tone decors expressing a desire to achieve a pure, understated design. The scrolling motifs and arabesques pay tribute to the acanthus leaf, an exceptional source of inspiration consistently celebrated since Antiquity across all forms of artistic expression. Engraving, which has been used in watchmaking right from its very origins, is a demanding art requiring extreme expertise and dexterity on the part of the master artisan who sculpts tiny parts without ever compromising their perfect aesthetic and functionality. The skilfully engraved parts endow these timepieces with a distinctive stature, confirmed by the Hallmark of Geneva.
After recently providing an airily graceful interpretation of the art of openworking in its most contemporary and architectural expression, the Métiers d’Art collection by Vacheron Constantin pays an elegant tribute to the traditional engraving of Haute Horlogerie movements. To exalt the beauty of the two iconic in-house movements, Calibers 2260 and 4400 have been adorned with floral motifs inspired by ancient jewellery. Reflecting the finest ornamental traditions, these scrolling motifs and arabesques are hand-engraved on functional parts so as to magnify their exceptional mechanics and unique aesthetic appeal. Epitomising these traditional decors, the acanthus leaf appearing on these two movements is a characteristic ornamental element in classic Greek architecture. Its earliest representations date back to the fifth century BC, when it adorned the capitals of Corinthian columns. Thanks to its stylised shape affording inexhaustible interpretive freedom, the acanthus leaf is depicted on countless artistic creations dotted across the history of Western civilisation, especially during the Renaissance and the Baroque period. A symbol of eternity, victory and glory, this refined plant-life motif has found its way through the centuries, expressed in a rich variety of fields including engraving, marquetry, embroidery and painting. Its distinctive curves thus adorn a number of pocket-Montblanc replica watches sale movements at the heart of the Vacheron Constantin heritage. Subsequently a number of calibers developed by the Manufacture have been graced with some remarkable hand-crafted decorations: 18th century floral motifs; mid-19th century scrolling patterns; cherubs and arabesques in the 1920s; “mille feuilles” (“thousand-leaf swirls”) in the 1940s, and arabesques once more in the 1980s. To honour this ancestral art that has consistently exalted its horological expertise since its early years, the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin has chosen the Métiers d’Art collection to house two timepieces equipped with calibers entirely hand-engraved in keeping with the tenets of traditional decorative work.
The art of engraving on an infinitely small scale
While the extremely malleable acanthus leaf motif gives artists from all horizons almost boundless scope for expression, engraving the functional parts of an Haute Horlogerie movement is an astoundingly delicate task. A miniaturised work of art such that only the most virtuoso master- engravers can even begin to envisage, since the extreme slenderness of the parts to be engraved calls for impressive dexterity and expertise in order to reveal a motif without ever damaging the functionality of complex mechanisms. Eager to magnify two benchmark calibers and to demonstrate the talent of its gifted Artisans, the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin made the demanding choice of maintaining the movement composition exactly as usual. This means that no part to be engraved has been made any thicker to facilitate the task of the engraver, who must therefore sculpt surfaces that are less than one millimetre thick. In addition to the supreme challenge of miniaturisation, this infinitely delicate work consists in engraving motifs on parts that have been previously bevelled, straight-grained, circular-grained and polished by the decorative artisans of the Manufacture – since, like all movements developed by Vacheron Constantin, Calibers 2260 and 4400 feature superlative Haute Horlogerie finishes. Performing the last stage in a remarkable ornamental process, the master engraver works with no safety net, intensely focused and driven by a constant concern to avoid any scratching of the perfectly finished surfaces. Using a tool known as a chisel, he first marks out a line engraving to define the contours of the motif. He then conscientiously removes a certain amount of material using the champlevé technique. This operation that involves hollowing to a depth of 2/10 of a millimetre serves to create a volume effect and brings out the raised motif. With parts sometimes measuring less than 0.35 mm thick, there is a considerable risk of piercing or distorting the metal. Working around the chamfers, the inside of the bridges and plates as well as the jewel holes – which cannot be altered in any way – is a particularly meticulous task. This painstakingly intricate labour of love, entailing more than ten days spent engraving a single caliber, reveals an admirable contrast between the brilliance of the polished motifs and the matt appearance of the other surfaces. A subtly patinated anthracite colour is finely wrought with a tiny pointed tip, enhancing the volumes and relief effects. In a clever play on light and shade, the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées models provide an original interpretation of the grand ornamental tradition, imbued with a powerful sense of understated elegance.
Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées – 14-day tourbillon, Caliber 2260/1
Set off to perfection within a 41 mm-diameter round case in 950 platinum featuring a concave bezel that intensifies its finesse, the engraved 2660/1 caliber is a mechanical hand-wound tourbillon movement with an exceptional 14-day power reserve. Its slightly off-centred hour and minute functions highlight the tourbillon carriage, coupled with a small seconds display. The power reserve is read off with a “dragging” or “trailing” hand that displays the remaining energy on a 280° sector. This larger surface than on traditional indicators enables a precise division into 14 days, themselves split into two 12-hour portions, thus enhancing the readability of the power reserve.
The architecture of the 231-part movement features two large bridges, delicately hand-engraved with floral motifs and acanthus leaves, and visible through the sapphire crystal back of the case which is water-resistant to 30 metres. On the display side, the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées – 14-day tourbillon by Vacheron Constantin provides a stunning view of the tourbillon carriage shaped like a Maltese Cross and adorned with the most refined finishes. Swept over by anthracite-toned white gold hands and composed of two distinct parts, the sapphire crystal dial features frosted zones ensuring perfect readability of the engraved and inked small seconds and power-reserve graduations, while a slate grey ring bears the minute circle and a white gold Maltese cross. Revealed through the transparency of the dial, the stunning scrolling motifs and arabesques exalt the extreme beauty and rare elegance of an entirely hand-engraved work of art requiring more than a week’s work for a single movement.
Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées, Caliber 4400/1
One of the most iconic base movements from the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin, hand-wound Caliber 4400 finds supremely delicate expression in the Métiers d’Art collection. Hosted in a precious 950 platinum, 39 mm-diameter round case with a concave bezel accentuating its elegance and slenderness, this entirely hand-engraved caliber drives hour and minute functions. Comprising 127 parts whose carefully preserved original thinness entails impressive feats of precision on the part of the master-engraver who decorates them, this movement has a generous almost 3-day power reserve. Free of any dial so as to enable an unobstructed view of the remarkable engravings adorning its mainplate and bridges, the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées model features graceful white gold hands whose deep grey shade makes a perfect match with the slate grey tone of the minute circle enhanced by a white gold Maltese cross. The transparency of the sapphire crystal fitted both on the display side and on the back of the 30-metre water-resistant case, reveal the subtle floral motifs. This fine and delicate workmanship involves more than 10 days to engrave a single 4400/1 caliber.
Harking back to the origins of traditional Breitling replica watchmaking ornamentation, the new Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées models embody an ideal alliance between watchmaking techniques and the artistic crafts passionately perpetuated by Vacheron Constantin for 260 years. Rare by their very nature, these two exceptional timepieces are available exclusively in Vacheron Constantin boutiques.
