Vacheron Constantin has decided to dedicate the year 2013 to women. At SIHH exhibition in Geneve, the brand has unveiled a number of new watches designed exclusively for ladies. Three major collections offer their own interpretation of feminine wristwatches, but the beautiful of them is certainly the latest Métiers d’Art collection, called Florilège.
Three new pieces from the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art collection Florilège series are inspired by the very origins of women’s watches when they were worn as real jewelry, items that symbolize the status of their owners. Often worn on a chatelaine of keys, or as accessories, disguised like pendants or broches, they were skillfully crafted using the finest techniques of enameling, gem-setting, engraving… The miniature dials of first women’s watches were often adorned with precious stones, or finely chased and engraved petals and flowers. They were attached to the delicate chains and crafted from the most valuable materials such as gold or platinum.
The Métiers d’Art Florilège collection, presented at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH 2013) in Geneva, is the very first Métiers d’Art opus that has been created exclusively for women. Each of the three pieces of the collection features a gorgeous floral motif, which is borrowed from Robert John Thornton’s The Temple of Flora, published in 1799. The vintage English botanical illustrations are now vibrantly enlivened in three gorgeous dials, using the traditional crafts of Grand Feu cloisonné enamelling, guilloché engravings and gem-setting.
The complex production method carried out at Vacheron Constantin’s manufactures starts when the engine-turner starts creating a pattern by cutting lines a tenth of a millimeter apart. The enameler then forms the hollow cambers by separating the fields with thin golden wire, and then fills the hollows with vitreous enamel of different colors. According to the Grand Feu technique, the dials are then fired in an oven at a temperature about 800° C, until the enamel becomes beautifully translucent, and it color becomes deep and vibrant. Finally, a protective layer of colorless enamel is poured on top, to preserve the brilliance and definition of the work.
Métiers d’Art Florilège – Queen watch, features the image of the strelitzia plant from South Africa, which was named in tribute to the queen of England who came from the Mecklemburg-Strelitz ducal family. The flower is a symbol of devotion and good fortune.
Métiers d’Art Florilège – White Lily watch, features the reproduction of the Virgin’s lily, which is a symbol of purity and virtue.
Métiers d’Art Florilège – China Limodoron watch, features an image of the orchid, which is, for Chinese people, a symbol of wealth and refinement.
All three watches in the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Florilege opus utilize the in-house manual-winding caliber 4400. The movement is fitted with an oversized mainspring barrel that allows this watch to run on reserve for about 65 hours. The movement is generously decorated in the spirit of haute horlogerie, featuring beveled and hand-embellished components and Côtes de Genève engraving on the bridges. The movement and the watches bear the Hallmark of Geneva, as an ultimate guarantee of quality and performance.
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Florilege is issued in a strictly limited edition of 20 collector’s watches with the round-cut diamonds on the bezel, and 5 more watches with baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel. The former are available exclusively at Vacheron Constantin Boutiques.
Métiers d’Art Florilège , Limited edition of 20 numbered pieces per model
- 82550/000G-9854 – Queen
- 82550/000G-9853 – White Lily
- 82550/000G-9855- China Limodoron
Métiers d’Art Florilège - Haute Joaillerie, 5-piece per model limited edition
- 82650/000G-9854 – Queen
- 82650/000G-9853 – White Lily
- 82650/000G-9855- China Limodoron
Author: Marina Milojević
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