Vacheron Constantin – More than Two Centuries of Opulent Watch Making

Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1755 by Jean-Marc Acheron and Francois Constantin, making it arguably the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history.

Innovators of luxury watch design; both Vacheron and Constantin prided themselves as master watchmakers with strict codes of perfection. That standard is still upheld today, as Vacheron Constantin continues to create exquisitely crafted time pieces of stature that range from mechanical masterpieces up to dazzling diamond designs.

Vacheron Constantin is the company that some watch enthusiasts consider to be the creator of one of the most expensive wristwatches, the Kallista. It was made in 1979 and its initial price was $5 million. Today, however, the watch is valued at about $11 million. Kallista had 118 emerald-cut diamonds, took roughly 6,000 hours to create and about 20 months for the best jewelers in the world to enrich the watch.

Today, the company produces about 20,000 timepieces per year. In 1996 the entire share capital of the company was bought by Richemont Group. Vacheron Constantin is credited for making what is considered one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world — the Tour de I'lle. Created in 2005 to mark the anniversary of 250 years of Vacheron Constantin, Tour de I'lle includes 834 parts and 16 horological complications. It was only available through the Vacheron Constantin shop in Geneva, Switzerland and sold for more than $1 million.

In 2007 Vacheron Constantin introduced the Metiers d'Art 'Les Masques' collection of timepieces featuring the miniature reproductions of primitive art masks. The company selected 12 masks from a private museum collection and reproduced the masks on a small scale, to adorn the face of the watch. The miniaturized masks are featured in the dial center of every watch from the 'Les Masques' collection.