Press Release: Vacheron Constantin introduces the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial

Celebrating the beauty and mystery of the night sky, Vacheron Constantin introduces the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial, a series of 12 references. Each dial features a hand-guilloché illustration of one of the zodiac signs and its associated constellation, which is highlighted by diamond ‘stars’. Presented in an elegant 39mm white gold case set with baguette-cut blue sapphires to complement the blue dials, the watches are powered by the ultra-thin self-winding manufacture movement with a tourbillon, Calibre 2160.

The quest for decorative beauty: hand-guillochage and gem-setting

The Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial watches celebrate Vacheron Constantin’s savoir-faire in the artistic crafts of hand-guillochage and gem-setting. Since the Maison was founded 270 years ago, the mastery of such métiers d’art has been transmitted from one generation to the next, nurturing the Maison’s continuing quest for beauty and aesthetic refinement.

Each of the 12 dials depicts a hand-guilloché zodiac sign and its associated constellation, with the principal stars represented by brilliant-cut diamonds. In addition to the guilloché, the four signs representing human figures (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Aquarius) feature opaline details. The craft of guilloché figurative drawing was developed by Vacheron Constantin‘s own master guillocheur, going beyond the abstract patterns of classical guillochage to enable the creation of illustrations and thus transform the traditional craft into a figurative art form in its own right. The innovative technique, which calls for great dexterity and precision, involves the creation of a multitude of hand-guilloché triangles formed of densely packed straight lines, with each triangle set at a different angle from its neighbours. To create just one zodiac sign requires approximately 16 hours of intense and conscientious work.

Enhancing the blue colour of the dial and highlighting the gem-setting expertise of Vacheron Constantin’s in-house métiers d’art workshop, a total of 96 baguette-cut blue sapphires (~3.87  carats) are set into the bezel and onto the crown, lugs and buckle, requiring 27 hours of gem-setting work. On the bezel, the choice of channel-setting, in which the stones are held between two parallel tracks with no metal separating them, gives the impression that the sapphires are floating, to create an uninterrupted circle of light around the dial. Echoing the linear geometry of the baguette sapphires and the fine lines that form the guilloché motifs, the applied white gold indexes are decorated with a ribbed surface pattern.

Construction of the dials is a complex and meticulously orchestrated process involving eight separate steps. For each artisan, the challenge of the craft itself is amplified by the need to ensure that the work of the preceding craftsman is not compromised in any way. To begin, the dial base, a thin disc of 18K 5N gold, is marked with the outlines of the constellations and zodiac signs. Then, a sunburst finish is applied to the entire dial and the opaline details added to the four ‘human’ signs. The next step is the hand-guillochage of the zodiac sign. Only when this is completed can the aperture for the tourbillon be cut out, after which the blue colour is applied. Then, to define the map of each constellation, the dial is machined to reveal the gold dial base in a tracery of fine lines. On completion of this step, a protective varnish is applied to the entire dial. Then come the final details: the transfer-stamping of the minutes and seconds tracks and the Vacheron Constantin name; the application of the white gold indexes and the Maison’s Maltese Cross emblem; and finally, setting of the diamonds that mark the principal stars in each constellation. Appropriately, the word constellation is derived from the Latin constellatio, which can be translated as “set with stars”.

Haute Horlogerie mechanism and finishes: a finely crafted ultra-thin tourbillon movement – Calibre 2160

For 270 years, Vacheron Constantin‘s quest for watchmaking excellence has been built on the marriage of technical expertise, fine craftsmanship and finishing. Uniting an Haute Horlogerie movement with intricate, hand-decorated dials, the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial series represents the highest expression of this philosophy.

The self-winding tourbillon movement, Calibre 2160 comprises 188 parts, yet is a mere 5.65 mm thick – testament to Vacheron Constantin’s mastery in constructing ultra-thin complication movements and highlighting its continual pursuit of mechanical and aesthetic elegance.

Operating at a frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour), it displays the hours and minutes, with small seconds indicated by the tourbillon carriage.

