Vacheron Constantin explore the world’s styles with Les Cabinotiers Récits de Voyages
Borna BošnjakOf the three brands considered to be the Holy Trinity of Swiss watchmaking, Vacheron Constantin probably receive the least attention. But that’s not necessarily a negative, as their efforts are far more focused on quality, artistry and exploration rather than hype and celebrity endorsements. The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers collection is made up of approximately 50 watches per year, each one unique and finished to the highest standards possible. This most recent batch is known as Récits de Voyages, or Travel Stories, as they take on evocative decorations from all around the world.
Before we delve into detail about the stories these five watches in particular tell, a short overview about what Les Cabinotiers is in the first place. The idea was born in 2006, out of a wish to reignite the Maison’s passion for producing unique, made-to-order watches akin to those made during the long years of Vacheron Constantin’s past, stopping shortly after WWII. It is the very place that birthed one of, if not the most, complicated watches of all time – the ref. 57260 – featuring a mind-boggling 57 complications housed in a 957-gram white gold case.
Granted, not every single Cabinotiers piece is a marvel of mechanical complication, but that only means that they instead sport a staggering display of dial artistry, hand-engraving or gemsetting, be it grisaille enamel, marquetry or Vacheron Constantin’s double-patented mystery setting.
Putting it in really simple terms, Les Cabinotiers is just a bit of a flex from the Holy Trinity brand, though it wasn’t always what it is today. In its infancy, Atelier Cabinotiers, as it was then known as, was solely a commission-based project, reserved for the most important clients. That aspect of the business is still very much alive and well today, producing wonderful works such as the Armillary Tourbillon dashboard clock for a Rolls-Royce aficionado, but keeping it restricted to one-off pieces was just that, restrictive. It didn’t allow Vacheron Constantin to truly flex their horological muscles and show off exactly what Les Cabinotiers can do. There is little left to prove with the five watches that Andrew got to check out in detail, as they combine everything Les Cabinotiers set out to do, from unique dial and case finishes like pear and tulip tree marquetry to the mechanical mastery of multi-axis tourbillons.
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery Dragon
Dragons appear in mythology all around the world, by by far their strongest cultural significance lands in China. As a tribute to Chinese artistry, the master artisans of Vacheron Constantin have rendered a traditional dragon using grisaille enamel techniques. It begins with two layers of black, two of the dark bluish-green, and then a final transparent layer, each one being fired as they go. The result is one of incredible depth, as each layer defies the simplicity of simple outlines and shading. The dial is encased in a fairly simplistic silhouette of 18k white gold, set with over 150 baguette-cut diamonds between the bezel, lugs, mid-case and strap buckle. The movement is Vacheron Constantin’s ultra-thin Calibre 1120, being just 2.45mm thick even with automatic winding and a 40-hour power reserve.
| Brand | Vacheron Constantin |
| Model | Les Cabinotiers Grisaille High Jewellery Dragon |
| Reference Number | 2017C/000G-096C |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 8.9mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18k white gold, diamonds |
| Water Resistance | N/A |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Green grisaille enamel |
| Strap | Dark green alligator leather, 18k white gold, diamond-set pin buckle |
| Movement | 1120, in-house, automatic, 2.75Hz |
| Power Reserve | 40 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes |
| Availability | Piece unique |
| Price | POA |
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Tribute to Arabesque
With a shared history reaching back to 1817, Vacheron Constantin’s link to the Middle East runs deep. With engravings inspired by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the Minute Repeater Tourbillon Tribute to Arabesque is dedicated to intricacy. Its white gold lattice of line engraving and filigree requires intense study to be fully appreciated, and the stippled black backdrop helps it stand out even more. The floral motifs extend to engraving on the white gold case too, also done entirely by hand. The tourbillon and minute repeater, two of the most coveted complications in watchmaking, are courtesy of the in-house Calibre 2755 TMR with a 58-hour power reserve. The dial’s mashrabiya motif is only interrupted by the tourbillon aperture at 6 o’clock, showing off the entire depth of the ultra-complex movement containing the striking works of La Tour de l’Île Grand Complication.
| Brand | Vacheron Constantin |
| Model | Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Tribute to Arabesque |
| Reference Number | 6650C/000G-084C |
| Case Dimensions | 44mm (D) x 13.5mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18k white gold, hand-engraved |
| Water Resistance | N/A |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | 18k white gold, hand-chiselled and engraved |
| Strap | Black alligator leather, 18k white gold, hand-engraved folding clasp |
| Movement | 2755 TMR, in-house, manual-winding, 2.5Hz |
| Power Reserve | 58 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, power reserve, minute repeater, tourbillon |
| Availability | Piece unique |
| Price | POA |
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Tribute to Art Deco Style
While this watch is technically the same as the last, its styling could not be further away. As the arabesque was lavish in complexity, the Art Deco style is robust in simplicity and geometrical precision. Born in Paris and more fully embraced in the United States during the 1920s, Art Deco was there for the foundation of the modern wristwatch. Here, tessellated strips of dyed pear and tulip wood have been arranged in marquetry for a dazzling, patterned dial. The illusion of depth from its radiating design is enhanced by a stepped section near the top of the dial, while diamond-set hour markers slim down towards 12 o’clock to accentuate its spire-like levels. Without a closer look, the dial may seem as if it was cloisonné enamel, which is exactly what served as the inspiration for the execution of the marquetry, totalling 110 veneers. The 5N pink gold case is, of course, hand-engraved with Art Deco herringbone motifs.
