Harmony of the spheres

MANILA, Philippines – These days, timepieces are becoming more and more like contemporary sculptures: artful shapes that not only serve the essential function of measuring time, but also look darn, darn good on one’s wrist. Well, if a person could walk around wearing a piece of artwork from one of those biennales and triennials of recent memory, that would be great.

Take the case of Luxury Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin.

To commemorate the 260th  anniversary of its founding, the brand has unveiled seven models of a new collection billed as “Harmony.” Issued in limited editions, these contemporary timepieces feature a new cushion shape and a design inspired by one of Vacheron Constantin’s first wrist chronographs introduced in 1928, drawing inspiration from the architectural lines and distinctive design of those chronographs made by the manufacture.

Through its perfectly balanced three-dimensional “shape-in-shape” approach, the brand demonstrates its expertise as a watchmaking sculptor. This is achieved through a sophisticated case construction dedicated to precision, readability and comfort on the wrist, while pervaded by a disarming apparent simplicity.

Sophistication and simplicity working together like clockwork — isn’t that the aesthetic approach of many of today’s leading sculptors?

While the chronograph is a highly coveted complication that has appealed to connoisseurs around the world for almost two centuries, its production proves a highly complex process due to the many mobile parts composing it. Thus, when the Vacheron Constantin research team began working seven years ago in coming up with a new chronograph movement, the aim was clear: to create a movement with a classic architecture, while making the most of the materials and technologies of contemporary watchmaking.

“We talked about design and that whole process,” explains Ellen Sorensen, managing director of Vacheron Constantin Southeast Asia. “We looked back at the past, but we’d also like to think about the future.”

In an interview with a Singaporean publication, Christian Selmoni, the brand’s artistic director, reveals the reason behind the name of the collection.

“The name ‘Harmony’ can be associated with the design researches made in order to ‘blend’ classic inspirations and modernity. Designers were looking for elegant, sophisticated, refined design as well as balanced proportions.”

Selmoni explains that Vacheron Constantin offers a wide range of products — from subtle, elegant masculine timepieces such as those from the “Patrimony” collection, up to highly creative and decorative lady timepieces that make up the “Métiers d’Art” collections. The operative phrase for the brand’s watches is: diverse yet coherent.

“All our collections are clearly identified and contribute to the global image and positioning of the maison. And specifically regarding the ‘Harmony’ line, the collection was (a way of) combining technique — featuring complicated movements and design — with a sophisticated cushion shape, rooted in Vacheron Constantin’s history.”

Since 1755 Vacheron Constantin has created an amazing amount of timepieces with different aesthetics and shapes. In this context, the cushion shape, associated with complicated movements, offered a great design opportunity for the people behind the brand. “Non-round complicated” watches, Selmoni says, are often very challenging from the design point of view (taking into consideration thickness, readability, wrist integration, etc.), however, the cushion shape offers a great alternative to round designs: mixing “shaped” case and round dial opening is a bit like combining the “best of both worlds.” In the case of the “Harmony” line, the collection has a modern design and yet is anchored in the company’s heritage.

A case of history prefiguring the future, perhaps?

In a way, yes. But with a harmonic twist.

Vacheron Constantin is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Lucerne.