Les Cabinotiers, the department at Vacheron Constantin dedicated to exceptional pieces, has created three new pieces that showcase enamelling, skeletonisation and the regulator display, referencing the history of technical and artisanal watchmaking.
Les Cabinotiers – La Caravelle 1950
Evocative of foreign lands, Les Cabinotiers — La Caravelle 1950 conjures visions of the ships used during the age of discoveries. Inspired by the Maison's reference 4308, a watch from 1950, this new timepiece housing the manual-winding manufacture calibre 4400 pays tribute to its horological predecessor through the cloisonné enamel technique, the work of which was entrusted to the Atelier Anita Porchet, a renowned name in the field of enamelling. Cloisonné enamel is an intricate technique that consists of forming enclosed sections out of wires on a metal dial surface, then filling in the sections with enamel powder before firing in a kiln to vitrify the enamel powder. The greater the range of colours, the more complex the work, because each colour requires a different firing time and temperature, necessitating several rounds of firing in a highly specific order. This meticulous work is presented in a 39mm pink-gold case with the retro-vintage arched horns that were re-popularised in recent years by the Vacheron Constantin Cornes de Vache.
Les Cabinotiers — Openworked Tourbillon High Jewellery
Within this 46mm case, Vacheron Constantin skilfully combines technical prowess and craftsmanship. The technical side is clearly seen, thanks to the skeletonisation of the manual-winding tourbillon calibre 2260. The movement construction has the tourbillon exposed and relatively isolated at 6 o'clock, the better to highlight this cinematic mechanism. The rest of the movement, though still fully skeletonised (such as the twin barrels containing over 22m of mainsprings, giving the timepiece its two-week power reserve) is positioned towards the upper half of the dial and obscured by the intricately engraved bridges. This creation is completed by impressive gem-setting: 238 baguette-cut diamonds are positioned on the bezel, the lugs and the crown, 48 baguette-cut diamonds adorn the chapter ring, 12 blue sapphires are used as hour-markers and 12 baguette-cut diamonds set the buckle.
Les Cabinotiers — Regulator perpetual calendar jewellery
With its separate hour and minute displays (with the hours indicated via the 12 o’clock subdial and the minutes via the central axis), this timepiece is a visual tribute to the ultra-precise regulator clocks used by watchmaking workshops to set watches in previous centuries. In addition to this, there is a highly accurate perpetual calendar with moon phases, which does not require correction until 2100. To operate this unique 42mm-diameter timepiece with a gem-set bezel (also gem-set on the buckle), Vacheron Constantin has opted for the 2460 RQP calibre, water-resistant to 30 metres, beating at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800vph) and possessing a 40-hour power reserve.
