For its latest exploration into traditional craftsmanship, Vacheron Constantin has looked eastwards—specifically, to China. The Swiss watchmaker is no stranger to métiers d’art, nor Chinese inspirations. These days, its Chinese zodiac-themed artistic watches are something to look forward to every Lunar New Year. But these new timepieces, Tribute to Traditional Symbols, go a step further in the way they delve into history.
The main design element is the ‘seawater cliff’ motif, an especially auspicious decorative element that was in use during the Ming and Qing dynasties, a period that stretched from the 14th to 20th centuries. It was prominently used on imperial clothing, but also found on architecture, furniture, and pottery. To dive into these historical details, Vacheron Constantin consulted extensively with a Mr Song, the Former Associate Research Librarian of the Palace Museum in Beijing’s Forbidden City.
The first of two designs is the colourful and dynamic Eternal Flow, and makes use of cloisonné enamelling—an ancient technique commonly used for Swiss metiers d’art watches today, but one actually invented in China. Cloisonné involves laying down pieces of delicate gold wire to outline swatches of coloured enamel; Eternal Flow has 220 of these pieces, taking more than 50 hours to accomplish. Layering the enamel, which needs great care due to the various shades and intensities, takes a further 70 hours. To set off the exquisite enamelwork, the bezel of the watch is hand-engraved with a bat motif—the bat being a symbol of good fortune.
The second design, called Moonlight Slivers, is a more restrained and moodier piece that is accomplished by grand feu enamelling and gem-setting. A dark blue base is engraved with a wave pattern, one that is then filled with white enamel. In the foreground, a mountain range stands in relief, engraved with tone-on-tone champlevé enamel inlays. Raised, diamond-set spouts suggest the tops of crashing waves illuminated by moonlight. The dial holds 239 brilliant-cut diamonds, while the bezel sports another 74.
Housed in an elegant case 39mm in diameter and less than 10mm in thickness, and powered by a self-winding two-hand calibre, each design is offered in pink gold or white gold. Each of the four variants is limited to 15 pieces. “These métiers d’art series celebrate decorative techniques applied to watchmaking and jewellery, while inspired by art, history and culture,” Vacheron Constantin’s style & heritage director, Christian Selmoni, said in a statement. “It’s up to a maison like Vacheron Constantin, which is strongly committed to preserving artistic craftsmanship, to highlight these techniques by drawing inspiration from the most accomplished creations in this field.”