Winding the mainspring to provide an 80-hour power reserve, the 22K gold peripheral oscillating weight also allows an unobstructed view of the meticulously finished movement. Perlage on the mainplate is complemented by hand-bevelled bridges decorated with Côtes de Genève, circular-grained wheels and chamfered and polished screws. On the dial side, a heat-blued fastening screw contrasts with a hand-polished tourbillon bar and Maltese Cross-shaped tourbillon cage.

Each Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial watch bears the Poinçon de Genève, guaranteeing provenance, precision of timekeeping and the finest finishing of both functional and decorative movement components.

An ode to the constellations and zodiac signs

Since the dawn of time, mankind has been fascinated by the beauty and mystery of the night sky. Ancient observers attempted to decipher the rhythms of the cosmos and interpret celestial patterns in ways that reflected their worldviews and cultural beliefs. In Bronze Age Mesopotamia, around 5,000 years ago, astronomers identified many of the distinctive groupings of stars that form constellations, naming them after the animals, mythological figures and objects that they imagined the patterns depicted. Greek and Roman civilisations later infused many of these constellations with their own mythology and adopted many of the names used today. Different cultures – including Chinese, Indian and Native American – also interpreted the night sky and created distinct constellation systems according to their own beliefs.

Blending these ancient traditions with more recent discoveries, 88 constellations are officially recognised today – 36 of which lie mainly in the northern sky and 52 in the southern celestial hemisphere. Although the former had been catalogued as early as the second century CE by the Greco-Roman astronomer Ptolemy, the latter were not identified until pioneering Dutch navigators began charting the southern skies in the late 16^th century.

Among these 88 constellations, the 12 zodiac constellations recognised in Western astrology are those that lie along the plane of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the sky as seen from Earth. Because the cycle of the Sun’s passage through the zodiac is aligned with the seasons, ancient cultures used that cycle to determine what subsequently became defined as a year. To this day, astrology associates each zodiac sign with a specific point in the seasonal cycle. The word zodiac is derived from the ancient Greek zoidiakos, meaning ‘circle of animals’.

In creating this ode to the constellations and the zodiac, Vacheron Constantin evokes the charm of the founding myths and acknowledges the ancient and intimate link between astronomy and astrology. In Babylon and ancient Egypt, the roles of astronomer (predictor of celestial phenomena) and astrologer (interpreter of those phenomena) were performed by the same person, and until the 17^th and 18th centuries, both professions were practised side by side – including by the great astronomers Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler, who also practised astrology.

Comprising 12 references, each celebrating one of the zodiac constellations and its associated astrological sign, the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial series has taken inspiration from a single-piece edition created in 2021 by Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers workshop, the Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart Leo Constellation Jewellery.

The dial of that watch – portraying the Leo zodiac sign in figurative guilloché along with its corresponding, diamond-set constellation – a opened a new territory of artistic expression for Vacheron Constantin.

Celestial themes have been central to Vacheron Constantin since its earliest years. As well as developing a rare degree of expertise in watches dedicated to the influence of astronomical phenomena on timekeeping, the Maison has a considerable legacy of aesthetic and figurative pieces depicting the zodiac.

Notable examples include an Art Deco table clock in gold, onyx, rock crystal and lapis lazuli displaying the zodiac signs created in collaboration with Verger Frères in 1927. In 1996, as part of the Mercator collection, the Maison presented Ref. 43050, with a polychrome enamel dial depicting the Chinese zodiac signs. In 2012, it inaugurated ‘Legend of the Chinese Zodiac’, a series within the Métiers d’Art collection presented over a 12-yearly cycle, beginning with the snake and followed by each year by the associated sign. Zodiac signs also appeared on the 2017 Métiers d’Art series, Copernicus Celestial Spheres. Marking its 250^th anniversary in 2005, Vacheron Constantin presented l’Esprit des Cabinotiers, a mystery clock on which the dial was encircled by the 12 zodiac signs, created in miniature-painted grand feu enamel. More recently, the zodiac calendar has featured on a series on single-piece editions: Les Cabinotiers Astronomica (2014), Reference 57260 (2015), and The Berkley Grand Complication (2024).

