Vacheron Constantin: métiers d’art tribute to the quest of time

Celebrating its 270-year quest for excellence, Vacheron Constantin introduces the technically and aesthetically innovative Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time. The double-sided wristwatch, which took three years of development, is powered by the new manually wound Manufacture movement, Calibre 3670 and is the subject of four patent applications. The front dial features a human figure whose arms indicate the time in a double-retrograde display, which is notable for enabling two different viewings: on demand and continuous.  

Enhanced by a blend of traditional artistic crafts and modern decorative techniques, the figure is set against a backdrop representing the constellations as seen from Geneva on the day of the Maison’s founding in 1755. It is complemented by a double retrograde power reserve indicator and a 3D precision moon phase with age of the moon. The reverse dial features a sky chart that displays the sidereal day and tracks the constellations in real time, accurate to one day of variation in 9,130 years. Conceived as an homage to the 270^th – anniversary astronomical clock La Quête du Temps, Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time is presented in a 43mm white gold case and offered in a limited edition of 20 pieces. 

THE NEW CALIBRE 3670

With the new manually wound Calibre 3670 harnessing the Maison’s deep technical savoir-faire, the watch was three years in development and is the subject of four patent applications: 

– Double power reserve display: indicating the six-day power reserve in two sequential displays – from 6 to 3 and from 3 to 0 

– Governor for the retrograde time displays: solving the classical problem of synchronisation in retrograde displays caused by the hour and minute hands progressing at different speeds. This mechanism ensures that, for example at 11:59, when the two hands return to 00:00 or 12:00, they jump in perfect unison 

– Moon phases and age: showing the exact age of the moon in relation to its phase. The spherical 3D moon is encircled by a ring marked with the age of the moon in days and both elements rotate together over a period of 29.5 days 

– Moon correction: enabling manual adjustment of the moon display at any time of day without damaging the mechanism or disrupting the operation of the watch 

The human figure uses its arms to indicate the hours and minutes in a retrograde display. While this aesthetic spirit was inspired by the 1930 ‘Bras en l’Air’ pocket watch, the new watch owes a key difference to technical innovation: while the earlier timepiece shows the time only on demand, with the hands otherwise resting in their neutral position, the Métiers d’Art watch allows users to choose between two modes of time display: ‘standby‘ and ‘active‘. The complex technical solution to making this possible owes a direct debt to the groundbreaking innovation of the Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar of 2019, with its standby and active modes. 

When the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time is in ‘active’ mode, the passage of the hours and minutes is visible at all times, with the arms functioning just like the hands on a standard watch dial. In ‘standby’ mode, with the timekeeping function running invisibly in the background, the arms of the figure remain in their neutral position until manually activated by a pusher at 10 o’clock in the case-side. After indicating the time, the arms return to neutral position when the pusher is reactivated. 

A notable feature of Calibre 3670 is the combination of a high frequency of 5 Hertz, (36,000 vibrations per hour) and three barrels that provide a power reserve of six days – also inspired by the Twin Beat Calibre 3610. The ‘dual-mode’ retrograde time display – on demand or running continuously – requires a lot of torque at the barrel and combining a long power reserve and high frequency minimises disturbance to the amplitude of the watch caused by the time display. 

Along with its technical sophistication, the 512-component calibre is a feat of miniaturisation, measuring just 34 mm (15””) x 7.8 mm. This enables it to be fitted into a case with the aesthetically elegant and very wearable proportions of 43 mm diameter by 13.58 mm height. The Poinçon de Genève certification attests to the technical quality of the whole watch, as well as its aesthetics and meticulous finishing. 

TRADITION AND INNOVATION

Vacheron Constantin’s commitment to the preservation and evolution of centuries-old handcrafts is complemented by its exploration of modern decorative techniques. The artistic approach to the Métiers d’Art – Tribute to the Quest of Time watch blends craft tradition and innovation. 

The dial is dominated by a golden-coloured human figure that closely resembles the ‘Astronomer’ automaton incorporated into La Quête du Temps clock. The figure appears to be standing in the centre of the cosmos, represented by a graduated blue background decorated with a map of the stars, and a three-dimensional moon overhead. In homage to Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary, the celestial vault reproduces the constellations as they appeared above Geneva on 17 September 1755. To ensure the accuracy of the celestial map, Vacheron Constantin worked with astronomers from the Geneva Observatory, who were able to determine the precise position of each star on that date. 

The figure is flanked by two large arcs, with hours marked on the left arc and minutes on the right; beneath them, the symmetry of the dial is completed by the two arc- shaped power reserve displays on either side of the figure’s feet. 

To create this evocative artistic tableau, a variety of different and highly specialised artistic crafts were brought together in a deft marriage of traditional and modern techniques. The three-dimensional human figure is crafted in titanium with a golden PVD treatment then sandblasted with hand-patina finishing. The spherical precision 3D moon is made of titanium, hand-engraved and polished; to echo the Moon’s appearance as it cycles through its phases, one side is finished with a golden PVD treatment and the ‘dark’ side is finished with a deep blue PVD treatment. The arcs for the hour and minute scales are crafted from 18K white gold with an opaline finish, complemented by the 27 applied indexes in 18K 3N yellow gold. 

The dial is constructed from two layers of sapphire crystal. On the underside of the top crystal, the blue gradient effect and the 1755 sky chart are created by metallisation. The Vacheron Constantin logo is transfer-printed in golden powder and the power reserve indications are transfer-printed in white. The second layer of the dial is fixed beneath the first, to protect the decoration from any form of damage. 

On the back dial – where sidereal time is displayed and the movements of the constellations are tracked in real time – the celestial vault is laser-engraved onto the sapphire crystal case-back. Blue indications are applied by metallisation, yellow indications are transfer-printed and the month names are marked by gold powder transfer. 

n the tradition of Haute Horlogerie, Vacheron Constantin pays great attention to the finishing and decoration of movement components. All 512 components of Calibre 3670 are individually finished by hand, even those that are invisible once the watch is assembled. Rather than maximising the play of light on the movement components with a finish such as Côtes de Genève, circular satin brushing was applied to the bridges on both the front and the back of the calibre. This subtle and uniform finish was chosen to reduce reflections through the transparent sapphire crystal front dial and maximise legibility of the sky chart on the back dial. Visible through the transparent sapphire crystal of the caseback, the 270th anniversary emblem is engraved on the main calibre bridge.