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Graceful progress
EACH CALIBRE STAYS IN THE HANDS OF THE ENGRAVER FOR ONE WEEK: THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED TO ACHIEVE PERFECTION openings and interior angles – some narrower than 45° - that Vacheron Constantin favours in its openworked creations, and which no machine can reproduce. To make the masterpieces of the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées collection, the smooth surfaces of the mainplate and bridges are not simply cut with a minute handsaw: the artisans carefully chase the whole circumference of each component creating a sculpture with its own volume and depth. Inspired by the ribbed vaults of late 19th-century railway stations, the poetry of Art Nouveau is captured and reproduced in the complexity of these rounded shapes, which the Manufacture has developed and introduced, and which represent an aesthetic and technical progress from the straight lines of the traditional openwork movements. The laborious process through which the relief work of the engraved vaults is highlighted involves more than three days of work for every single calibre: it is a concept of time based on the unique nature of each item. Even more time is needed to create each timepiece: after the chamfering and hand-drawing phases are completed, the master engraver comes into play. Each calibre spends a week in his hands, the minimum amount of time necessary for the artisan to sculpt the material with meticulous strokes of the burin. When the engraver’s work is finished, the pattern of the relief unfolds in a hypnotic dance, like a symphony of flawless harmony. This personal approach,
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Top left, the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées; right, a blue enamel ring. Below, in the High jewellery version, a third métier d’art is involved: the stone setter. Opposite, the sumptuous openworking can be seen both from the face and from the sapphire crystal caseback.
this effort to achieving a form that is as functional as it is harmonious, has long been a feature of Vacheron Constantin’s engagement in the development of important measures to safeguard the uniqueness of this métier d’art, ensuring that, at the same time, techniques and research evolve hand in hand. A uniqueness that is heightened by the dialogue the Manufacture stimulates between the various professions. In the case of the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées collection, for example, the ring topping the calibre is made using the Grand Feu enamel technique, which is part of the artisan heritage of the city of Geneva. The circular shape of the ring requires extra attention; it is enamelled in blue, grey and deep and opaque black. In order to convey all the beauty and perfection of this colour, which inexorably reflects every ray of light, the master enameller has to create a perfectly flat and smooth surface to ensure no bubbles appear when the enamel is fired in successive stages. In the High jewellery version of the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées, a third métier d’art comes into play: the master stone setter adorns the bezel with 42 baguette-cut diamonds and the clasp of the strap with another 12 baguette-cut diamonds (for a total of approximately 2.8 carats). Progress, movement, craftsmanship and art: at Vacheron Constantin time passes gracefully, allowing the intelligent hand of man to achieve ever-changing goals.
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