Should yet another testimony to Vacheron Constantin’s skills in orchestrating the crafts of artistic watchmaking be needed, the new jewellery model in the Patrimony collection is the obvious candidate. Its 35 mm diameter stages an extraordinary spectacle of light. A dazzling 16.2-carat flooring of claw-set baguette diamonds makes time go on forever. This model also comes in a 40 mm dial.

Case, dial and clasp: not a speck of white gold is unpaved by diamonds. The round-cut stones radiate from the centre of the face in increasing circles to cover its entire surface. The effect is truly mesmerising.

The watchmaker takes up the gem-setter’s challenge. The calibre 1400, of proven renown, has to reside in this glittering palace. The mechanical manual-winding movement is visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback. The finish of this movement is done entirely by hand following a tradition passed down through the generations since 1755 and according to the most exacting rules of the art of watchmaking. The flat surfaces are adorned with Côtes de Genève and the sharp edges chamfered and polished, even on the heads and slots of each screw. There can be no truer expression of the watchmaker’s art.

There must be no exceptions for such an exceptional watch. The Patrimony Traditionnelle High Jewellery can thus boast the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Institutionalised by the parliament of the Republic and Canton of Geneva in 1886, the hallmark is an umbrella guarantee of provenance, workmanship, durability and skill. Once independent, this unmatched label of quality was thoroughly overhauled in 2011. The certification no longer applies to just the movement, but now to the watch as a whole. This is a major milestone for this hallmark of authenticity that has long had Vacheron Constantin’s support.

Source: Vacheron Constantin