I have visited the Vacheron Constantin manufacture on several occasions – a couple of times as part of a press group, where we followed the production of a watch from conception to completion, another time was with a class of 10-year-old children who were working on a “design a watch” project (don’t ask me how I got involved in this – these things just find me), and last year when we did our first GMT Publishing Total Immersion project that took us to a number of different workshops.
During a “Total Immersion” experience, we typically spend one or two days exploring a watch brand and creating tons of original content in written and video format. We interview the experts, delve into the history of the brand, discover new timepieces, and get a glimpse at truly how complicated their timepieces are to make, all with the view of sharing it with you, dear WorldTempus reader.
This year, we decided to immerse ourselves even deeper into the Vacheron Constantin Manufacture where we were allowed beyond the confines of the typical factory visit to explore the archives. With 269 years of uninterrupted history, this large temperature- and humidity-controlled room houses accounts, promotional material, plans, technical drawings, catalogues, and more. One of the key topics for Vacheron Constantin this year is the 20th anniversary of the Patrimony collection, whose very first watches were inspired by even earlier timepieces. So, it is here in the archives that we start our research with Vacheron Constantin’s Director of Style & Heritage Christian Selmoni.
From there, we go to one of the beautifully decorated reception rooms on the top floor where Sandrine Donguy, Vacheron Constantin’s Product, Marketing & Innovation Director greets GMT’s Co-Editor-in-Chief, Marie de Pimodan. They are meeting to discuss one of the brand’s latest collaborations with Haute-Couture designer Yiqing Yin. Yin has imagined a one-of-a-kind timepiece in the Egérie collection called the Pleats of Time. This timepiece not only calls upon the talents of Yin, but incorporates a fragrance from master perfumer Dominique Ropion. Stay tuned to find out more about this during the week.
During our visit, we also got to discover some historic pieces from the Maison’s private collection and our Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Wong got her white gloves on for the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph Collection Excellence Platine for a “macro-lens” treatment in the Showcase!
So, over the next few days, we are going to be sharing all these wonderful stories with you on WorldTempus and in our sister publication, GMT Magazine, which comes out on Wednesday 26th June. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube (just type “WorldTempus”) to keep up with the action.
So, without further ado, let’s kick off with this “sneak peek” video that will take you to some of the places we were lucky enough to visit on this exceptional manufacture visit.
