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The oldest watch company in Geneva, Vacheron Constantin, also has the honor
of having produced the most expensive watch of all time — the "Kallista" (Greek
for "the most wonderful") — which is set with over 130 carats of emerald cut diamonds,
each with its own GIA certificate. The Kallista's original selling price was over
$5 million, and today, its value is estimated at over twice that figure if the watch
is ever offered at auction. Needless to say, there are many passionate fans of Vacheron
Constantin.
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Genevois watchmaker Jean-Mark Vacheron founded the company in 1755 at just 24 years
of age. Vacheron was known for expensive and finely finished timepieces. His personal
ambition was to create timepieces that would stand out for their elegance and quality.
In 1785, Vacheron's son Abraham took over the company, which survived the French
Revolution, among other economic crises.
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By 1814, third-generation watchmaker Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron was leading the
company, but Vacheron realized that he needed a partner as he could not oversee
the company's day-to-day operations and travel overseas to market the watches. So
in 1819, Francois Constantin — son of a wealthy grain merchant — became a partner
in the firm. Since then, the firm went under the name "Vacheron & Constantin",
a name that is to this day synonymous with the finest quality timepieces.
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Francois Constantin relished his role as Vacheron & Constantin's representative
and journeyed around the world selling watches. He also led the charge in opening
new markets overseas, especially in North America, where the Vacheron & Constantin
agency was eventually established in 1864. Francois´ unique motto remains the company's
motto to this day: "Do better when possible, and it is always possible!"
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Another key protagonist in the Vacheron Constantin story is Georges-Auguste
Leschot. A mechanical genius, Leschot had experimented with machines that could
be used for series production of watch components. In 1839, Leschot was hired as
Technical Director for the House, which wanted to improve their production methods.
Thanks to Leschot's cost-saving inventions, Vacheron & Constantin was able
to sell their watches for far less than what other comparable watches were selling
for. In spite of the cost savings, Leschot insisted that every part still be worked
on by hand. As a result, the watchmakers were able to focus more of their attention
on finishing, rather than fabrication of component parts.
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A series of Vacheron and Constantin heirs took over the company in the wake of Francois
Constantin's death in 1854, followed by Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron's death in 1863.
Interestingly enough, the company was even led by two women at one point. Laure
Vacheron-Pernessin, the widow of Charles Vacheron, and Catherine-Etienne Vacheron,
the 88-year-old widow of Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron, made an unlikely team, but
they successfully guided the company into the 20th Century.
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In 1877, the name of the firm was officially registered as "Vacheron & Constantin,
Fabricants, Geneve", while salesman Jean-Francois Constantin was promoted to partner.
Moreover, the company started using the Maltese cross as its trademark, which is
still in use today. Later in 1877, the firm was re-organized as a stock company.
After several years of declining sales, the firm bounced back in the early part
of the 20th century, when they successfully capitalized on the newfound demand for
wristwatches. A number of spectacular pocket watches were also sold, including an
ultra-complicated pocket watch that was presented to the Egyptian King Fouad I in
1931.
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Although Vacheron & Constantin suffered during the Great Depression, the
one bright spot was that Charles Constantin became president of the company in 1936,
the first time that a Constantin had led the company since the mid-1850s. Georges
Ketterer acquired a majority ownership position in 1856 and under Ketterer's watch,
Vacheron & Constantin bounced back. It was during Ketterer's reign that they
produced some of their most famous watches, such as the "Chronometre Royale" wristwatch.
Georges Ketterer died in 1987, and the company changed hands, yet sales have improved
and Vacheron is now producing nearly 20,000 watches a year.
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Vacheron Constantin (the ampersand was dropped in the late 1970s) recently
introduced a number of popular models such as the sporty "Overseas", as well as
the "Les Historiques" series of mechanical wristwatches whose designs are clearly
modeled after classic designs from the 1940s and 1950s.
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Vacheron Constantin also continues to manufacture a limited number of ultra-complicated
watches, such as the Tourbillon watches, the unique "Grand Mercator" and a magnificent
minute repeater/perpetual calendar. The prices for these watches are obviously quite
high, but for many watch enthusiasts, a Vacheron Constantin represents the
ultimate expression of the watchmaker's art — an heirloom to be passed down through
the generations and treasured by those lucky enough to own one.
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Worldofluxuryus.com is proud to offer large selection of
Vacheron Constantin watches including the
1972 Ladies,
Egerie,
Historiques,
Kalla Collection,
Les Metiers d'Art,
Malte,
Overseas,
Patrimony,
Quai de l'Ile Date and
Toledo models.
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