Vacheron Constantin Brings the 1755 Geneva Night Sky to Life
Vacheron Constantin reveals the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time, a poetic, double-sided celebration of 270 years.
To mark its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin reveals a creation that transcends traditional watchmaking.
The Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time is a philosophical statement on the meaning of time, interpreted through mechanical ingenuity and exceptional artistry.
Three years in the making, this double-sided timepiece houses the new Calibre 3670, a manually wound movement composed of 512 components.
Its technical brilliance is underscored by four patent applications, including a sophisticated governor that synchronises the retrograde hands so they return in perfect harmony at midnight.
Despite its complexity, the calibre is a feat of miniaturisation, fitting into a 43 mm white gold case with the refined proportions demanded by collectors of haute horlogerie.
A frequency of 5 hertz and three barrels deliver a generous six-day power reserve, ensuring consistent precision even as the watch performs its remarkable displays.
The dial presents a spectacle that is both playful and profound. A golden, patinated human figure stands at its centre, its arms sweeping across two arcs to indicate the hours and minutes in a bi-retrograde display.
This poetic gesture references the 1930 “Bras en l’Air” pocket watch, but with a contemporary twist: the time may be displayed continuously or revealed on demand with a discreet pusher.
It is a watch that invites interaction, a reminder that time can be both hidden and revealed at will.
Above this celestial figure stretches a star map reproducing the night sky over Geneva on 17 September 1755, the very date of Vacheron Constantin’s founding.
The maison worked with astronomers from the Geneva Observatory to determine the precise position of each star on that historic night.
The dial also integrates a three-dimensional titanium moon, hand-engraved and treated with contrasting finishes to replicate its phases and age with astronomical precision.
Turning the watch over reveals a second tableau: a laser-engraved sky chart on sapphire crystal that displays sidereal time and tracks the constellations in real time, with a deviation of just one day in 9,130 years.
The double retrograde power reserve indicators, too, are as much a visual pleasure as a functional tool.
The Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time is as much a triumph of craft as it is of engineering. Each component, whether visible or hidden, is hand-finished.
The choice of circular satin brushing for the bridges avoids distracting reflections, enhancing the legibility of the dial and reinforcing the quiet sophistication of the piece.
From the titanium figure to the opaline-finished arcs and the gold indexes, every detail is executed with a rare harmony of tradition and innovation.
Sandrine Donguy, Vacheron Constantin’s Product and Innovation Director, describes the watch as “a singular blend of technical achievement and artistic expression.”
Indeed, it reinterprets two of the maison’s most important signatures, astronomical complications and retrograde displays, with a contemporary eye.
It is a companion to the anniversary astronomical clock La Quête du Temps, and a fitting emblem of the brand’s enduring philosophy, articulated by François Constantin in 1819: “Do better if possible, and that is always possible.”
Limited to just twenty numbered pieces, available exclusively through Vacheron Constantin boutiques, this creation speaks directly to collectors for whom timekeeping is not simply a necessity but a lifelong passion.
The Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time is a celebration of 270 years of human ingenuity, the embodiment of a quest that continues to inspire one of the most storied maisons in Swiss watchmaking.
