VACHERON CONSTANTIN Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées for Only Watch 2015

At the occasion of the charity event Only Watch 2015 that will take place on November 7 in Geneva, Vacheron Constantin renews its support with a unique Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées timepiece, beautified by an enamelled red ring. This creation links two worlds that evolved in similar ways in the late 19th century: architecture and watchmaking.

Based on one of the stellar in-house movements, Calibre 4400, this sculptural work with it’s airy, transparent and finely arched construction exalting the art of open-working vividly evokes the large European railway stations symbolising the golden age of the industrial revolution. The engraver’s technique is reinvented to resemble that of the sculptor, revealing fascinating light effects conveyed through a three dimensional architecture enhanced by another artistic craft: that of Grand Feu enamelling.

While the first entirely open-worked Vacheron Constantin calibre appeared in 1924, the Manufacture was a pioneer in this field of stylistic research, since the first watch produced by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755 already featured an open-worked and engraved balance-cock. Over the following years, the Manufacture relentlessly pursued this quest for mechanical transparency, as it produced movements comprising ever more finely fashioned components.

After pocket-watches, it began producing open-worked movements for wristwatches as of the 1960s, constantly pushing the boundaries of its art by open-working such complicated calibres as minute repeaters, perpetual calendar and tourbillons – including in ultra-thin variations.

Witness the new release by the Manufacture of a splendid mechanical work evoking the large glass domed roofs of historical railway stations, supported by Gothic-inspired ribbed vaults. This impressive artistry is expressed through stunning hand-engraved work resembling the technique of sculpture and orchestrated by a symphony of curves forming a three-dimensional architecture literally flooded with light.

Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées features the manually wound open-worked Calibre 4400SQ. It took several hundreds of hours to achieve the perfect balance between airy aesthetic appeal and optimal functionality. The watchmakers and artisans of the Manufacture compounded the already impressive feat of removing almost half the material compared with the solid Calibre 4400 by addressing another challenge: that of transforming the new movement into an authentic three-dimensional architectural work expressing striking light and shadow effects.

To achieve this, they have laid new milestones in the age-old art of hand engraving. Rather than using a bocfil or tiny handsaw to cut out the smooth surface of the mainplate and bridges before drawing them out with a file and chamfering them, the engraving artisans have carefully chased the parts around their entire circumference so as to create a true sculpture with its own volume and depth. Inspired by the ribbed vaults of late 19th century railway stations, they have meticulously applied their burins to creating delicate arches on the calibre in a fascinating architecture built around curves.

These rounded shapes are a complete change from the straight lines of classic open-worked movements, and imply an even more complex process of chamfering and hand-drawing. Amid a clever interlacing pattern of interior angles that only the human hand is capable of creating, the polished zones catch the light, while the matt finish of the hand-drawn surfaces further heighten the contrast with the radiance of the polished areas. The subtle alchemist’s blend of these hand-crafted finishes is further exalted by the relief effect of the engraved vaults in a process involving over three days of work for a single calibre and endowing it with unique character.

A contemporary reinterpretation of the ancestral art of hand engraving, the finely open-worked mechanism of the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées model is further ennobled by another artistic craft in which the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin has excelled since its origins: Grand Feu enamelling.

To render the vivid beauty of this red hue, the master enamellist had to create a perfectly smooth and uniform surface so as to avoid the appearance of any undesirable bubbles during the successive firings of the enamel. The Grand Feu enamelled ring is accentuated by Roman numerals evoking those of the central clocks in the large railway stations of late 19th century Europe, thereby forming a visible connection with the architectural motifs engraved on the calibre.

Furthermore, the open-worked ONLY WATCH logo on the ring at 3 o’clock celebrates this charity event organized by the Monaco Yacht Show, Phillips’ watch department and the Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy.

The open-worked architecture of Calibre 4400SQ  beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, the movement displays remarkable precision and offers an impressive 65-hour power reserve that is extremely user-friendly for a hand-wound calibre.