Honouring a deep legacy in jewellery watches
Since its early years, Vacheron Constantin has forged a powerful bond with women, creating beautiful timepieces hand-decorated with precious stones, enamelling, guillochage and engraving. Among the finely crafted ladies’ watches in the Maison’s private collection is an early gem-set piece dating from 1812. Also in the collection is a piece from 1924 set with gemstones in multiple colours, which can be transformed from a pendant into a brooch. The Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods were a time of great creativity for the Maison in the design and crafting of jewellery watches, and it has continued to evolve aesthetically in tune with social and cultural changes throughout the 20th century and into the 21st .
In 1979, the presentation of the one-of-a-kind Kallista marked the beginning of a new story for Vacheron Constantin. Raymond Moretti’s innovative design paired a rivière bracelet with a solid 18K gold case weighing 140 grams, sculpted in one piece from a single ingot. The watch was set with 130 carats of diamonds . The following year, Lady Kalla was unveiled. Also sculpted from 18K yellow gold, it was set with 108 emerald-cut diamonds for a total of approximately 30 carats. A series of ‘Kalla’ variations followed: Miss Kalla, Queen Kalla, Lord Kalla, King Kalla, Duchesse Kalla…
In 2001, a Lady Kalla model on a satin strap, with a single-piece case carved from a block of 18K white gold, won the Jewellery Watch award at the first Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). To mark the 30th anniversary of the Lady Kalla in 2010, the Maison presented Lady Kalla Flame, inaugurating the distinctive Flame cut, devised by Vacheron Constantin and registered by the GIA (Gemological Institue of America). In 2024, Grand Lady Kalla – a monochromatic combination of diamonds, white Akoya pearls and black onyx beads – introduced a dazzling new design to the continually evolving ‘kallista’ series of High Jewellery watches, pushing creativity boundaries, as this piece is composed of a watch and a tassel sautoir that can be worn in four different ways
Three new creative variations to embody time
With the rectilinear geometry of the bracelet, watch and jewel piece and the sinuous grace of the sautoir necklace, Grand Lady Kalla carries a strong echo of Art Deco style. Each of the three models features a total of 45.66 carats of diamonds and comprises four interchangeable elements. The three-row rivière-style bracelet comprises 103 diamonds and a central row of eight precious stones – sapphires, rubies or emeralds respectively. The jewel piece is set with 12 diamonds, with a large sugarloaf-cut sapphire, ruby or emerald at its centre. The coloured stones are all certified SSEF by the Swiss Foundation for the Research of Gemstones. On the watch, surrounding the fully diamond-set dial, two emerald-cut examples of the same precious, coloured stone contrast with the cool sparkle of 10 emerald-cut diamonds. The watch and jewel piece are both designed to be fitted seamlessly onto either the bracelet or the sautoir. Measuring 85 cm in length, the sautoir combines the rounded form of 112 Akoya pearls – chosen for their deep lustre and high shine – with beads of polished precious stones and ornamental stones. The elongated necklace ends with a tassel of pearls and a polished bead of the precious stone.
The emerald cut, prized for its elegance, is chosen for the diamonds and coloured stones on the watch case, bracelet and jewel piece, its step-like horizontal facets amplifying the sophisticated simplicity and rectilinear architecture of the jewellery design. Rectangular, with bevelled corners, the emerald cut creates a particular visual sensation, producing understated yet impressive flashes of light compared with the high-frequency glitter of brilliant cuts. Because the emerald cut is less reflective, it also highlights the body colour of the stone, and because its large table facet acts like a window into the stone, making it easier to see any inclusions, it is generally reserved for gemstones of higher clarity.
The sugarloaf cut of the central stone on the jewel piece highlights the gem’s beauty in a different way. The smooth, domed shape takes its name from the form in which refined sugar was sold until the late 19th century. With ancient origins and relatively rare in modern jewellery it is a variation on the classical rounded cabochon cut, with four sides polished to a subtle point. The light glides over the surface and penetrates the stone, illuminating its internal features and enhancing its depth and colour in a way that faceted cuts cannot achieve. Creating a sugarloaf cut requires a high level of skill and precision to preserve the gem’s natural shape and beauty while creating smooth and symmetrical surfaces. The rarity of the cut adds to its desirability.
The visual impression of an unbroken expanse of precious stones is enhanced by the claw-setting of the emerald- cut gemstones, which allows maximum light to pass through the stone while minimising the visible metal. Closer inspection reveals a special detail barely visible to the naked eye: each claw is shaped like a branch of the Maltese Cross, Vacheron Constantin’s emblem, so that at the points where four stones meet, a complete cross is formed. In addition, the intricately engineered clasps and fastenings, as well as the time-setting crown are completely hidden beneath the stones.
