On the occasion of the 260th anniversary of its founding, the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin unveils the seven first models of a new collection called Harmony. Issued in limited editions, these eminently contemporary timepieces feature a new cushion shape and a design inspired by one of the brand’s first wrist chronographs introduced in 1928. At the heart of these generous cases with their reinvented aesthetic beat new calibers – entirely designed, developed and produced in-house – with a special focus on the monopusher chronograph. A first version equipped with a split-second function sets slimness records with its ultra-thin self-winding movement measuring just 5.20 mm thick, while a second model stages a fascinating tourbillon and the third variation is equipped – like the original – with a pulsometric scale. Representing elegant horological complications that are some of the most highly sought after and most complex to produce, the monopusher chronograph models are complemented by a ladies’ double-pusher chronograph. A trio of dual-time watches housing a new in-house movement rounds off this unusual range of timepieces. Like the other most recent creations from the Manufacture, these special editions bear the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Founded by the youthful Genevan master-watchmaker Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest watch manufacturer engaged in uninterrupted activity since its creation. On the occasion of its 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin is introducing the first exclusive models of a new collection. Named Harmony and featuring an entirely reinvented cushion shape, this eminently contemporary interpretation of horological excellence signed Vacheron Constantin draws inspiration from the architectural lines and distinctive design of the first wrist chronographs made by the Manufacture in the late 1920s. Through its perfectly balanced three-dimensional ‘shape-in-shape’ approach, Vacheron Constantin once again demonstrates its expertise as a watchmaking sculptor. This is achieved through a sophisticated case construction dedicated to precision, readability and comfort on the wrist, while pervaded by a disarming apparent simplicity. Moreover, this new generous and boldly distinctive silhouette complements the existing range of round or tonneau-shaped cases characterising the classic collections by the Maison.
Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph– Calibre 3500
The flagship model of the new collection, presented in a 10-piece limited, numbered edition, the new Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph by Vacheron Constantin immediately makes its mark in the field of ultra-thin horology by setting a new world record with its self-winding movement measuring just 5.20 mm thick and its 8.40 mm cushion-shaped case. It took prodigious feats of miniaturisation to develop and ensure the faultless, high-precision operation of this elaborate construction within such a small space. It also required the skills of the most experienced watchmakers in the Manufacture to assemble and adjust to perfection the 459 parts of the new self-winding Vacheron Constantin Caliber 3500 – some of which, such as the tiny springs, measure just 3/100 ths of a millimetre. For the first time in the range of Manufacture Vacheron Constantin calibers, this self-winding movement with its 51-hour power reserve is equipped with a remarkable peripheral oscillating weight. Mounted on ball bearings, this unusual construction provides a perfectly clear view of Caliber 3500, entirely hand-decorated in keeping with the noblest watchmaking traditions. This peripheral structure also serves to preserve the exceptional slimness of the world’s thinnest self-winding split-seconds chronograph movement. To signal its membership of an exclusive series dedicated to the 260th anniversary of the Manufacture, the peripheral oscillating weight of the Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph by Vacheron Constantin bears the dedicated scrolling pattern specifically created by the brand’s designers for this occasion. This unusual motif, also known as ‘fleurisanne engraving’ is inspired by the arabesques adorning the balance-cock of the oldest pocket watch from the Maison, signed by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. Equipped with a split-seconds function serving to time phenomena starting at the same time but of different durations, the new Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph by Vacheron Constantin is the slimmest in its category in terms of both its movement and its case. The first self-winding split-seconds Vacheron Constantin chronograph to bear the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva, this new in-house pays tribute to the aesthetic of the chronographs made for the brand in the 1920s, by reinterpreting the rounded shape and the interior angle bevelling of the bridges – that can only be done hand – along with gold bushing and drop-shaped jewel surrounds. Development work on Caliber 3500 began in 2008, aimed at developing a chronograph movement featuring a traditional kind of architecture, while benefiting from cutting-edge technologies in order to offer reliability, user friendliness and perfect visualisation of the movement aesthetic. This caliber benefits from the numerous advanced features designed by the Manufacture’s development team, including the so-called ‘friction’ technique for the lateral coupling clutch, which serves to reduce a potential jerk of the hand when the chronograph starts running. Another particularly notable breakthrough is the blocking of the rotor when the barrel is sufficiently wound, thereby avoiding excessive tension in the winding spring. The creation of cone-shaped wheels improves the meshing of the wheels, thus giving the wearer the impression of softer, gentler winding. Moreover, the micro-technologies used for cutting the wheels have made it possible to create extremely close-set teeth to improve the engagement of the gear trains. The creation of an ultra-thin non-spherical differential has contributed to maintaining the power-reserve indication, without influencing the movement’s thickness. Finally, the development of a ‘dragging’ chronograph minutes indication reduces the loss in amplitude and thus improves precision. Housed in a precious cushion-shaped case made of 950 platinum, Caliber 3500 deserved an exterior to match its excellence. The ‘shape-in-a-shape’ case combining a curving case, a square waisted case middle and a circular bezel creates a sensation of slenderness, while demonstrating an entirely unique and impressive character. The hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock and power reserve are clearly displayed on a luminous opaline silver-toned dial framed by a deep red tachometric scale. The blue-painted Arabic numerals beautifully match the blued chronograph hands, while elegant leaf-type hands punctuate the hours and minutes. Inaugurating the Harmony collection in an outstandingly elegant manner, the new Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph by Vacheron Constantin expresses the full degree of mastery achieved by the Geneva Manufacture in the art of shapes dedicated to serving horological science successfully blending tradition with modernity.
