Vacheron Constantin Unveils SIHH 2014 Sneak Peek
Luxury watchmaker Vacheron Constantin has unveiled three new creations in advance of the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. With just over 60 days to go until the watch fair, here is your first look:
The Malte Tourbillon Collection Excellence Platine is the newest addition to Vacheron Constantin’s famous Collection Excellence Platine. The Malte Tourbillon, which was originally introduced last year in pink gold, will be released in a 50-piece platinum edition. The Malte Tourbillon Collection Excellence Platine features a 38mm x 48.24mm case in 950 platinum. The dial is also in platinum, with white gold Roman numerals and hour-markers, and “Pt 950” inscribed between 4 and 5 o’clock.
The pièce de résistance, the tourbillon, is featured at 6 o’clock, with small seconds indicated on the tourbillon carriage. Its 169-part mechanical hand-wound Calibre 2795 gives this timepiece an almost two-day power reserve. It is completed by a dark blue Mississippiensis alligator leather strap hand-sewn with silk and 950 platinum threads, and a 950 platinum folding clasp. Only 50 individually numbered pieces of the Malte Tourbillon Collection Excellence Platine will be produced.
The Malte tourbillon high jewellery combines the manufacture’s watchmaking and gem-setting arts. A 38mm x 48.24 diameter 18K white gold case features 208 invisibly-set baguette-cut diamonds, with a further 20 baguette-cut diamonds on the caseback and 4 baguette-cut diamonds on the crown. The 18K gold dial is also paved with 174 baguette-cut diamonds, and features hours, minutes, and small seconds on the tourbillon carriage. According to the manufacture, over 100 hours of goldsmithing work went into the composition of the diamonds, for a total weight of approximately 19.6 carats.
The Malte tourbillon high jewellery model also meets the criteria of the Hallmark of Geneva with its 169-part mechanical hand-wound Calibre 2795, which boasts an almost two-day power reserve. It is completed by a black Mississippiensis alligator leather strap with an 18K white gold folding clasp paved with 12 baguette-cut diamonds.
The Patrimony Traditionnelle high jewellery small model is a further testimony to Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art. The newest addition to the manufacture’s Patrimony collection, this timepiece features a 30mm diameter case in 18K white gold, paved with 124 baguette-cut diamonds. The crown is set with 12 baguette-cut diamonds and the 18K gold dial is paved with 156 baguette-cut diamonds. The dial features hours and minutes.
The Patrimony Traditionnelle high jewellery small model is completed by a black satin stitched-tip strap with an 18K white gold buckle set with 12 baguette-cut diamonds. The model also comes in 40 and 35 mm versions, both driven by a mechanical movement.
Photos courtesy Vacheron Constantin.