hen you have a history as rich as that of Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation, every anniversary, every celebration brings a dilemma: which of these many episodes should serve as inspiration? Which of the 1,600 timepieces preserved by the company is most worthy of a contemporary interpretation? And why?

We can, of course, go back to the origins of the Vacheron family. Jean Jacques Vacheron, a weaver based in Geneva, had five sons, four of whom joined the Fabrique (a grouping of all watchmaking-related trades). In 1755, the youngest of them, Jean-Marc Vacheron, aged 24, set up his own business. He hired his first apprentice and signed his first silver pocket watch, already the promise of great things. Fitted with a verge escapement, it featured finely worked gold hands and a balance bridge adorned with beautifully crafted arabesques.

Les Cabinotiers on the front page of Europa Star in 1992. ©Europa Star Archives

This tradition of craftsmanship was continued first by Jean-Marc’s son, Abraham Vacheron, who succeeded in guiding the business through the upheavals of the French Revolution and the occupation of Geneva, then by his grandson Jacques-Barthélémi, who expanded the company’s horizons to grand complications, in particular striking watches playing different melodies, which he exported to France and Italy from the early nineteenth century.

Or, we can choose the moment when the Constantins joined forces with the Vacherons, in 1819. François Constantin brought his keen business acumen to develop exportations of finely decorated complicated watches from Geneva. Nor should we limit ourselves to pocket watches as, from 1889, Vacheron Constantin was series-producing ladies’ wristwatches in delicately engraved cases Anniversaries can sometimes give rise to iconic creations.

Historiques 222

Such was the case for the company’s 222nd anniversary in 1977, when a design by Jorg Hysek went as far as to take the name of the celebration. Mounted on an integrated bracelet, the 222 featured a one-piece case and a fluted bezel. Its unique personality would make it one of Vacheron Constantin’s most recognisable creations. In 2022, this iconic watch was reissued in a gold version with great success, and in 2025, for the 250th anniversary, in a steel “Jumbo” version, equally destined for public acclaim.

A symbolic building

This anniversary also pays tribute to a place that holds great significance for Vacheron Constantin: the Tour de l’Île. The remains of a fortified castle that was built in the thirteenth century to defend Geneva, it is a symbol of the company’s early presence in the city (as an aside, for several decades, our publishing house had its offices directly opposite this historic construction). In 1843 Vacheron Constantin installed its workshops in the tower and displayed its signage on the facade. This is also where, in 1906, it opened its first boutique to welcome a prestigious clientele.

The Manufacture’s Les Cabinotiers workshop has created three single-piece edition timepieces that pay homage to the Tour de l’Île. Set in a refined 40mm case, each depicts a view of the tower inspired by an historic lithograph. Miniaturised for a 33.6mm-diameter dial, yet faithful to every detail of the original image, these meticulously hand-crafted dials showcase several métiers d’art, including Grand Feu enamel and guilloché.

For these new Tribute to the Tour de l’Île single-piece edition watches, Vacheron Constantin has chosen a simple display of hours and minutes so as to focus attention on the artistic beauty of the dial. The mechanical elegance of the automatic manufacture Calibre 2460 is enhanced by the finest of finishing, in the tradition of haute horlogerie inherited from the Age of Enlightenment.

The three Tribute to the Tour de l’Île pieces continue a legacy of Vacheron Constantin watches inspired by this Geneva landmark. They include, from the 1920s, a series of pocket watches with engraved cases, a 1994 pocket watch with an enamelled case, and the famous Tour de l’Île wristwatch created to mark the Maison’s 250th anniversary in 2005, featuring 16 complications – the world’s most complicated wristwatch at the time.

270th anniversary codes

Rather than to a historic building such as the Tour de l’Île, the Traditionnelle collection pays homage to the rigorous traditions of Geneva’s eighteenth-century haute horlogerie, combining high technical standards with distinctive horological aesthetics. Its signatures include stepped lugs, a fluted case back and a slender bezel. Reflecting watchmaking tradition, the dial has a railway-type minutes track, faceted Dauphine-style hands and applied gold baton-type hour-markers.

