Fine watchmaking is an amalgamation of craftsmanship, technical artistry and innovation. Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest watch Manufacture, not only excels in these characteristics but has over the years produced timepieces of ingenuity through generations of master craftsmen. While every creation to leave the hallowed manufacture is a masterpiece, the Les Cabinotiers collection is a class apart. Created by highly skilled craftsmen, the watches under Les Cabinotiers collection feature unique, bespoke and magnificent workmanship.
The renowned watchmakers of Les Cabinotiers, since the 18th century, have been engaged in crafting extraordinary timepieces inspired by astronomy, science, nature and the arts. This year, the Manufacture has unveiled two novelties as part of its Pre-SIHH 2019 collection – Les Cabinotiers Mécaniques Sauvages and Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix.
Les Cabinotiers Mécaniques Sauvages
The Les Cabinotiers Mécaniques Sauvages timepieces exemplifies the manufacture’s centuries’ old creativity and technical prowess. In varieties of minute repeaters and armillary tourbillon watches, the collection pays tribute to the bestial world.
In the Les Cabinotiers Mysterious Animals Tiger, equipped with a 2460 G4 calibre driving four displays appearing through four apertures, the focal art scene depicts a tiger emerging from a bamboo forest and appearing at the centre of the dial which is intricately hand-engraved. The hours, minutes, day and date which are arranged around the dial periphery showcase the importance the maison gives to its Artistic Crafts.
The regal bird, falcon, takes form in the Les Cabinotiers Grisaille Falcon this time featuring the Grand Feu grisaille enamel “Blanc de Limoges” on the dials of this exquisite model. The timepiece is equipped with a self-winding movement, a stop-seconds device bringing the seconds hand to a halt that guarantees a more accurate adjustmen; this feature also enables better longevity as a result of the ceramic ball bearings on the oscillating weight.
The Les Cabinotiers 2755 Eagle has a total of seven complications, that includes an unusual minute repeater fitted with a centripetal system for effective sound diffusion. The Vacheron Constantin Eagle watch also shows a power reserve of 55 hours.
Vacheron Constantin’s SIHH 2019 fair also flaunts the Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Snake watch that has six patents filed for exceptional technological innovation The SIHh snake watch is highlighted with the artistry of a three-dimensional reptile that wraps around the watch. This breathtaking timepiece is equipped with a double retrograde armillary tourbillon, inspired from the Reference 57260 watch that includes 57 complications and has among its highlights high-tech materials like silicon for the pallet-lever and escape-wheel, and aluminium for the tourbillon carriage.
The king of the jungle comes alive through brilliant creativity showcased in the Les Cabinotiers 14-day Tourbillon Lion. This model features a Maltese cross-shaped tourbillon with a 14-day power reserve. This technical combination is matched by inimitable combination of skills: the case features engraving, while the dial is accentuated with grisaille enamel. The technique features a two-pronged process – first the gold plate is coated with a uniform dark brown layer and fired in the kiln. This process is followed by the application of a very rare type of white Grand Feu enamel known as “Blanc de Limoges”. This lends the material with fine shades of grey, brown and white, together with the creation of shading effects.
Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix
The one-of-a-kind timepiece Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix has been inspired by the legend of the undying bird. Thereby, giving the power of eternity to the timepiece. Powering this sensational timepiece are 15 complications.
A remarkable example of technical artistry, the timepiece features an array of indications visible on both sides of the watch. This includes a perpetual calendar, equation of time, sunrise and sunset, sky chart, seasons, signs of the zodiac, age and phase of the moon, solstices, sidereal hours and minutes. A minute repeater and a tourbillon complete this exceptional list of functions. The timepiece highlights the exceptional talent of the watchmakers of the Les Cabinotiers department for accommodating all these functions within the limited space of the case by scaling down the size of all components without compromising on their reliability.
The two dials on either side of the watch is accentuated through a beautiful slate-grey shade on which the numerals and hands stand out. A pink gold case shines brilliantly in this elegant timepiece. On such a complex piece legibility is not an issue, thanks to the structured layout of the additional counters and time indications.
The famed Calibre 2755 has been incorporated to drive the various functions of this extremely complicated watch. The manual-winding movement featuring a 58-hour power reserve pays homage to some of the models from Vacheron Constantin especially the exceptional Grand Complication category to which the Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix belongs.
Bringing to fore the artisans’ skill in this fantastic timepiece is pounced ornament or bas-relief for the case-band as well as fine line engraving for the bezel and case-back. A technique so complex that a craftsman requires at least a decade’s experience to faultlessly sculpt gold to create a three-dimensional effect of this extremity. The process involves 300 hours of relentless craftsmanship and is highlighted in the beauty of the phoenix, the crowning glory on the timepiece.
