Vacheron Constantin

The house

About Vacheron Constantin

Jean-Marc Vacheron opened his workshop in Geneva in 1755, and the house has made watches ever since — it describes itself as the oldest watch manufacture in continuous operation. François Constantin joined in 1819 and gave it the second half of its name; the Maltese cross on the dial, taken from a component of the barrel, has been its emblem since 1880.

The current collections are the sports-luxury Overseas with its interchangeable straps, the round Patrimony and Traditionnelle dress lines, the Historiques re-editions (the American 1921, the 222, the Cornes de Vache 1955), the Fiftysix, the Égérie for women, and the Métiers d’Art pieces where enamelling, engraving and guilloché carry the design. Most movements carry the Hallmark of Geneva, and the manufacture is part of Richemont.

Production is modest and the complicated and Métiers d’Art references are made in small numbers, so the secondary market is where most pieces are found — and where the Overseas and the historic re-editions trade most actively.

Two hundred and seventy years of Geneva watchmaking, under the Maltese cross.