VACHERON CONSTANTIN - 10 Percent Machinery, 90 Percent Added Value

A visit to Vacheron Constantin’s Vallée de Joux production facilities yields the first published picture of Caliber 1003, crafted in solid gold.

WORLDTEMPUS - 28 June 2010

Kristian Haagen

With the Overseas collection representing 20-25 percent of the annual production of approximately 18,000 watches, Vacheron Constantin is undoubtedly in need of an in-house chronograph movement according to production director Pascal Ricci. This would mean a great leap toward total autonomy and the end of the manual Lémania and automatic Frederic Piguet movements used in the Patrimony and Overseas chronograph models currently on offer from the world’s oldest continually manufacturing watch company.

The very first image published of in-house Caliber 1003, crafted in solid gold. © Worldtempus / Kristian Haagen

One dealer, 100 tourbillons

With Juan-Carlos Torres steering the ship since 2006, Vacheron Constantin has experienced more success than its last two owners—the Ketterer family and former Saudi oil minister Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani—could ever have dreamed of.

“We had one dealer in Hong Kong asking for 100 tourbillon watches,” Torres told Worldtempus at the Plan-les-Ouates facilities in Geneva. “I agreed to meet his order, but only if we could ask the owners to have their names engraved on the watch. This eliminated the risk of grey market sales completely,” Torres announced with a smile.

Torres indeed understands the importance of protecting a watch brand—the oldest watch brand, mind you. The 2007 introduction of the innovative Quai de L’Ile proudly bearing passport-esque decoration still able to fulfill the rules of the Seal of Geneva and a design that cannot be counterfeited confirms his serious approach to this growing problem.

It takes highly skilled staff to perform the finishing and decoration needed to meet Vacheron Constantin’s high standards. © Worldtempus / Kristian Haagen

The importance of added value

Vacheron Constantin is not just a luxurious watch company working toward 100 percent manufactured movements. The venerable watch company also offers unique craftsmanship from the Metiers d’Art atelier as well as the prestigious bespoke workshop.

“Our watches are 10 percent machinery. The rest is added value,” Torres told Worldtempus. This becomes obvious when strolling through the contemporary production and finishing facilities located in the Vallée de Joux, enjoying the incredible craftsmanship performed by highly skilled staff. Among other things, they decorate tourbillon bridges, expertly achieve seven different types of perlage on parts just barely visible, and create solid gold plates used for the recently launched extra-flat models based on in-house Caliber 1003. And all this is done to meet the strict rules governing the Seal of Geneva, a hallmark of horological excellence in the first degree.

“We decorate even more than required by the Seal of Geneva,” Ricci proudly told Worldtempus as he displayed the impressive horological machine park he manages in the Vallée de Joux facility. This is not only expected to grow, but Ricci also prophecies moving to new facilities within the next two years. Fans of the brand can look forward to new in-house movements that he expects to create there.

It can take months to create in-house plates using high precision spark wire cutting, rhodium plating, and manual finishing processes. © Worldtempus / Kristian Haagen