Style Edit: How Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers timepieces reflect the Swiss maison’s love for travel – from Beijing to New York, with engravings of dragons, monuments and skyscrapers
- Travel is Vacheron Constantin’s theme for the year, and its latest collection pays tribute to the likes of Angkor Thom in Cambodia and Beijing’s Old Summer Palace
- The Grisaille High Jewellery Dragon features a hand-painted, five-clawed imperial dragon with green grisaille enamel dial – it’s a first for Vacheron Constantin
Intricately rendered depictions of Angkor Thom in Cambodia, the otherworldly Temple of Confucius in Beijing and the majestic Chinese imperial Old Summer Palace grace the faces of new timepieces by revered Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin. The renderings, created in meticulous engraving in three gold colours, are done with an artistry akin to that of a masterpiece painting, evoking a similar wonderment as the 15th century Gates of Paradise on the main gate of the Florence Baptistery in Italy.
The watches are from the brand’s latest Les Cabinotiers – Récits de Voyages collection, and part of the single-piece Les Cabinotiers – Memorable Places edition.
“China is a fascinating country with which Vacheron Constantin has a long shared history dating back to the 19th century,” says the maison’s heritage and style director, Christian Selmoni. “This year’s theme is dedicated to travel. With Les Cabinotiers, we are creating exclusively unique pieces in two modes: the bespoke mode in which a client asks us to create the watch of their dreams and we happily create it. The other mode, which we introduced five years ago, is the creation of unique watches according to a thematic collection inspired by a creative universe dear to the maison.”
Last year, the theme was related to aquatic kingdoms and this year, it is dedicated to travel, cultural prowess and adventure.
For those unaware, the first half of the 19th century was a period of international expansion for Vacheron Constantin. The maison established itself in Cuba and India and found a representative in Brazil while also creating and delivering watches throughout the Mediterranean. It also went further to Asia and more specifically, China, as is clearly represented in these timepieces.
During the mid-19th century, when new commercial opportunities opened for Europeans in Asia, Vacheron Constantin became one of the manufactures that contributed to establishing the jewellery watch in the Chinese market. This prompted numerous partnerships between the maison and Asia.
In 2015, in celebration of 65 years of bilateral relations between China and Switzerland, the maison staged the “Geneva at the Heart of Time – The Origin of Swiss Watchmaking Culture” exhibition, in partnership with Geneva’s Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, at the Capital Museum in Beijing. It marked the largest watchmaking exhibition ever held in Asia, featuring over 350 pieces, one third of which came from Vacheron Constantin’s heritage collection, recounts Selmoni.
