Vacheron Constantin
Encyclopedia
Vacheron Constantin is a Swiss manufacture
of prestige watches and a brand of the Richemont
group. Considered by watch enthusiasts to be one of the finest traditional watch makers in the world along with Patek Philippe & Co.
, Jaeger-LeCoultre
and Audemars Piguet
.
It employs around 400 people worldwide, most of whom are based in the manufacturing plants in Geneva
and Vallée de Joux
. The brand is sold in almost 80 countries around the world, distributed through 15 boutique
s that sell no other brand, and over 500 points of sale.
Previous Vacheron Constantin owners include Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius XI
, the Duke of Windsor
and Harry Truman.
, Switzerland
in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron
. This makes it one of the oldest watch
manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. Besides being a young businessman, Vacheron was also a talented craftsman
. In 1770 his company created the first complication
, and nine years later he designed the first engine-turned dials.
The son of Jean-Marc Vacheron, Abraham, took over the family business in 1785. During this period the company was able to survive the French Revolution
(1789–1799). Later, in 1810, Jaques-Barthélemy Vacheron, the grandson of the founder, became the head of the company. He was the first to initiate the company's exports to France
and Italy
.
Later, Jaques-Barthélemy realized that he was not able to handle his business
alone. In order to travel overseas and sell the company's products, he needed a partner. Consequently, in 1819 François Constantin became the associate of Vacheron. The company continued its activity under the name "Vacheron & Constantin".
François Constantin traveled around the world and marketed watches. Thus he helped the company to open new markets. The main market was North America
. The company's motto (which remains today), "Do better if possible and that is always possible," first appeared in Constantin's letter to Jaques-Barthélémy. The letter was dated July 5, 1819.
In 1839 Vacheron & Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot. His job was to supervise the manufacturing operations. Leschot was an inventor and his creations turned out to be successful for the company. His inventions had a great impact on the watchmaking industry in general. He was the first person to standardize watch movements into Caliber
s.
In 1844 Georges-Auguste Leschot was awarded with a gold medal
. The Arts Society of Geneva highly appreciated his pantograph
ic device, a device that was able to mechanically engrave small watch parts and dials. This invention pushed Vacheron & Constantin forward much further than other watchmakers.
Later, after Constantin's death in 1854, and Vacheron's death in 1863, the company was taken over by a series of heirs. At one point, the company was headed by two women.
In 1862 Vacheron Constantin became a member of the Association for Research into non-magnetic materials. Later in 1885, the company created the first nonmagnetic timepiece
which included a complete lever assortment made of materials able to withstand magnetic field
s. Its construction included a balance wheel
, balance spring
and lever shaft that were made of palladium
, the lever arms - in bronze
and the escape wheel was in gold
.
In 1877 "Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Geneve" became the official name of the company. In 1880, Vacheron & Constantin started using its symbol, which is kept till nowadays, the Maltese cross
. The latter was inspired by a component of the barrel. The part had a cross-shape and it was used for limiting the tension within the mainspring.
In 1887, was reorganized into a stock company. For the remarkable achievements of the company it was awarded with a gold medal at Swiss National Exhibition. The event took place in Geneva
in 1887.
The first boutique in Geneva
was opened by Vacheron Constantin in 1906. This store can be seen today on Quai de l’Ile. During the Great Depression
Vacheron & Constantin found itself in a difficult situation and the only one to bring hope was Charles Constantin
. He became the head of the company in 1936 and it was the first time since 1850s that a representative of the Constantin family received the position of Vacheron & Constantin's president.
During World War II
the company's sales decreased considerably. However, Vacheron & Constantin was able to come back on the watch market due to Georges Ketter.
To outline the beginning of the 3rd century of its watchmaking the company created Patrimony - the world's thinnest mechanical watch at that time which had only 5.25mm thickness
In 1970 the "&" was dropped from Vacheron & Constantin.
In 1979 Vacheron Constantin made Kallista, one of the most expensive wristwatches. Its initial price was $5 million, but today the watch is valued at about $11 million. Kallista had 118 emerald-cut diamonds. It took about 6,000 hours for the watch masters to make this watch and about 20 months for jewelers to enrich the watch.
When Jacques Ketterer died in 1987, Vacheron Constantin changed hands. However its sales increased and today the company produces about 20,000 timepieces per year. In 1996 the entire share capital of the company was bought by Richemont Group.
In 2003 Vacheron Constantin introduced a new sports line called Overseas, and a collection called Egérie, the first to include watches for women.
In 2004 Vacheron Constantin opened its new headquarters and manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates
, Geneva.
The Richemont Group
named Juan Carlos Torres as the Chief Executive Officer of the company in October 2005. Vacheron Constantin is considered to be company that was able to create one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world entitled "Tour de I'lle
". It was created in 2005 to mark the anniversary of 250 years of Vacheron Constantin. The watch includes 834 parts and 16 horological complications. It was only available through the Vacheron Constantin shop in Geneva, Switzerland and sold for more than $1 million.
