The 2017 edition of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie was clearly a haven for watch enthusiasts, as watchmaking houses took complications to new levels. Vacheron Constantin has proven the success of a more modern expression of historical watchmaking complications and our interview with the brand’s Artistic Director Christian Selmoni will let you know all about it.

Being the artistic director of Vacheron Constantin, what are the characteristics that make the brand’s watches worth the investment?

Vacheron Constantin was founded 262 years ago, in 1755. We have never had any stop in our activity, so we are the oldest manufacturer in watchmaking. Since the beginning, we have been creating some high value timepieces and when you acquire a Vacheron Constantin, you really acquire a watch that has a sensible value, in a sense that we always offer service and repair all the watches that we have made since 1755. We take great care of the durability of our products and we also maintain very high standards of quality.

What are Vacheron Constantin’s novelties being launched this year?

We have two main topics this year. One is about striking watches, and the other one is about astronomy. Striking watches are the quintessential complications in watchmaking from a very technical point of view.

Under this field, we are presenting the Grande Sonnerie which is the most complicated type of striking watches. The second one under the theme of Astronomy is this very fantastic piece called Celestia, which has 23 complications on two sides.

To me, this watch is really a tribute to astronomical instruments used to measure the time. At the very beginning, watchmaking was invented to measure the time. And to measure the time, our ancestors looked to the stars, the sun, the moon… and this is really a tribute to astronomy. So it is a super precise complicated watch which is really paying tribute to the origins of watchmaking.

What was the vision behind these novelties?

It is about complicated watchmaking, the technical know-how and revisiting complications that are known since centuries in a modern expression.

Who are the women and the men you had in mind when creating these timepieces?

I think the people who wear such complicated watches are mostly watch collectors who like striking watches and such astronomical complications. But, we are also presenting watches under the theme of astronomy that are less complicated and much simpler. The latters are elegant and wearable pieces.

 

Mirella Haddad