The Grand Lady Kalla – Sapphire is set in 18K white gold and features a total of ~49.72 carats of sapphires: eight emerald-cut sapphires on the bracelet, two on the watch and two on the jewel piece, along with one sugarloaf-cut sapphire (~2.54 carats). On the sautoir, 31 polished beads of blue sapphire are complemented by the soft glow of 112 Akoya pearls and 20 polished beads of blue chalcedony.
The Grand Lady Kalla – Ruby is set in 18K white gold with a total of ~49.85 carats of rubies: eight emerald- cut rubies on the bracelet, two on the watch and two on the jewel piece, along with one sugarloaf-cut ruby (~2.45 carats). On the sautoir, 31 polished beads of ruby are complemented by the soft glow of 112 Akoya pearls and 20 polished beads of pink chalcedony.
The Grand Lady Kalla – Emerald is set in 950 platinum, with a total of ~35.72 carats of emeralds: eight emerald- cut emeralds on the bracelet, two on the watch and two on the jewel piece, along with one sugarloaf-cut emerald (~1.95 carats). On the sautoir, 31 polished beads of emeralds are complemented by the soft glow of 112 Akoya pearls and 20 polished beads of chrysoprase.
A versatile jewel to be worn four different ways
Answering women’s desire for versatile jewels that can be worn in multiple ways, Grand Lady Kalla’s elements enable it to be worn in four different ways, adapting to different styles and occasions. Fitting the watch to the sautoir revives the elegant gestures of the late 19th and early 20th century, when women often wore pendant watches and glanced at the time by gently lifting the sautoir with their fingertips. Whether on the sautoir or the bracelet, the watch can be exchanged with the jewel piece in a matter of moments, by means of hidden locking mechanisms that require no tools to operate.
Grand Lady Kalla is presented in an elegant box accompanied by a specially designed document holder that contains a designer’s original gouache of the piece and a certificate of authenticity.
Questions to Sandrine Donguy – Product & Innovation Director
What can you tell us about the history of jewellery watches at Vacheron Constantin?
From the first women’s pocket watches created by the Maison at the end of the 18th century to contemporary wristwatches, Vacheron Constantin has a fascinating history of jewellery watches – brimming with creativity, innovation and expertise. By considering artistic sensibilities, aesthetic trends and technical developments in the context of changing social norms and customs, it has captured the constantly evolving spirit of the times while fulfilling feminine expectations and desires. The Maison’s private collection includes an 1812 pocket watch with a bezel adorned with pearls, complemented by a finely chased and engraved caseback. A 1901 pendant brooch watch embellished with diamond-set volutes and a dainty bar illustrates the flowering of creativity during the Art Nouveau period and a rectangular platinum and diamond model with angled corners presented in 1911 underlines Vacheron Constantin’s inventiveness.
Questions to Sandrine Donguy – product & innovation director
How did the Maison interpret the aesthetic revolution represented by Art Deco?
The period from the mid-1920s onwards was a time of effervescent creativity for Vacheron Constantin as it embraced the aesthetic codes showcased by the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held in Paris in 1925. (The term Art Deco, derived from the exhibition’s original name in French – Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes – was coined by the British art historian Bevis Hillier in the late 1960s.)
Watch silhouettes broke free from previous conventions. The hunter-type cases on enamelled chains prevalent at the turn of the century gave way to sculptural forms, rigorous lines and pure colour palettes. Cases were oval, rectangular, square or asymmetrical in shape, generally set with stones in two-tone variations. This is strikingly illustrated by a 1923 Vacheron Constantin timepiece in the private collection, with a white gold case and hexagonal dial set with diamonds and sapphires.
Alongside such jewelled watches the Maison created more discreet models designed for women who wanted to wear the time on an everyday basis as well as for social occasions. While this period marked women’s almost complete transition to wristwatches, Vacheron Constantin continued to create a number of pocket watches, among them a 1929 ‘surprise’ watch in white gold set with 18 cabochon-cut rubies.
In what way did precious stones become an essential element of women’s watches?
Diamonds and coloured gemstones were no longer used solely to emphasise the curve of a bezel, or an engraved or enamelled motif. On jewellery watches created by the Maison from the 1920s onwards, precious gemstones formed an integral part of the design. Cases became as discreet as possible to provide a backdrop that enabled the majestically set gems to display their brilliance to the full. The Kalla line clearly belongs to this celebration of precious stones.
