Vacheron Constantin Les Metiers d´Art - Watchmakers Create Art for the Wrist

In an era when electronic accessories tell us the time, watchmakers are faced with the task of creating new purpose for their products. A watch can no longer just be functional. It must be decorative, stunning, a conversation starter. In response to this task, Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watchmaking company in the world, created the Vacheron Constantin Les Metiers d´Art collection of watches, combining master crafts with master watchmaking. The first set of watches in the collection, "Les Masques", debuted during the 250th Anniversary celebration of the company, and was a colorful and, some considered, shocking departure from its traditional, elegant design. Tiny replicas of primitive masks from around the world appeared to be floating on the watch face. The masks paid homage to cultural and artistic diversity of every continent.

Holding on to the spirit of art for the wrist, the Vacheron Constantin "Les Metiers d´Art" collection has grown over the past seven years to incorporate other artistic elements, such as hand engraving, enameling and haute jewelry design. Five watches in the collection´s most current offerings utilize two types of ancient Japanese arts and crafts: Maki-e enameling and grand feu ceramics. The "Carp & Waterfall," which symbolizes perseverance and strength; the "Frog & Hydrangea," which symbolizes luck and patience; and the "Turtle and Lotus," which symbolizes longevity and purity, all display the ancient Japanese art of Maki-e lacquer by sprinkling metal powders to form the designs. The "Great Explorers" watches pay tribute to Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo, utilizing the delicate art of grand feu enameling, depicting maps of the Old World.

Diamonds are the showpiece of nine of the watches in Vacheron Constantine´s "Les Metiers d´Art" current collection. Flame cut diamonds, the newest officially recognized diamond cut, adorn several of the ladies´ watches, including the intriguing "Kalla Haute Couture a Secret" and "Kalla Haute Couture a Pampilles" watches, which double as entirely paved diamond bracelets, with the watch hidden inside. The watch face of the "20$ Openworked" watch is also hidden under a $20 gold piece.

As with the "Les Metiers d´Art" collection, all Vacheron Constantin watches are marked with the Hallmark of Geneva, a certificate awarded to only those watchmakers that meet strict technical criteria, in an effort to achieve perfection in movement and aesthetics. The company received its first known certification as early as 1901. In April 2005, VC celebrated its 250th Anniversary with the unveiling of one of the most complicated watches in the world, the "Tour de I´lle."