Vacheron Constantin Opens Its Latest Boutique at Landmark Prince’s in Central, Hong Kong – The Grand Opening also unveils “100th anniversary of Tonneau Shaped Watch” Exhibition
On November 27th 2012, Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest Haute Horlogerie manufacture with over 250 years of uninterrupted history, opened its latest boutique at Landmark Prince’s in Central, Hong Kong.
Situated in the heart of the central business district, the location exemplifies luxury and sophistication. The new opening marks the brand’s 2nd boutique in Hong Kong and 31st boutique worldwide, further reinforcing its presence in Asia and on the global map.
Vacheron Constantin Chief Executive Officer Mr. Juan-Carlos Torres and Commercial Director Mr. Yann Bouillonnec arrived especially from Geneva and celebrated this auspiscous event together with the Asia-Pacific Managing Director Mr. Julien Tornare. Other watch collectors and socialites attended the cocktail reception at the boutique and were the first to preview the novelties from the Malte Collection and the Malte Tourbillon Regulator Haute Joaillerie Timepieces that is exclusively available at Landmark Prince’s boutique.
Following the cocktail reception, guests were invited to an exclusive dinner at the Mandarin Grill, with a menu created by Michelin 3 Star Chef Alain Passard for this one-off event that ignited the senses of each and every guest. The unique evening was also graced by the presence of Mr. Paul Meyer, a world renowned clarinet soloist, together with the Gémeaux Quartett, a stringed instruments quartet from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Once again testifying to Vacheron Constantin’s deep-rooted attachment to art and culture!
With 100 square metres of floor space, this new boutique creates an intimate and welcoming space for watch enthusiasts and collectors, displaying its exquisite timepieces in refined showcases. The interior design is strongly influenced by the use of materials and artisanal work, which incorporates contemporary elements into the traditional design through an architectural perspective that reveals the brand’s constant search for excellence and aesthetic perfection.
The finishing has been created according to a detailed and elegant color scheme, emanating a warm and comfortable atmosphere dedicated to technical and precious Haute Horlogerie. The Venetian glass decorations create an environment of refined elegance that allures customers to appreciate the culture, history and tradition of excellence that defines Vacheron Constantin.
Known for its technical and aesthetic excellence, and the high level of finishing of its timepieces, Vacheron Constantin displays a very sophisticated level of refinement as well as a strong attachment to its heritage, the transmission of know-how and high quality craftsmanship.
The boutique will offer the entire range of collections from the Geneva-based Manufacture, as well as exclusive boutique models, testifying to the elegant and refined design, the technical excellence and aesthetic perfection which define the Vacheron Constantin ancestral legacy and unique know-how.
To celebrate the opening of this new boutique in Hong Kong, and honoring the brand’s legacy, Vacheron Constantin will present the “100th anniversary of Tonneau Shaped Watch” exhibition featuring a series of remarkable historical tonneau-shaped timepieces, specially fly in from Vacheron Constantin Heritage Collection in Geneva for this special occasion. The exhibition opens from November 29 and run through mid-December.
First presented in 1912 and making the watchmaker one of the first brands to adopt tonneau-shaped cases, this original design is redefined in three new models from the Malte collection – the new Malte Tourbillon, Malte Small Seconds and an anniversary watch issued in a 100-piece limited series. All three models featuring pure and refined lines, are perfectly classic in terms of their spirit, yet eminently contemporary when it comes to their style.
Address
Vacheron Constantin Prince’s Building Boutique
Add: Shop G8, Ground Floor, Prince’s Building
10 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: (852) 2104 3311
Malte Tourbillon Regulator Haute Joaillerie Timepiece (Exclusively created for Landmark Prince’s Boutique)
To celebrate the opening of the Vacheron Constantin Landmark Prince’s Boutique, Vacheron Constantin created the Malte Tourbillon Regulator Haute Joaillerie exclusively for this special occasion. This timepiece brings together the magic of watchmaking and the mystery of gem-setting. Symbolising the cultural bridge between the arts, engineering and creative genius, the model comes in 3 unique colors, featuring a hand-guilloche dial in blue, brown or grey enamel. Each model is engraved with “No1/1” on the caseback to showcase its uniqueness.