Several limited editions are presented for this 270th anniversary on coveted references such as the Traditionnelle Manual-Winding and the Traditionnelle Moon Phase, with a common feature on their dials: a subtle geometric motif inspired by the Maltese Cross, Vacheron Constantin’s emblem since 1880.

The sapphire case backs reveal the ‘côte unique’ finish on the bridges of each calibre made for this anniversary. Deceptively simple in appearance, its execution – a combination of carefully controlled machining technique and manual gestures – demands great precision and skill. The technique was used by Vacheron Constantin more than a century ago and rediscovered only in 2021 when reproducing the Historiques American 1921 watch.

Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date

As a final touch, each movement is engraved with an emblem representing Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary. The characteristics of these special editions can be found in another of the Manufacture’s emblematic lines: the Patrimony collection, inspired by the ultra-thin, round timepieces crafted by Vacheron Constantin in the 1950s with their understated design codes expressed through a round case with a slim bezel, a subtly domed dial with slender, curved applied hour-markers, curved baton-type hands and a ‘pearl’ minutes track. Special editions of the Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date and Patrimony Self-Winding are also unveiled.

On another anniversary, its bicentenary in 1955, Vacheron Constantin developed a series of ultra-thin watches. Hallmarked with the Poinçon de Genève, their manual-winding Calibre 1003 movement was as thin as a Swiss 20 centime coin, measuring just 1.64 mm. The Patrimony line is infused with the spirit of sober elegance of that era.

Complications, complications, complications

Purity, elegance, design, craftsmanship, sport... but also, of course, complications, another historical facet to which the Manufacture is giving pride of place on this 270th anniversary. In particular, it is presenting a brand-new calibre in its Traditionnelle Tourbillon Calendar Perpetual limited edition, its 42mm case sculpted from 950 platinum.

Here, too, we should refer to another anniversary to understand the creative process. In 2005, for its 250th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin launched the Saint-Gervais. Driven by a manual-winding manufacture calibre with tourbillon regulator and perpetual calendar, its four barrels supply a remarkable 250-hour power reserve.

These two haute horlogerie complications are now reunited in the new automatic manufacture Calibre 2162 QP/270. Measuring just 6.55 mm thick, it beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz): a relatively slow tempo and characteristic of historic pocket watches.

Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar

Such a stately frequency provides ample opportunity to enjoy the tourbillon’s mechanical choreography, surrounded by the traditional architecture of the perpetual calendar. This new mechanism features a patented secure drive system for the perpetual calendar functions. Thanks to a flexible driving finger-piece on the wheel, perpetual calendar functions can be adjusted both clockwise and counterclockwise without any risk of damaging the movement. The peripheral rotor also allows a clear view of the calibre, which features a discreet 270th anniversary engraving and a special ‘côte unique’ finish on the bridges.

Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Open Face

Last and not least, this celebration takes a contemporary turn with a trio of watches featuring retrograde displays and openworked dials: the Traditionnelle Openface Anniversary Limited Edition models. The first Vacheron Constantin watch with a partially openworked dial was created in 1918. It was a pocket watch with an astronomical calendar – a completely innovative design at the time. Vacheron Constantin’s retrograde wristwatch display dates back to a 1940 model nicknamed the ‘Don Pancho’. This Reference 3620 vanished for almost 60 years before reappearing at auction in 2019. This was a significant moment for the Manufacture, which had reintroduced this type of display in 1994 with the Mercator, a watch featuring a double retrograde display with trailing hours and minutes.

Just like the small fortified castle whose last vestiges it long occupied in the heart of the city, Vacheron Constantin continues to defend its territory: that of Genevan haute horlogerie. Protected from the ravages of time behind its high walls, at 270 years old, it continues to stand proud.