In 2007 Vacheron Constantin introduced the Metiers d'Art 'Les Masques' collection of timepieces featuring miniature reproductions of primitive art masks. The company selected twelve masks from a private museum collection and reproduced the masks on a small scale. The miniaturized masks are featured in the dial center of every watch from the 'Les Masques' collection.
Manufacture d'horlogerie
Manufacture d'horlogerie is a French horological term of art that is also used in English. In horology, the term is usually encountered in its abbreviated form manufacture. This term of art is used when describing either a wrist watch movement/watchworks fabricator or its products...
of prestige watches and a brand of the Richemont
Richemont
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is a Swiss luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by the South African businessman Johann Rupert. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The...
group. Considered by watch enthusiasts to be one of the finest traditional watch makers in the world along with Patek Philippe & Co.
Patek Philippe & Co.
Patek Philippe & Co. is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer located in Geneva and the Vallée de Joux.-History:Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek started making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, along with his fellow Polish migrant Franciszek Czapek. They separated in 1844, and in 1845 Patek joined with...
, Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a high-end luxury watch and clock manufacturer based in Le Sentier, Vaud, Switzerland. In addition, Jaeger-LeCoultre also has a long tradition of supplying movements and parts to other prestigious watch companies in Switzerland. Since 1996, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a fully...
and Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is a manufacturer of prestige Swiss watches which compete with Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin.-Foundation:...
.
It employs around 400 people worldwide, most of whom are based in the manufacturing plants in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and Vallée de Joux
Vallée de Joux
The Vallée de Joux is a valley of the Jura Mountains in the Swiss Canton of Vaud. Located 20 miles north of Geneva and Lausanne, its mean elevation is over 3300 feet . There are three lakes in the Vallée de Joux : the lac de Joux , the lac Brenet and the lac Ter...
. The brand is sold in almost 80 countries around the world, distributed through 15 boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
s that sell no other brand, and over 500 points of sale.
Previous Vacheron Constantin owners include Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
, the Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor
The title Duke of Windsor was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1937 for Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII, following his abdication in December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the Norman Conquest, is...
and Harry Truman.
History
Vacheron Constantin was founded in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron
Jean-Marc Vacheron
Jean-Marc Vacheron was a Swiss horologist and a founder of Vacheron Constantin watch company.Jean-Marc Vacheron was born the son of a weaver in 1731. By the age of 20, he was already a multi-talented watchmaker and had developed many diverse interests. After completing his apprenticeship, he found...
. This makes it one of the oldest watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. Besides being a young businessman, Vacheron was also a talented craftsman
Craftsman
Craftsman may refer to:* Craftsman , a brand of tools* Master craftsman, an artisan who practices a handicraft or trade* a style of architecture and furniture arising from the British Arts and crafts style...
. In 1770 his company created the first complication
Complication (horology)
In horology , complication refers to any feature in a timepiece beyond the simple display of hours, minutes, and seconds.A timepiece indicating only hours, minutes, and seconds is otherwise known as a simple movement...
, and nine years later he designed the first engine-turned dials.
The son of Jean-Marc Vacheron, Abraham, took over the family business in 1785. During this period the company was able to survive the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
(1789–1799). Later, in 1810, Jaques-Barthélemy Vacheron, the grandson of the founder, became the head of the company. He was the first to initiate the company's exports to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Later, Jaques-Barthélemy realized that he was not able to handle his business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
alone. In order to travel overseas and sell the company's products, he needed a partner. Consequently, in 1819 François Constantin became the associate of Vacheron. The company continued its activity under the name "Vacheron & Constantin".
François Constantin traveled around the world and marketed watches. Thus he helped the company to open new markets. The main market was North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The company's motto (which remains today), "Do better if possible and that is always possible," first appeared in Constantin's letter to Jaques-Barthélémy. The letter was dated July 5, 1819.
In 1839 Vacheron & Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot. His job was to supervise the manufacturing operations. Leschot was an inventor and his creations turned out to be successful for the company. His inventions had a great impact on the watchmaking industry in general. He was the first person to standardize watch movements into Caliber
Caliber (horology)
Caliber: at the beginning the denomination indicated only the size of a watch movement.Today, caliber designs a precise movement type, indicating the size, the style , followed by the mark of the Ebauches manufacturer Caliber: at the beginning the denomination indicated only the size of a watch...
s.
In 1844 Georges-Auguste Leschot was awarded with a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
. The Arts Society of Geneva highly appreciated his pantograph
Pantograph
A pantograph is a mechanical linkage connected in a special manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen...
ic device, a device that was able to mechanically engrave small watch parts and dials. This invention pushed Vacheron & Constantin forward much further than other watchmakers.