This exceptional piece is a vibrant dedication to the Métiers d’Art, which here borders on the sublime. With the invisible settings all entirely hand-crafted, the case is dressed in 274 baguette diamonds (totalling approximately 13 carats), creating a supreme illumination of time.
Only a few artists today have mastered the technique for producing invisible diamond settings. The gold is completely hidden behind the precious stones: supported by a track, they form a field of light without any trace of fastening and, as a result, emit maximum luminosity. Vacheron Constantin chose to apply this technique to a shaped watch which, despite its curved profile, has edges, sharp angles and taut lines, all of which made the work much more challenging.
The dial remains faithful to the original design dictated by the regulator display: the hours, minutes and seconds on the tourbillon cage are separated and read vertically. In this perfectly orchestrated ballet, the precious stones encircle the chapter ring, follow the minute circle and frame the tourbillon cage, all the while subtly setting off each time element on the dial. While mystery surrounds its invisible settings, the Haute Joaillerie Tourbillon Regulator has no intention of hiding the complexity of its shaped 1795R movement, which can be admired through its transparent sapphire crystal back.
Meticulously decorated and finished, this manual-winding mechanical movement, designed, developed and produced by the Vacheron Constantin Manufacture, brings together two subtle complications that are particularly appreciated by watch enthusiasts.
The tourbillon, which compensates for the negative effects of gravity, is a comprehensive and dynamic example of the expertise of the Manufacture’s master watchmakers and remains one of the most emblematic complications in the art of watchmaking. The regulator display, introduced at the end of the 19th century to regulate rail traffic, is a reminder to connoisseurs that, at that time, the best timers constantly kept an eye on the regulator clock, given pride of place in every workshop.
The hours, minutes and seconds were displayed separately so that each indication of time could be read instantly, making it much easier to carry out any necessary adjustment to the piece being worked on. A highly outstanding ambassador of the arts, this timepiece evokes a shimmering concept of time, one that is continuously challenged and developed by the Manufacture’s craftsmen. It is a way of remembering that time is both sovereign and infinitely precious.
Malte 100th Anniversary Edition
The year 1912 is a milestone date in the history of Vacheron Constantin. The Geneva-based House displayed outstanding inspiration in adopting the tonneau shape for its timepieces – a novel feature in watchmaking history. Representing an authentic revolution in the field of horological design codes, almost entirely dominated at the time by the rounded shape typical of pocket watches, this model proved an immediate success among both men and women.
In celebration of this pioneering spirit, Vacheron Constantin has decided to present the Malte 100th Anniversary Edition model, a hand-wound watch issued in a 100-piece limited series. The case is distinguished by its finesse, by the subtle elegance of its lines, by the curve of its middle section, and by its discreet lugs featuring a delicate shape that accentuates the classicism of a timeless model.
The dial is adorned with painted Roman numerals echoing those on historical models. Such a timepiece naturally had to be crafted from the noblest of materials, which is why Vacheron Constantin is introducing this anniversary edition in a 36.7 x 47.6 mm case made of 950 platinum – a rare and precious metal cherished by Vacheron Constantin and which emphasises the refined aesthetic of a watch with a delightfully vintage appeal.
This Malte 100th Anniversary model is equipped with Vacheron Constantin hand-wound Calibre 4400, driving the hour and minute hands. This movement, entirely developed and crafted within the Manufacture, and featuring exceptional finishing, is endowed with a 65-hour power reserve thanks to its large barrel. Beating at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), it comprises 106 parts and measures a respectable 28.60 mm (12.5’’’), a size ideally suited to the dimensions of contemporary cases.
