Revealed at the 2015 Watches&Wonders exhibition, the new collection Heures Créatives encompasses three feminine watches. The timepieces feature a brilliant exchange between three distinctive and contrasting universes. Both in jewellery and in watchmaking, success is inevitably determined by compliance with an intangible rule: it results from long hours of work. Using skilled gestures inherited from bygone eras, the jeweller sets off to conquer material and focuses on even the smallest details until perfection is achieved. This is all about meticulous and authentic work on materials, in which different gemsetting techniques were required to reveal the splendid lines of the Heures Créatives collection.
Last week we introduced you to the Heure Discrète timepiece. Today, we are focusing on the second watch model: The Heure Romantique.
At the dawn of the 20th century, Europe experienced a period of intense industrialisation. It was as a reaction to this energetic whirlwind that Art Nouveau was born. This movement sent a fresh breeze blowing through artistic circles which began advocating a return to Nature, with undulating shapes, organic swirls and effusive arabesques. The elegant and inventive women of this era took refuge in pastel-hued, vaporous, voluptuous romanticism. The Heure Romantique model is inspired by this delicate trend. Crafted in 18- carat white gold and adorned with 104 round-cut diamonds (approximately 2.5 cts), its bezel undulates around a mother-of-pearl dial. Four gemset lugs deliciously accentuate the smooth contours of a slightly curved case punctuated by a winding crown enhanced with a diamond. Inspired by a model highly emblematic of the Belle Epoque and dating from 1916, this reinterpretation is devoid of all superfluity and retains only its quintessential elegant roundness. This exceptional timepiece is worn on a black satin strap, secured by a white gold gemset folding clasp.
The Manufacture’s artists have pushed virtuosity to its extremes by creating a second version that is fully paved with round-cut diamonds including the dial, case and bracelet. The latter is articulated around 30 crescent moon-shaped links set with 264 precious stones (approximately 6.3 cts), extending the smooth curves of the case. Bearing vibrant testimony to the mastery of the artistic crafts cultivated at Vacheron Constantin, the fully paved version is graced with 621 diamonds totalling approximately 9.7 cts. The contours of the Heure Romantique are further accentuated in the version set with baguette-cut diamonds. The sparkle of faceted precious stones (totalling approximately 17 cts) forms a river of crystalline light poised to nestle in the hollow of a graceful wrist.