| Brand | Vacheron Constantin |
| Model | Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Tribute to Art Deco Style |
| Reference Number | 6520C/000R-085C |
| Case Dimensions | 44mm (D) x 13.5mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18k 5N pink gold, hand-engraved |
| Water Resistance | N/A |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Pear and tulip tinted tree wood marquetry |
| Strap | Blue alligator leather, 18k 5N pink gold stitching and folding clasp |
| Movement | 2755 TMR, in-house, manual-winding, 2.5Hz |
| Power Reserve | 58 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, power reserve, minute repeater, tourbillon |
| Availability | Piece unique |
| Price | POA |
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Malte Tourbillon Tribute to Haussmannian Style
Although Art Deco was born in Paris, it’s not the style which defines that historic city. Between 1853 and 1870, Georges-Eugène Haussmann oversaw a gargantuan renovation of Paris’ medieval centre, previously renowned for its overpopulation, disease, and crime. Paris’ “new” look was initially met with intense criticism, however the open, airy boulevards and the elaborate architectural style have come to be adored by tourists and locals alike. This watch by Vacheron Constantin is decorated in that same “Second Empire” style, with its skeletonised layout echoing the iron frameworks and glass pavilions of Haussmannian buildings. The sides of the case almost look as if it could be an opera house in themselves, with the side opposite the crown emblazoned with an ornate lion’s head. The Calibre 2790 SQ is a great example of what openworking, or skeletonisation, really is. Every possible bit of material that could be removed for a more impressive aesthetic display is chiseled away at by Les Cabinotiers artisans, before becoming even more intricate with a multitude of hand-engraved surfaces. After seeing a watch like this, “skeleton” watches that simply have no dial and expose the movement seem somewhat insulting.
| Brand | Vacheron Constantin |
| Model | Les Cabinotiers Malte Tourbillon Tribute to Haussmannian Style |
| Reference Number | 30135/000R-089C |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (W) x 12.7mm (T) x 41.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 18k 5N grained pink gold |
| Water Resistance | N/A |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | 18k 5N grained pink gold |
| Strap | Brown alligator leather, 18k 5N pink gold, hand-engraved folding clasp |
| Movement | 2790 SQ, in-house, manual-winding, 2.5Hz |
| Power Reserve | 45 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, tourbillon, date, power reserve |
| Availability | Piece unique |
| Price | POA |
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Tribute to Art Deco Style
This watch takes the Art Deco style dedication in an entirely new direction, fusing it with quite a few contemporary elements and blatantly ignoring any notions of stealth. The blacked-out dial allows the 3N yellow gold elements to shine brighter than ever, with nearly every aspect given hand guilloché decoration. Timekeeping is relegated to the right side of the dial, with a retrograde display travelling at half the speed of a normal dial. The left side, as if you didn’t notice, is entirely taken up by a huge double-axis tourbillon, highlighted with an extra slice of sapphire crystal for magnification. The space needed to allow this complicated has made the watch 20mm tall, however that just makes more room for the delightful Art Deco style hand-engraving on the sides of the case. There’s also a window from the side to view the tourbillon, making sure you can see its dance from all angles at any time. The 1990 calibre powering this Armillary Tourbillon can trace its origins to the aforementioned ref. 57260 and the lessons the Maison learned from taking on such a project. Its spherical balance spring has the benefit of an additional axis cancelling any gravitational effects when compared to a regular tourbillon, with a silicon escapement with diamond-polished pallets. If you needed any more proof that this entire collection, while technically impressive, is a huge flex from Vacheron Constantin, how about the fact that the interlocking tourbillon cage forms the Maltese cross after every 15 seconds of rotation?
| Brand | Vacheron Constantin |
| Model | Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Tribute to Art Deco Style |
| Reference Number | 9860C/000J-090C |
| Case Dimensions | 45mm (D) x 20.1mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18k 3N yellow gold, hand-engraved |
| Water Resistance | N/A |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Black, openworked |
| Strap | Black alligator leather, 18k 3N yellow gold folding clasp |
| Movement | 1990, in-house, manual-winding |
| Power Reserve | 58 hours |
| Functions | Retrograde hours and minutes, armillary tourbillon |
| Availability | Piece unique |
| Price | POA |