With the release of the Les Cabinotiers Homage to Epic Warriors Minute Repeater collection, Vacheron Constantin elevates both watchmaking and artistry to dizzying heights. Conceived to mark the Maison’s 270th anniversary, this series comprises four single-piece editions, each crafted in honour of legendary warriors who shaped global history: Alexander the Great, Antarah ibn Shaddad, Genghis Khan, and Sasaki Moritsuna. The watches fuse spectacular métiers d’art and mechanical prowess, drawing the wearer into an odyssey that is as much about human adventure as it is about technical achievement.
Each dial centres around a miniature-painted portrait of a hero, brought vividly to life using the grand feu enamel technique. The artistry at play is remarkable, where master enamellers and engravers collaborate across hundreds of hours. The dial begins its transformation with the taille-douce engraving, establishing a textured background: spears for Alexander, desert for Antar, steppes for Genghis Khan, and oceanic waves for Moritsuna. The result is a multi-dimensional field of matt and shiny finishes, capturing the essence of place and legend.
Following the precise engraving, the dial is entrusted to the enameller. Layers of crushed pigment are meticulously brushed onto a miniature silhouette, with each application followed by high-temperature kiln firing. The process requires absolute precision; any error risks both the enamel and the underlying engraving. Up to seven enamel layers are used, enabling nuanced tones and depth. Final layers of protective flux and careful hand-polishing deliver a surface of dazzling radiance. The resulting portraits not only evoke the spirit of their subjects but demonstrate the vitality and depth that only grand feu enamel can achieve when handled by a true master.
Beneath the artistry lies the calibre 1731, a horological feat developed and assembled at Vacheron Constantin’s manufacture. The movement is ultra-thin, measuring 3.9 mm in thickness and comprising 265 components. A manually wound mechanism provides a generous 65-hour power reserve, driven by a single barrel. Vibrating at 3 Hz (21,600 vph), it powers indications for hours, minutes, and a minute repeater complication.
The minute repeater itself is a showcase of technical bravura. Unlike conventional complications, it translates time into harmonious, distinctly audible chimes, the purity of which is controlled by a silent flying strike governor. This regulator, acting on centrifugal and centripetal forces, ensures that the sound emerges with perfect rhythm and clarity. The gongs are affixed directly to the case, amplifying resonance while retaining tonal purity. A sapphire caseback reveals the movement’s open architecture, circular graining on the mainplate, Côtes de Genève on bridges, hand-bevelling, and jewel sinks. Notably, attention to finishing extends to components hidden from view, such as the Maltese cross within the strike governor, a subtle nod to the brand’s emblem and devotion to detail.
The cases are exercises in precision and artistry, hand-engraved using the taille-douce technique. For Alexander the Great and Antar, the cases are realised in 18K white gold. The Macedonian spear pattern and arabesques are intricately etched onto the surfaces, enveloping the cases and even continuing onto the repeater slides and buckles. Genghis Khan and Sasaki Moritsuna receive 18K 3N yellow gold cases, engraved with Mongolian motifs and Japanese wave patterns, respectively. Each case requires upwards of 160 hours of engraving, reflecting a commitment to surface richness and tactile engagement.
Size is consistent across the collection: a 41 mm diameter is balanced by an 8.59 mm profile, the thinness further accentuating the technical achievement within. Sapphire crystal casebacks invite inspection of the movement, while “Pièce unique” and “Les Cabinotiers” engravings reinforce the singular nature of each piece. Buckles, themselves objects of art, mirror their corresponding case engravings.
Turning the pages of time, Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers Homage to Epic Warriors Minute Repeater watches encapsulate a quest, as voiced by François Constantin: to always “do better if possible, and that is always possible.” Each model in this collection is an ode to technical excellence, creative mastery and meticulous craft. The seamless interplay of engraving and enamelling combined with the calibre 1731’s acoustic sophistication place these timepieces among horology’s finest achievements.
In a world where artistry can be overshadowed by utility, these watches serve as luminous beacons of human potential, creativity and endurance. They surpass mere commemorations, becoming objects of transmission and inspiration, fusing the heritage of Vacheron Constantin with cultures and stories that have inspired generations. Theirs is not a fleeting triumph, but an enduring celebration of the possible rendered in gold, enamel, and sound.
QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN SELMONI, HERITAGE & STYLE DIRECTOR
What drove your choice of these four warriors in particular?
To demonstrate that heroism – rising to challenges and overcoming odds that may seem insurmountable – is a human trait that transcends cultures, we chose four great warriors from different eras and backgrounds, each of whom succeeded in a great quest that was particular to him alone, yet embodied universal values. Not simply warlords, they embodied wisdom and knowledge and seek to establish balance and harmony beyond victory on the battlefield. In addition to their courage, disciplined commitment, military skills and strategic prowess, these four warriors were visionaries who, having won their battles, made enduring contributions to the development of civilisation.
Why did you choose a minute repeater calibre for these pieces?
In their quest for mastery of their craft, watchmakers consider chiming watches to be the most challenging – and rewarding – of all complications, as their creation requires a musical sensibility as well as immense technical skill and dexterity. There is a cultural and philosophical connection: throughout history, victories have been announced and celebrated by the chiming of bells or sounding of trumpets.
What were the greatest artistic challenges presented by these pieces?
While the crafts of engraving and miniature painted grand feu enamel are each very demanding in their own right, combining them on a single dial adds greatly to the challenge. The engraving requires absolute precision combined with a lightness of touch and the artistic direction was to create a background incorporating details that evoke a clear sense of place without distracting from the figure of the hero. The enameller begins work only after the engraving has been completed. Painting the figure in minute detail requires meticulous brushwork as well as multiple layers of colour, each layer alternating with a high-temperature firing. The slightest misjudgement in the enamelling will render the dial unusable, thus also destroying the 20 hours of engraving that preceded it. Being one of the few watchmaking Maisons to have our own métiers d’art atelier enables these master artisans to work side-by-side – which supports the process of combining different crafts, as well as encouraging the exchange of ideas that enable each specialist to deepen their mastery.
