Time

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Since I was a little boy Time fascinated me. How slow or fast it can go and how everything is measured in it.

“Look at your watch. Don’t look at what time it is”

Jean-Claude Biver: Former CEO, LVMH Group

To me a watch was the ultimate expression of someone saying time is valuable to them without saying it.  Slowly falling in love with these timekeeping machines I realized they are more than just time tellers. Watches tell whole stories. Amazing stories, with heroes and antagonists and a damsel in distress. I realized there is nothing cooler in this world than wrapping your wrist in a story.

Today I want to talk about one of my Holy Grails. A watch brand that I would love to own one day. Any model from any year would be a delight to put on. Any reference in any colour. Today we discuss the one and only Vacheron Constantin.

It’s this Swiss luxury watch and clock maker that’s been around since 1755! It’s one of the oldest in the world, with an amazing history of watchmaking. Since 1996, it’s been part of the Richemont Group. They’re pretty big, employing about 1,200 people globally. Most of them work in their manufacturing plants in Geneva and Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.

Vacheron Constantin is super respected in the watch world. I mean, one of their pocket watches, owned by King Fuad I of Egypt, sold for a whopping $2.77 million at auction in 2005! That’s crazy, right? And get this, in 2015, they introduced the Reference 57260 pocket watch, which is officially the most complicated mechanical watch ever made, with a mind-blowing 57 horological complications. It’s insane what they can do with watches!

So, back in 1755, Jean-Marc Vacheron started this whole thing in Geneva, Switzerland. Cool, right? He was buddies with some big names in the Enlightenment era, like Rousseau and Voltaire, because they were all into philosophy, science, and watchmaking.

Fast forward to 1770, and Vacheron’s company made history by creating the world’s first horological complication. That’s a big deal in the watch world! Then, about nine years later, they came up with the first engine-turned dials. Jean-Marc’s son, Abraham, took over the family business in 1785.

But it doesn’t stop there. In 1810, Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron, the grandson of the founder, stepped up as the head honcho. He was the one who started exporting the watches to France and Italy. Pretty savvy move, right?

But running a business solo was a bit too much for Jacques-Barthélemy, so he needed a partner to handle overseas sales. That’s where François Constantin comes in. In 1819, he joined forces with Vacheron, and the company became Vacheron & Constantin.

Their motto, “Do better if possible and that is always possible,” came from a letter Constantin wrote to Jacques-Barthélémy in 1819. It’s a motto they still follow today, which is pretty awesome.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. François Constantin was a globetrotter, marketing Vacheron & Constantin watches all around the world. Their main market? North America.

In 1833, they hired Georges-Auguste Leschot, a genius inventor who revolutionized their manufacturing. He standardized watch movements into Calibers, which was a huge deal. His inventions were so impressive that he even got a gold medal from the Arts Society of Geneva in 1844! They loved his pantographic device, which could mechanically engrave tiny watch parts and dials. Talk about innovation, right?

So, after François Constantin passed away in 1854 and Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron in 1863, the company went through a series of heirs. It’s interesting – there was even a time when the company was led by two women!

In 1862, Vacheron Constantin joined the Association for Research into non-magnetic materials, which was a big deal for their innovation. Then, in 1877, the company officially became Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Geneve. And get this, in 1880, they started using the Maltese cross as their symbol – a symbol they still use today. It came from a barrel component shaped like a cross, used to control the tension in the mainspring.

By 1887, Vacheron & Constantin was reorganized into a joint-stock company. That same year, a Vacheron Constantin Lady’s watch was inside Fabergé’s Third Imperial Egg. That’s pretty fancy! And to top it off, they were awarded a gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in Geneva for their achievements.

Then, in 1906, they opened their first boutique in Geneva. It was a big step for them!

But things got tough during the Great Depression. In 1936, Charles Constantin took over as the head of the company, the first Constantin family member to do so since the 1850s. But in 1940, Georges Ketterer bought the majority of Vacheron & Constantin’s stock from Charles Constantin. Tough times for the company.

George Ketterer passed away in 1969, and his son, Jacques Ketterer, took over as the head of Vacheron & Constantin. Then, in 1970, the company officially changed its name to Vacheron Constantin.

But things got rocky during the 1970s and 1980s due to the quartz crisis. It hit a lot of traditional watchmakers hard. When Jacques Ketterer died in 1987, Vacheron Constantin went through some changes. Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, who was Saudi Arabia’s former Oil Minister and a big watch enthusiast, became the majority shareholder. He kind of made it part of his personal collection of holdings.

But in 1996, the Swiss Richemont Group swooped in and bought the entire share capital of Vacheron Constantin. That was a big move.

Fast forward to 2004, and Vacheron Constantin opened up their new headquarters and manufacturing spot in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. The building was designed by Bernard Tschumi, and it’s pretty noteworthy for its architecture.

Then in October 2005, the Richemont Group named Juan Carlos Torres as the CEO of the company. Right now, Vacheron Constantin is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, and they churn out about 20,000 timepieces every year. They’re definitely keeping busy!

And now let’s dive into one of my favourite models of all time, the Overseas.

The Overseas for me is one of the prettiest, most durable and comfortable watches ever made. The sheer simplicity and the amazing craftsman detail on these pieces make me come to tears every time I try one on. I am not there yet where I can afford one. Instead the closest I got for an integrated bracelet luxury sports watch with a simple blue dial was the Tudor Royal. This tho… this is different. The difference in price is also reflecting the quality of the movement and finishing. With the Overseas well over 23.000 USD and the Royal just slightly over 3.000 USD.

 

It is a big step in price and status as well as in the quality of the movement and the finishing. But in my eyes. Dan the watch lover not collector. I now know it is not that big of a step between them. The only big difference in due time is the much lower servicing bills my grandkids will receive for the Tudor compared to the Overseas.

I no longer want my all time favourite Vacheron. I found something cheaper and better for me, in the crazy world of watches of today.

And I am still keeping it in the Rolex family.

Is the Holy Trinity of watches about to change hands?

I am not sure what is going on but more and more entry level luxury brands are aiming higher and higher and with exclusivity from the big brands nowadays reaching a new high. It feels like the smaller brands who come up with amazing models are about to take over.

Will this be the biggest change in the watch world since the Quartz Crisis?

 

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