Harmony Tourbillon Chronograph – Calibre 3200
Elegant, fascinating, prestigious, precious: the Harmony Tourbillon Chronograph by Vacheron Constantin comprises an impressive number of assets. Powered by the new hand-winding Vacheron Constantin Caliber 3200, this remarkable timepiece joins the Harmony collection designed to accommodate medium complication and grande complication movements, to the delight of collectors and informed connoisseurs. Combining the elegance of the monopusher chronograph with the prestige of a stunning tourbillon shaped like the Maltese Cross, this exceptional new model is issued in a highly exclusive series of 26 individually numbered timepieces. Housed in a precious 950 platinum case, Vacheron Constantin Caliber 3200 bearing the Hallmark of Geneva features a bridge hand-engraved with delicate scrolling patterns. Specially created by the brand designers to set apart the exclusive series dedicated to the 260th anniversary of the Manufacture, this original motif, also known as ‘fleurisanne engraving’, is inspired by the arabesques adorning the balance-cock on the oldest pocket watch belonging to the Maison and signed by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. This new movement entirely designed, developed and produced in the Manufacture benefits from a number of technological breakthroughs enhancing the precision and reliability of its complex functions, while improving the user friendliness of this highly sophisticated timepiece. The development of Caliber 3200 began in 2008 with the clear aim of making a classic construction incorporating cutting-edge technologies. In addition to a traditional architecture, its column wheel and its lateral coupling clutch, the new Caliber 3200 by Vacheron Constantin, driving the hours, minutes, small seconds, tourbillon, monopusher chronograph and power-reserve indications, is particularly innovative. Among the major evolutions enriching this new chronograph movement equipped with a dragging 45-minute counter – rather than the traditional 30-minute type – is an uncompromisingly dynamic chronograph-activation system devised by the development team. On traditional constructions, the mechanism is sometimes activated but does not actually start if the pusher is not pressed firmly enough. With this ‘all or nothing’ system, the gears and cams cannot be set into motion without actually starting the mechanism, thereby considerably optimising the durability and reliability of the movement. Moreover, thanks to a new ‘friction’ technique for the lateral coupling clutch, the chronograph seconds hand avoids the little jerk that tends to occur when the chronograph is activated. In addition, the sliding-type lateral pusher ensures improved control of the chronograph functions. With the aim of substantially enhancing the precision of the operational sequences, the chronograph uses two hammers instead of one for the start, stop and reset functions. Each exercises pressure on the heart-shaped cams, which turn in clockwise or counter-clockwise directions. The hands are thus brought back to zero. The hammers also return to their original place when the blocking-levers resume their initial position. It is worth noting that the cone-shaped gear between winding pinion and the crown wheel enables extremely smooth, gentle winding, while the spherical differential (also fitted with a cone-shaped gear) serving to indicate the power reserve also prolongs the movement’s life cycle. In another significant breakthrough, contemporary production methods proved useful in designing the chronograph wheels and the friction system, by making it possible to produce an extremely precise wheel profile guaranteeing that clearance between the gears is kept to an absolute minimum thanks to teeth separated by a mere 0.03 mm! Whether visible or hidden from sight, these refined details embody the art of watchmaking upheld by Vacheron Constantin, also showcased in the chronograph gears hollowed in the brand-signature Maltese Cross shape, as well as the column-wheel screw adorned with the same emblem. Endowed with a generous 65-hour power reserve, this mechanical hand-winding complication movement is composed of 292 parts, all hand-decorated in keeping with the rules of the watchmaking art. So as to offer a clearer view of the fascinating choreography performed by the tourbillon at 12 o’clock, the developers of the Manufacture have made the carriage move in an unusual way. Instead of being driven by the pinion of the seconds wheel, the tourbillon carriage is set into motion by an intermediate wheel of the running seconds display. This configuration enables an extremely broad opening onto the upper plate, thus affording an even more spectacular view of the tourbillon. The Research & Development team also opted for an oscillating frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vph) in order to guarantee a serene cadence. Thanks to this slow, steady pace, the ultra-light tourbillon composed of 49 parts – some of them specular-polished – and weighing just 0.55 grams in all, provides generous views of its airy ballet through an extremely wide opening in the opaline dial, while a small blued screw adorning the Maltese Cross points towards the seconds around its rim. Admirably revealed within the sculptural shapes of an entirely reinvented cushion-shaped case, this fascinating complication cuts a distinguished figure on the pure, perfectly readable dial. Blue-painted Arabic numerals inspired by the original 1928 model, but reinterpreted in an entirely contemporary expression of elegance, gracefully match the blued hands displaying the chronograph functions. A vivid red minute circle punctuates the dial circumference, swept over by an elegant pair of leaf-type hands. Exclusive by its very nature, this new model combining two of the most prestigious and highly sought-after complications in the watchmaking world embodies classic elegance matched by a firmly contemporary spirit.
