The collection comprises a series of 12 references featuring hand-guilloché and diamond-set dials, each dedicated to a specific constellation and its associated zodiac sign. Uniting Haute Horlogerie with artistic savoir-faire, the Métiers d’Art series features an ultra-thin self-winding manufacture movement, Calibre 2160, housed in an 18K white gold case set with baguette-cut sapphires to highlight the rich blue of the dial.
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 constellation, 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.