Interview with Sandrine Donguy, Product & Innovation Director

In what ways does the Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial series best illustrate Vacheron Constantin’s values and expertise?
When he founded the Maison in 1755, Jean-Marc Vacheron took a particular approach to watchmaking, as he considered technical excellence to be intrinsically linked to aesthetics, in terms not only of the dial and case but also the form and finishing of the internal components. This approach still defines Vacheron Constantin today and, by giving equal value to Haute Horlogerie and the decorative crafts, these watches truly express the essence of the Maison. In addition to the artistic decoration of these watches, the slimness of Calibre 2160 exemplifies the way that our watchmakers synthesise technicality and beauty: the technical challenge lies in the need for smaller and finer components, while the aesthetics are honoured by the proportions of the slim case that a thin calibre makes possible.

Vacheron Constantin has a distinguished legacy in displaying both Western and Chinese zodiac signs. What was the reason for combining the zodiac signs with the constellations for these pieces?
Given the technical and mathematical nature of timekeeping, Vacheron Constantin is naturally aligned with astronomy, and yet we also appreciate the poetic nature of astrology, with its sense of mystery and romance. Until the time of Galileo, astrology and astronomy were regarded as a single science – that of observing and analysing celestial phenomena, which is the very foundation of time measurement. Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial series has enabled us to bring these elements together in a different way of expressing the beauty of the night sky.

How do the métiers d’art chosen for these watches represent the Maison’s commitment to preserving tradition while constantly innovating?
Vacheron Constantin created its in-house Métiers d’Art workshop not only to help preserve this savoir-faire but also to support the artisans in innovating, exploring and developing new techniques. The figurative guilloché technique used on these dials is an excellent illustration of how this approach encourages the continuing evolution of traditional crafts. It was developed by Vacheron Constantin’s master guillocheur and goes beyond the abstract patterns of classical guillochage to become a decorative art form in its own right. For the gem-setting, our master gem-setter has employed different techniques for different elements, each chosen to enhance the brilliance of the stones according to their cut and their position on the piece: channel setting on the bezel creates the impression of an uninterrupted circle of sapphires, while the brilliant-cut diamonds that represent the stars on the dial were grain-set from the reverse side.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial Technical Specifications

Reference

• 6007A/000G-H042 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Aries
• 6007A/000G-H043 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Taurus
• 6007A/000G-H044 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Gemini
• 6007A/000G-H045 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Cancer
• 6007A/000G-H046 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Leo
• 6007A/000G-H047 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Virgo
• 6007A/000G-H048 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Libra
• 6007A/000G-H049 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Scorpio
• 6007A/000G-H050 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Sagittarius
• 6007A/000G-H051 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Capricorn
• 6007A/000G-H052 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Aquarius
• 6007A/000G-H053 – Métiers d’Art Tribute to The Celestial – Pisces

Indications                             

• Hours and minutes; small seconds on tourbillon carriage

Movement

• Calibre 2160
• Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
• Mechanical, self-winding, peripheral rotor
• Tourbillon
• 31 mm (13½”’) diameter, 5.65 mm thick
• Approximately 80 hours of power reserve
• 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
• 188 components
• 30 jewels                   

Case

• 18K white gold case
• 39 mm in diameter, 10.7 mm thick
• 96 baguette-cut sapphires set on the bezel, lugs and crown ~ 3.87 cts
• Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
• Water-resistance tested at a pressure of 3 bar (approx. 30 metres)

Dial

• 5N gold dial base
• Hand-guilloché motif depicting each of the 12 zodiac signs and corresponding constellation
• Stars set with brilliant-cut diamonds
• 18K white gold Maltese Cross applique
• Railway minute-track

Hour markers and hands

• 18K white gold applied hour-markers with ribbed texture
• 18K white gold bi-faceted sword-shaped hour and minute hands

Strap

• Dark blue alligator leather with alligator lining
• 18K white gold folding clasp set with 16 baguette-cut sapphires ~ 0.53 cts

‘Poinçon de Genève’ certified timepiece
Limited production

Available only through Vacheron Constantin Boutiques