Harmony Chronograph – Calibre 3300
A contemporary incarnation of a 1928 Vacheron Constantin chronograph, the new Chronograph in the Harmony collection clearly displays its kinship with the original model and pays it an eloquent tribute. Its generous pink gold cushion-shaped case reinterprets formal artistry firmly dedicated to technical refinement, since its three-dimensional construction houses the new hand-wound Caliber 3300 developed by Vacheron Constantin. Endowed with a substantial 65-hour power reserve, this monopusher chronograph movement adopts the classic architecture of the new chronograph movements presented by the Manufacture to mark its 260th anniversary, while benefiting from modern production technologies. For the anniversary edition, this model is issued in a limited, individually numbered edition of 260. It displays the hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, along with a monopusher chronograph function, pulsometric scale and power-reserve indication. In tribute to the 1928 model and to historical medical watches, it bears a pulsometric graduation painted in deep red around the rim of the dial and intended to calculate the pulse on a 30-beat scale. Moreover, the balance-cock is hand-engraved with an original décor forming delicate scrolling patterns. Specially created by the brand designers to distinguish the exclusive series dedicated to the 260th anniversary of the Manufacture, this original motif also known as “fleurisanne engraving”, is inspired by the arabesques that adorned the world’s oldest pocket watch belonging to the Maison and signed by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. Development work on Caliber 3300 began in 2008, based on the same fundamental determination to develop a traditional chronograph architecture equipped with a column wheel and a lateral coupling clutch, while endowing it with all the technical and aesthetic attributes of contemporary technology. Among the major evolutions enriching this new chronograph movement equipped with a dragging 45-minute counter – rather than the traditional 30-minute type – is an uncompromisingly dynamic chronograph-activation system devised by the development team. On traditional constructions, the mechanism is sometimes activated but does not actually start if the pusher is not pressed firmly enough. With this ‘all or nothing’ system, the gears and cams cannot be set into motion without actually starting the mechanism, thereby considerably optimising the durability and reliability of the movement. Moreover, thanks to a new ‘friction’ technique for the lateral coupling clutch, the chronograph seconds hand avoids the little jerk that tends to occur when the chronograph is activated. In addition, the sliding-type lateral pusher ensures improved control of the chronograph functions. With the aim of substantially enhancing the precision of the operational sequences, the chronograph uses two hammers instead of one for the start, stop and reset functions. Each exercises pressure on the heart-shaped cams, which turn in clockwise or counter-clockwise directions. The hands are thus brought back to zero. The hammers also return to their original place when the blocking-levers resume their initial position. It is worth noting that the cone-shaped gear between winding pinion and the crown wheel enables extremely smooth, gentle winding, while the spherical differential (also fitted with a cone-shaped gear) serving to indicate the power reserve also prolongs the movement’s life cycle. In another significant breakthrough, contemporary production methods proved useful in designing the chronograph wheels and the friction system, by making it possible to produce an extremely precise wheel profile guaranteeing that clearance between the gears is kept to an absolute minimum thanks to teeth separated by a mere 0.03 mm! Whether visible or hidden from sight, these refined details embody the art of watchmaking upheld by Vacheron Constantin, also showcased in the chronograph gears hollowed in the brand-signature Maltese Cross shape, as well as the column-wheel screw adorned with the same emblem.
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