2013/02/15

*Vacheron Constantin "New Productions 2013"

Vacheron Constantin the Patrimony collection in a celebration of the woman’s watch

 

Feminine creations vitalise the Patrimony Contemporaine and Patrimony Traditionnelle lines.

• An exceptional tribute to fine jewellery, with a dial set entirely in baguette diamonds, demonstrates the brand’s mastery of the art.
• These new watches are all stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva.
  

The Patrimony collection is custodian to the true horological tradition and is thus part of Vacheron Constantin’s genetic make-up. The unvaryingly round cases express the enduring classic style in a renewed testimony to the Vacheron Constantin’s heritage. The innate elegance of these timepieces is distilled from centuries of expertise, today with the investiture of the Geneva hallmark.

While the Patrimony Contemporaine watches embrace the present, the Patrimony Traditionnelle models lay claim, as their name suggests, to a classic style in keeping with watchmaking’s historical legacy. Finally, the Patrimony High Jewellery timepiece is a reminder that the craftsmen of fine watchmaking can unite their talents with the most skilful jewellers.

Patrimony Contemporaine Lady gold bracelet
The eternal circle. The Patrimony Contemporaine presents its ever-round cases with an understatement that has become a byword in the upper echelons of watchmaking. Timeless, yet in the spirit of the times, the collection this year hosts a lady’s watch with a diameter of 36mm. Two versions give free consent to the marriage between style and technique. In the new design, the clean lines of the case are softened by the warmth of pink gold, which goes admirably with the complexion of both models.

The first crowns an opaline silver-toned dial framed by a bezel circled with round diamonds. The original, diamond-set minutes scale is another feature that ties the watch to the spirit of the times. The fine applied hour markers and slender hands for the hours and minutes are curved to follow the external curve of the dial. The central seconds hand sweeps over diamonds and gold while the date display at 6 o'clock sets the finishing touch to a demonstration of harmony and balance. Urbane elegance extends to a pink gold bracelet with links that gently hold the wrist. The case’s display back gives a superb view of the mechanical self-winding calibre 2450 movement that was developed and built in Vacheron Constantin’s workshops.

The second version, paved with almost 800 diamonds, pays a further tribute to the Maison’s expertise in jewellery. The gems take over the entire surface of the dial and invade the bezel and the outside of the bracelet. The proprietary calibre 2460 shows off its exceptional workmanship through the display back.

These two Patrimony Contemporaine models comply with the new requirements of the Hallmark of Geneva (Poinçon de Genève).

Institutionalised by the parliament of the Republic and Canton of Geneva in 1886, the hallmark is an umbrella guarantee of provenance, workmanship, durability and skill. Once independent, this unmatched label of quality was thoroughly overhauled in 2011. The certification no longer applies to just the movement, but now to the watch as a whole. This is a major milestone for this hallmark of authenticity that has long had Vacheron Constantin’s support in its endeavour to meet the real expectations of ever more discerning customers.

 

Patrimony Traditionnelle Lady manual-winding
The new Patrimony Traditionnelle pays a glowing tribute to women. Following the true watchmaking tradition, it brings to notice a conventional style with a timeless appeal, particularly to the most demanding clients seeking an authentic watch with a heritage. They will also appreciate the fine workmanship of a watch meeting the norms of the new Hallmark of Geneva that now applies to the entire finished watch rather than to its movement only.

Cut from pink or white gold, the slender case of the new Patrimony Traditionnelle for women is accentuated in its new diameter of 33 mm. A bezel set with 54 round-cut diamonds provides the illumination for the style markers of this collection: the minute track painted in brown or grey, applied hour markers and Dauphine hands made from solid gold circling over an opaline silver- toned dial. A strap made of Alligator mississippiensis, in midnight blue or taupe, signs off a watch that has left nothing to chance.

The high-grade mechanical manual-winding movement, calibre 1400, bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva is the true reflection of a genuinely artistic approach. The finish of this movement is done entirely by hand following a tradition passed down through the generations since 1755 and according to the most exacting rules of the art of watchmaking. The flat surfaces are adorned with Côtes de Genève (Geneva stripes) and the sharp edges chamfered and polished, even on the heads and slots of each screw. There can be no truer expression of the watchmaker’s art.

 

Patrimony Traditionnelle High Jewellery
Should yet another testimony to Vacheron Constantin’s skills in orchestrating the crafts of artistic watchmaking be needed, the new jewellery model in the Patrimony collection is the obvious candidate. Its 35 mm diameter stages an extraordinary spectacle of light. A dazzling 16.2-carat flooring of claw-set baguette diamonds makes time go on forever. This model also comes in a 40 mm dial.

Case, dial and clasp: not a speck of white gold is unpaved by diamonds. The round-cut stones radiate from the centre of the face in increasing circles to cover its entire surface. The effect is truly mesmerising.

The watchmaker takes up the gem-setter’s challenge. The calibre 1400, of proven renown, has to reside in this glittering palace. The mechanical manual-winding movement is visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback. The finish of this movement is done entirely by hand following a tradition passed down through the generations since 1755 and according to the most exacting rules of the art of watchmaking. The flat surfaces are adorned with Côtes de Genève and the sharp edges chamfered and polished, even on the heads and slots of each screw. There can be no truer expression of the watchmaker’s art.

There must be no exceptions for such an exceptional watch. The Patrimony Traditionnelle High Jewellery can thus boast the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Institutionalised by the parliament of the Republic and Canton of Geneva in 1886, the hallmark is an umbrella guarantee of provenance, workmanship, durability and skill. Once independent, this unmatched label of quality was thoroughly overhauled in 2011. The certification no longer applies to just the movement, but now to the watch as a whole. This is a major milestone for this hallmark of authenticity that has long had Vacheron Constantin’s support.