SIHH 2019: How Vacheron Constantin stays relevant – 260 years after it was founded

Vacheron Constantin wears the weight of its 260-year history lightly. As CEO Louis Ferla says, “The challenge when you have a long history is that you must improve and progress so you are still relevant to your clients.” He notes that the huge volume of information so freely available today means some clients are truly knowledgeable.

“They want more from us so we have to constantly innovate.” With every new concept, the brand asks the questions: “Is it a true innovation? Is it in line with our DNA? Can we apply it in a way that is commercially viable?”

These innovations can be spectacular. “One thing that is quite amazing,” says Ferla, “is that we are the oldest watchmaker, having made watches continuously since 1755, yet we are also a very innovative watchmaker.

“I just have to look back over the last few years – in 2015 we did Ref 57260 with 57 complications, still the most complicated watch ever made, then Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600, which won the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie in 2017.”

Now there is Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Phoenix, which Ferla notes is “an evolution of the research on Ref 57260” and which was eight years in incubation. The movement is highly complex and the case is heavily engraved.

Like it or not, you cannot be indifferent, Furla says. “It is unique and powerful, both from a technical point of view and from the level of the artistry. For us, it pushes the limit.”

Such watches never see the inside of a watch store and are known to the general public only through the media. Much more immediately recognisable are the collections which have been augmented by new options with arresting shades of blue and a sunburst effect for the dial. “For the Patrimony collection, it is Majestic Blue; for Fiftysix, it is the opaline Petrol Blue. We worked hard to find the right blue for each, to replicate, and then standardise it.”