In 1912, seeking to make a clean break with the rounded shapes of pocket watches and display a decidedly avant-garde spirit, Vacheron Constantin became one of the first watch manufacturers to offer barrel-shaped or ‘tonneau’ cases. This shape became iconic right from its first appearance, widely appealing to both men and women. Over the past century, it has come to be associated with the most prestigious horological complications, as notably interpreted in the Malte collection.
This year, Vacheron Constantin presents four new releases enriching the Malte collection: a white gold men’s model and three new mechanical watches dedicated to women.
The applied gold Roman numerals, as well as the hour and minute hands and the small seconds hand on the non-set version, adopt a slender aesthetic that is discreet, contemporary and exquisitely feminine.
The new Malte small models come in a curving 28.30 x 38.75 mm case making a perfect fit on the daintiest wrists and housing a mechanical hand-wound movement, Calibre 1400. Developed and crafted by Vacheron Contantin, the latter may be admired through a transparent tonneau-shaped case-back echoing the shape of the case. A strap in Mississipiensis alligator leather or satin prolongs the feminine appeal of this model right the way through to the diamond-set or non-set half Maltese Cross-shaped pin buckle.
All three models bear the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva.
Above and beyond appearances, creating a pure watch embodying the simplest possible horological expression is an extremely subtle exercise in achieving a perfectly proportioned balance.
This men’s model stemmed from this desire to offer a traditional timepiece of which the simplicity is equalled only by the refinement of its harmonious curves. It appears in an 18K white gold 36.7 x 47.6 mm case. The hour-markers and the Roman numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock, the collection’s signature features, are also crafted from white gold and have been redesigned to hug the new curves of the tonneau case. The hour, minute and small seconds hand are steadily driven by Calibre 4400AS, which may be admired in action through the transparent case-back shaped to match the case. Acknowledged for the meticulous care lavished on ensuring its reliability as well as its exceptional finishing, it bears the Hallmark of Geneva, a symbol of horological expertise and excellence. This new model in the Malte collection is fitted with a black Mississipiensis alligator leather strap secured by a white gold buckle shaped like a half Maltese Cross.
