Following up with our SIHH 2015 of Vacheron Constantin's novelties presented last week at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, we bring you two exceptional creations from the manufacture that is celebrating its 260th anniversary this year. Vacheron Constantin enriches its Métiers d'Art collection with two new timepieces equipped with entirely hand-engraved movements. At the heart of a platinum case, calibres 2260/1 and 4400/1 are adorned with acanthus leaves, an inexhaustible source of inspiration since Antiquity. Métiers d'Art Mécaniques Gravées is a further demonstration of technical and artistic excellence. These two new timepieces, one the 14-day Tourbillon ref. 6000A/000P-B025 and the second one a 65-hour power reserve Tourbillon ref. 1100A/000P-B026. Both watches cased up in platinum are the result of the demanding art of engraving that has called for exceptional expertise and extreme dexterity. Only the most virtuoso master-engravers are entrusted with creating raised decors on such small components, without ever compromising their functionality.

The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Mécaniques Gravées 14-Day Tourbillon ref. 6000A/000P-B025 is fitted with a 41 mm platinum case —12.35 mm thick— and powered by the manual wound calibre 2260/1 composed of 231 parts in what it is one of the most intricately adorned movements we've seen recently. The movement features 31 jewels and plates and bridges hand-engraved with “acanthus leaf” floral motifs using line-engraving and champlevé techniques and provides an exceptional power reserve of 14 days when fully wound. The watch is equipped with a dark blue hand sewn alligator strap with platinum half Maltese cross buckle.

Reflecting the finest ornamental traditions, these scrolling motifs and arabesques are hand-engraved on functional parts so as to magnify their exceptional mechanics and unique aesthetic appeal. Epitomizing these traditional decors, the acanthus leaf appearing on these two movements is a characteristic ornamental element in classic Greek architecture. Its earliest representations date back to the fifth century B.C., when it adorned the capitals of Corinthian columns. Thanks to its stylized shape affording inexhaustible interpretive freedom, the acanthus leaf is depicted on countless artistic creations dotted across the history of Western civilization, especially during the Renaissance and the Baroque period. A symbol of eternity, victory and glory, this refined plant-life motif has found its way through the centuries, expressed in a rich variety of fields including engraving, marquetry, embroidery and painting. Its distinctive curves thus adorn a number of pocket-watch movements at the heart of the Vacheron Constantin heritage.

Fitted with a sapphire crystal dial, the Métiers d'Art Mécaniques Gravées 14-Day Tourbillon presents off-centered hour and minute hands, a small power reserve indicator at 12 o'clock that is read off with a dragging hand and a tourbillon carriage shaped like a Maltese cross with small seconds chapter ring at 6 o'clock. With regards to the power reserve indicator is important to further explain how it works as it displays the remaining power on a 280° sector. This larger surface when compared to more conventional indicators enables a precise division into 14 days, themselves split into two 12-hour portions, thus enhancing the readability of the power reserve.

Swept over by anthracite-toned white gold hands and composed of two distinct parts, the sapphire crystal dial features frosted zones ensuring perfect readability of the engraved and inked small seconds and power-reserve graduations, while a slate grey ring bears the minute circle and a white gold Maltese cross. Revealed through the transparency of the dial, the stunning scrolling motifs and arabesques exalt the extreme beauty and rare elegance of an entirely hand-engraved work of art requiring more than a week’s work for a single movement.

As if the front of the watch wasn't impressive enough, turning the watch around to its back side reveals another fascinating work of art with its hand engraved bridges with acanthus leaves engraved to a depth of 2/10ths of a millimeter. The architecture of the 231-part movement features two large bridges, delicately hand-engraved with floral motifs and acanthus leaves, and visible through the sapphire crystal back of the case which is water-resistant to 30 meters.

This exceptional masterpiece is only available at Vacheron Constantin boutiques.

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The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Mécaniques Gravées ref. 1100A/000P-B026 is fitted with a 39 mm platinum case —2 mm smaller than that of the 14-Day Tourbillon and only 8.5 mm thick— and powered by one of the most iconic base movement from the manufacture, we are talking about the manual wound calibre 4400/1 composed of 127 parts, 21 jewels and plates and bridges hand-engraved with “acanthus leaf” floral motifs using line-engraving and champlevé techniques. Engraving this calibre calls for more than 10 days of patient, meticulous craftsmanship. Free of any dial so as to enable an unobstructed view of the remarkable engravings adorning its mainplate and bridges, the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Gravées model features graceful white gold hands whose deep grey shade makes a perfect match with the slate grey tone of the minute flange enhanced by a white gold Maltese cross.

Just like on its counterpart the 14-Day Tourbillon and as if the front of the watch wasn't impressive enough, turning the watch around to its back side reveals another fascinating work of art with its hand engraved bridges with acanthus leaves engraved to a depth of 2/10ths of a millimeter. The transparency of the sapphire crystal fitted both on the display side and on the back of the 30 meter water-resistant case, reveals the subtle floral motifs. Rare by their very nature, these two exceptional timepieces are available exclusively in Vacheron Constantin boutiques.