The 100 watches in this Malte 100th Anniversary Edition, each individually numbered on the caseback, are fitted with a strap in blue Mississippiensis alligator leather, secured by a Malte cross-shaped buckle in 950 platinum.
Malte Tourbillon
The new Malte collection celebrating 100 years of the tonneau shape at Vacheron Constantin, simply could not ignore the most iconic of all horological complications: the tourbillon. A perfect embodiment of the expertise of the master-watchmakers of the Manufacture, the tourbillon serves to compensate for the effects of gravity on timepieces.
On a pure, restrained dial featuring pink gold hour-markers and Roman numerals for the 6 and 12 o’clock indications, the tourbillon bearing the seconds hand finds its natural place, perfectly integrated within the new and refined lines of the Malte collection. Its positioning at 6 o’clock requires slightly offsetting the axis of the hour and minute hands which thereby stand out above their beating heart.
The Malte Tourbillon timepiece – the largest in the collection – has a curving 18K pink gold case measuring 38 x 48.2 mm and is fitted with a brown Mississippiensis alligator leather strap complete with Maltese cross-shaped rose gold folding clasp.
Such an exceptional watch deserved an equally exceptional movement, and this model is duly equipped with mechanical hand-wound Calibre 2795, which meets the new criteria of the Hallmark of Geneva. Comprising 246 parts, it beats at a frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour) and is endowed with an almost two-day power reserve.
This new tonneau-shaped movement – making a perfect fit with the case – is entirely developed and crafted within the Manufacture.
The tourbillon carriage is inspired by the brand’s signature Maltese cross, and magnificently showcases the exceptional level of finishing of each movement part, including a number of naturally hand-bevelled interior angles. The rounding off of the tourbillon bar, which always represents a significant technical challenge, calls for over 11 hours of manual work in order to meet the finishing criteria demanded by Vacheron Constantin.
Rounding off consists of filing each end of the arms in order to give them a conical or semi-cylindrical shape, while respecting the limits of the centre and the heels. To finalise this operation, the craftsmen rub it down with stones, buffs, wooden pegs and finishing pastes in order to achieve a perfectly polished effect.
Malte Small Seconds
The Malte collection is now welcoming an exceptionally understated model displaying the hours, minutes and small seconds, which for horological purists represents one of the most demanding stylistic exercises. Above and beyond outward appearances and prejudices, creating a pure watch interpreted in its simplest possible expression is an extremely subtle exercise in seeking equilibrium and harmony.
Timepieces that fulfil the essential role for which they were originally designed – meaning to tell the time and nothing else – are as complex to make as watches equipped with additional functions, precisely because, as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. Such is certainly the case for this model radiating a rare breed of elegance.
The Malte Small Seconds comes in an 18K pink gold case measuring 36.7 x 47.6 mm. The hour-markers and the 12 and 6 o’clock Roman numerals, also in pink gold, have been redesigned so as to smoothly follow the new curve that has been given to the tonneau-shaped case. The hour and minute hands, as well as the small seconds at 6 o’clock, are all driven by the Vacheron Constantin 4400 AS movement.
Acknowledged for the care devoted to ensuring its reliability and for its exceptional level of finishing, it bears the Hallmark of Geneva, the symbol of horological expertise and excellence. The new Malte small seconds model is fitted with a strap in brown Mississippiensis alligator leather, complete with a Malte cross-shaped pink gold buckle.
The model also meets the new Hallmark of Geneva criteria. Instated in 1886 by the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the Hallmark of Geneva is a guarantee of origin, of craftsmanship, of durability and of expertise.
This unique quality label has just undergone a fundamental transformation, since the certification no longer concerns the calibre alone, but the timepiece as a whole. This new approach represents a major evolution of this independent certification that has enjoyed the longstanding support of Vacheron Constantin and which has just decided to respond more fully than ever before to the legitimate expectations of an ever more informed clientele.
