“Is it always possible to do better? Is it always possible to be amazed? Undeniably.” With those words, Vacheron Constantin CEO Laurent Perves captured the spirit of the world’s oldest Manufacture, which, at 270 years, refuses to rest on its laurels. Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva in 1755 and is recognized as a Maison that continuously pushed the boundaries. With La Quête Du Temps, these boundaries of technical and artistic watchmaking have been surpassed and can be seen at the Louvre in Paris. “The pride and emotion we feel with each new project comes from the freedom and passion to create, which is fuelled by the quest for excellence and innovation,” said Laurent Perves on its unveiling.
La Quête du Temps is simply the crowning achievement of the brand, incorporating an extraordinary astronomical clock and automaton with 23 horological complications and a baffling total of 6,293 components, two musical instruments, and an automaton.
More than seven years in the making, this (quite literally) monumental creation represents an unprecedented collaboration between Vacheron Constantin’s master watchmakers, automatier François Junod, Geneva scientists, and decorative artists. Both an astronomical instrument and a kinetic sculpture, La Quête du Temps captures the cycles of the cosmos with the poetry of traditional métiers d’art, while embodying the Maison’s perpetual quest for innovation. To accompany this singular work, Vacheron Constantin introduces the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Quest of Time, a wristwatch limited in number yet with a wide resonance.
With an ethereal dial that visibly transposes the poetic grandeur of La Quête du Temps to a 43mm case in 18K white gold, this is a limited edition of 20 watches. The theatre underneath the sapphire crystal makes the dimensions of the broad case with its 13.58mm thickness wholly irrelevant, as this symbolizes much more than mere timekeeping. It is inextricably linked to the Louvre exhibit, translating the celestial complexity into a wearable masterpiece. Crafted in Les Cabinotiers, the hushed environment of Vacheron’s inner sanctum of craft, there is more to unpack here than can fit into a single article.
A new in-house calibre, the 3670, features retrograde indications, celestial motifs inspired by the 1755 Geneva night sky, and dial artistry that reflects the Maison’s centuries-old savoir-faire. The deep blue-hued dial draws immediate parallels to the astronomical clock, including a smaller version of its automaton male figure showing the time, a function that almost seems irrelevant. Nevertheless, the titanium figurine with its gold PVD finish brings a flamboyant legibility as it points to a crescent of Roman numerals in retrograde between 7 and 11 o’clock. True to Les Cabinotiers' level of craftsmanship, the figurine is sandblasted then hand-patinated after its PVD, underlining its sculptural quality. His left arm visualises the minutes on a similar scale with retrograde Arabic numerals between 1 and 5 o’clock, somehow also tying together Vacheron Constantin’s 18th-century beginnings with the more modern Arabic font, both in relief on opaline white gold tracks.
The double sapphire dial features a deep fume effect that transports your thoughts to the deep night sky, while remaining clear enough to catch a glimpse of the 36,000vph high-beat movement, a technical tour de force boasting a substantial 144-hour power reserve. This is made more impressive by the power required to facilitate the functionality of the beguiling dial's 3D precision moon phase, which includes a Sky chart, Sidereal day, and double retrograde power reserve. By pairing a monumental horological creation with a refined wristwatch interpretation, Vacheron Constantin underscores that its 270-year history is not a closed chapter but an ever-evolving narrative. And it continues to redefine what time itself can mean.
