Why 1755?
Manufactures frequently give their birth year but how many have actual proof? What of Vacheron Constantin’s 1755? Is it the year of the first atelier, or “cabinet” as they were then known? The first watch? The founder’s birth? Nope! 1755 is the year Jean-Marc Vacheron hired his first apprentice, Esaïe Jean François Hetier. The young man would spend five years alongside his master, for the sum of 1,000 florins; the equivalent today of around 10,000 euros. Certified by a notary, the document was signed on September 17, 1755 and bears the oldest known mention of the master watchmaker and founder of a dynasty that would become Vacheron Constantin. Jean-Marc Vacheron would stay 30 years at the workbench, retiring and handing over to his sons in 1785.
Back in time
For many years, the official birth date of Vacheron Constantin wasn’t 1755 but 1785 – believed to be the year that Abraham Vacheron, a member of the second generation, set up in business. The new date of 1755 – 30 years earlier – was established after contemporary investigations located the abovementioned apprenticeship certificate, which wasn’t part of the company’s records, in archives held by the State of Geneva. This original document confirmed the Manufacture’s year of birth as 1755.
A rare find
Vacheron Constantin is still in possession of the first watch made by Jean-Marc Vacheron, also in 1755. Cased in silver, it features a delicately chased balance cock, an enamel dial and is wound with a key. It is conserved in the Manufacture’s archives.
A family dynasty
Should you ever come across a watch bearing the name “André Vacheron”, don’t dismiss it as a fake. Several members of the Vacheron family made watches in Geneva, each with his own signature. André signed his work with a simple “André Vacheron” but, from time to time, would team up with his brothers on pieces signed “Vacheron Frères”. “Vacheron à Genève” and “Abraham Vacheron” are other options. Jean-Paul Vacheron, a cousin, signed “J P Vacheron”. Definitely a family affair!
In good spirits
By the early nineteenth century, the Napoleonic empire extended across half of Europe but the economic situation was dire. As sales floundered, the company sought new ways to stay afloat and began selling... spirits and fabrics. Finding new sources of income in these difficult times was essential if Vacheron’s core business of watchmaking were to survive.
From Vacheron to Constantin
Where does the “Constantin” name originate? In these early years of the nineteenth century, Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron, son of Abraham Vacheron, was a frequent visitor to European capitals, selling his company’s wares. But travel was a tiring business and Jacques Barthélémi also had the task of instructing his own children in the watchmaker’s craft. He took the decision to hand the commercial side of the family firm, already in its third generation, to a friend. That friend was François Constantin. A new entity, Vacheron Constantin, was officially established on April 1, 1819.
A gem of an idea
Business would expand considerably under François Constantin. Watches were still an “exotic” product and François Constantin knew he would have to entice customers with something more familiar: jewellery. Not as a manufacturer but as a reseller, purchasing a large supply of jewellery, worth more than 60,000 francs, in Paris. Armed with necklaces, rings, earrings and other trinkets, rebranded Bijouterie de Genève, François Constantin travelled around Europe, introducing customers to… Vacheron Constantin watches.