Later, after Constantin's death in 1854, and Vacheron's death in 1863, the company was taken over by a series of heirs. At one point, the company was headed by two women.
In 1862 Vacheron Constantin became a member of the Association for Research into non-magnetic materials. Later in 1885, the company created the first nonmagnetic timepiece
Antimagnetic watch
Anti-magnetic watches are those that are able to run with minimal deviation when exposed to a certain magnetic field. The International Organization for Standardization issued a standard for magnetic resistant watches, which many countries have adopted.-ISO 764 magnetic resistant watches...
which included a complete lever assortment made of materials able to withstand magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
s. Its construction included a balance wheel
Balance wheel
The balance wheel is the timekeeping device used in mechanical watches and some clocks, analogous to the pendulum in a pendulum clock. It is a weighted wheel that rotates back and forth, being returned toward its center position by a spiral spring, the balance spring or hairspring...
, balance spring
Balance spring
A balance spring, or hairspring, is a part used in mechanical timepieces. The balance spring, attached to the balance wheel, controls the speed at which the wheels of the timepiece turn, and thus the rate of movement of the hands...
and lever shaft that were made of palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
, the lever arms - in bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
and the escape wheel was in gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
.
In 1877 "Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Geneve" became the official name of the company. In 1880, Vacheron & Constantin started using its symbol, which is kept till nowadays, the Maltese cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
. The latter was inspired by a component of the barrel. The part had a cross-shape and it was used for limiting the tension within the mainspring.
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1887.
The first boutique in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
was opened by Vacheron Constantin in 1906. This store can be seen today on Quai de l’Ile. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
Vacheron & Constantin found itself in a difficult situation and the only one to bring hope was Charles Constantin
Charles Constantin
Charles Constantin is a former professional ice hockey left winger. He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the second round, 24th overall, of the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft. He was also drafted by the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League; however, he never played in that league...
. He became the head of the company in 1936 and it was the first time since 1850s that a representative of the Constantin family received the position of Vacheron & Constantin's president.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the company's sales decreased considerably. However, Vacheron & Constantin was able to come back on the watch market due to Georges Ketter.
To outline the beginning of the 3rd century of its watchmaking the company created Patrimony - the world's thinnest mechanical watch at that time which had only 5.25mm thickness
In 1970 the "&" was dropped from Vacheron & Constantin.
In 1979 Vacheron Constantin made Kallista, one of the most expensive wristwatches. Its initial price was $5 million, but today the watch is valued at about $11 million. Kallista had 118 emerald-cut diamonds. It took about 6,000 hours for the watch masters to make this watch and about 20 months for jewelers to enrich the watch.
When Jacques Ketterer died in 1987, Vacheron Constantin changed hands. However its sales increased and today the company produces about 20,000 timepieces per year. In 1996 the entire share capital of the company was bought by Richemont Group.
In 2003 Vacheron Constantin introduced a new sports line called Overseas, and a collection called Egérie, the first to include watches for women.
In 2004 Vacheron Constantin opened its new headquarters and manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates
Plan-les-Ouates
Plan-les-Ouates is a municipality of the canton of Geneva in Switzerland.-History:Plan-les-Ouates is first mentioned in 1537 as Plan-des-Vuattes. In 1851 it became an independent municipality when the municipality of Compesières dissolved itself and the municipalities of Bardonnex and...
, Geneva.
The Richemont Group
Richemont
Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. is a Swiss luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by the South African businessman Johann Rupert. Richemont categorizes its businesses into four areas: jewellery, watch making, writing instruments and other, which encompasses clothing and firearms. The...
named Juan Carlos Torres as the Chief Executive Officer of the company in October 2005. Vacheron Constantin is considered to be company that was able to create one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world entitled "Tour de I'lle
Tour de I'lle
The Tour de I'lle is a complicated wrist watch manufactured by the Swiss manufacturer Vacheron Constantin. It was released in 2005 in a limited edition of 7 pieces to commemorate the manufacturer's 250th anniversary....
". It was created in 2005 to mark the anniversary of 250 years of Vacheron Constantin. The watch includes 834 parts and 16 horological complications. It was only available through the Vacheron Constantin shop in Geneva, Switzerland and sold for more than $1 million.
In 2007 Vacheron Constantin introduced the Metiers d'Art 'Les Masques' collection of timepieces featuring miniature reproductions of primitive art masks. The company selected twelve masks from a private museum collection and reproduced the masks on a small scale. The miniaturized masks are featured in the dial center of every watch from the 'Les Masques' collection.
External links
- Official Website
- Official Vacheron Constantin Discussion Forum
- Vacheron Constantin - The Oldest Watchmaking Company? - Disputing the fact that Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watchmaker