Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac—Year of the Snake

Following an preliminary 12-year cycle throughout which Vacheron Constantin devoted two restricted sequence to every signal of the Chinese zodiac, this 12 months the Maison is launching a brand new Métiers d’Art sequence, The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac, based mostly on the determine of the snake. Depicted as a cobra on the dial of the 2 restricted editions, this design highlights the enduring relationship between Chinese and Swiss cultures, a connection that dates again to the mid-Nineteenth century. Vacheron Constantin, established in 1755, ventured into Asia in 1845, with a selected concentrate on China.

Within simply 90 years of its founding, the model turned instrumental in popularizing jewelry watches among the many excessive dignitaries of the Chinese Court, creating elaborate timepieces adorned with engravings and enamels, usually offered in pairs. These watches are past artistically vital, they’re functionally superior, providing exceptional water resistance—a necessary characteristic given China’s humid local weather.

Over time, Vacheron Constantin has maintained its distinguished presence in China, fostering quite a few partnerships and designing watches influenced by Asian, significantly Chinese, tradition. These creations proceed to be extremely valued by watch fanatics and collectors alike. This openness to world affect and relentless pursuit of cultural exploration is fantastically embodied in Vacheron Constantin’s newest showcase of its inventive crafts.

Vacheron Constantin continues to push the boundaries of aesthetic innovation with its new Métiers d’Art cycle, The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac. This ongoing cycle, which is able to span the subsequent twelve years, is about to exhibit the total spectrum of workmanship, showcasing the superior methods that the Maison’s artisans have perfected. The dials of those restricted editions supply a glimpse into the meticulous artistry of the engraver and enameller, whose mixed abilities convey every timepiece to life.

The outcomes of their craftsmanship are evident within the detailed depiction of a cobra, sinuously draped over a rock, on the dial. These gold appliques are the work of a grasp engraver who carves the valuable metallic—whether or not pink or white gold—into its last textured kind, a course of that requires a fragile stability of pressure and finesse.

It takes three days to sculpt the snake and the rock, with their textures and reliefs additional enhanced by the applying of miniature paint and patina. In the pink gold version, the cobra and rock tackle ochre tones, whereas within the platinum model, they’re rendered in anthracite gray. Complementing these components, the colors of the indications displayed within the 4 apertures are rigorously matched to the dial’s motif, which is adorned with intricate miniature work.

To craft these detailed decorations, Vacheron Constantin enlisted the experience of a grasp enameller, using two distinct methods. The first approach entails gradient Grand Feu enamel, used for the dial’s background, whereas the second approach is an historical Geneva methodology often called flux-coated miniature opaque enamel, utilized to the flora. The Master Enameller meticulously applies enamel powder of the chosen color to the dial’s floor utilizing an especially high quality brush.

Each layer of color requires firing in an oven at temperatures starting from 820°C to 850°C, a course of that’s repeated a number of occasions to realize the total spectrum of colors within the design. The dials of the Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – Year of the Snake watches reveal a fragile gradient from the centre to the periphery, adorned with foliage in ochre tones on the pink gold version and inexperienced on the platinum model. These two restricted editions, every comprising simply 25 items, are housed in elegant 40 mm instances paired with alligator leather-based straps—brown for the pink gold mannequin and blue for the platinum model.

Vacheron Constantin equips these Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – Year of the Snake watches with the in-house Calibre 2460 G4. This motion stands out for its distinctive methodology of displaying hours, minutes, days, and dates by way of 4 discs seen by way of apertures across the dial’s edge. The hands-free design, with trailing indications for hours and minutes and leaping indications for day and date, exemplifies Maison’s experience in creating mechanisms that serve each technical precision and inventive expression. The case again, crafted from sapphire crystal, presents a view of the 22K gold oscillating weight, adorned with a guilloché sample, alongside the motion elements, all completed to the very best requirements of workmanship.