Vacheron Constantin

A visit at the Vacheron boutique in Paris (LE editions inside)

 

The opening of the Vacheron boutique in Paris has a lot of very positive impacts: a new prestigious brand which finds its house rue de la Paix, a very nice and refined point of sale, a great inauguration party and... a wide range of watches dedicated to the boutique! So we are very lucky here in Paris to be able to see them and to handle them.

I propose you to browse this selection of pictures I took today.

Actually, I wished to come back to the boutique a few days after the inauguration party to see in better conditions the Metiers d'Art watches dedicated to the l'Art de la Danse. My 6th sense was right, it was the good day to do it because the two 1972 Prestige de la France were also visible and also 3 of the 4 Patrimony "Paris Boutique Exclusive Edition".

Let's start with these Patrimony.

The press release was published by Bill here:
vacheron.watchprosite.com

These 4 Patrimony share in common the PG case, the hand-guilloché opaline silver-toned dial and the chestnut brown Mississippiensis alligator leather strap.

This is the Patrimony Traditionnelle Small Seconds powered by the movement 4400. It is a LE of 75 pieces.

I like the combo between the case and the strap and between the case and the guillochage.

This guillochage draws a kind of complex sunrays pattern which hopefully doesn't overload the purety of the original watch. Because it is always a bit risky to propose a different style of decoration to a watch which was successfully welcomed by the Vacheron fans.

Diameter remains the same: 38mm, a perfect one for this elegant watch.

The sunrays reach the railroad of the dial. As usual, the applied indexes and the Maltese cross bring a feeling of volume:

The movement 4400 remains the same. It is a movement I highly appreciate with good sensations while winding it and a nice lay-out (the address of the boutique is written on the back bezel):

 

The Patrimony Traditionnelle Small Seconds is one of the best handwind 3 hands watches coming from the top brands of the industry. This version is also a very worthy one.

Having said that, even if I was seduced by the decoration of the dial and the addition of the guillochage, I think that simplicity remains the best asset for this style of watch and maybr I prefer the "classic" version.

We stay in the same atmosphere with the Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph.

Here again, the guillochage doesn't overload the style of the watch but I think that I prefer it more in the context of the chronograph than with the Patrimony small seconds:

There is a very positive change of style here: the 5mn indications at the end of the indexes were removed and I much prefer the dial without them.

This chronograph is  very elegant without falling in a too formal style:

Caliber 1141 is a usual based on a Nouvelle Lemania movement. I like its sober and flawless finishings:

Even if it is a bit too small for the case (42mm), the designers did a good work to reduce this feeling dial side:

38mm for the small seconds version, 42mm for the chrobnograph, I think that Vacheron managed to choose the most suitable sizes for their Patrimony!

Here is a picture of the diamond-set Patrimony. This small watch features a 30mm case:





Let's have a look now to another collection with the 1972 Prestige. If these two watches were unveiled to celebrate the opening of the boutique in Paris but it is a Boutique Edition (40 pieces), ie the watches are available in the Vacheron boutiques not only in Paris.

It is not only the asymmetric and curved case (25x47mm) which  defines the character of the 1972 Prestige: the chevron pattern of the dial also gives a lot of originality to these classic and intruiging watches.

Both versions use a WG case. But the different pattern on the dial and the metals of the hands make them almost opposite.

The PG hands version is my fav one. I prefer its darker dial and the hands are really beautiful. I find it warmer too.

The sensual lines of the 1972 Prestige:

The caseback:

The 1972 Prestige seduces thanks to its original classicism:

The other version is brighter:

You will notice the different pattern:

Both versions together:

I don't change my mind! Even if this version has its own charm, I prefer the PG hands one for its subtle dial.

Now, I propose you to discover several pics of the 3 Metiers d'Art watches "Hommage à l'Art de la Danse" which was the first reason of my visit at the boutique.

You will find the press release here:
vacheron.watchprosite.com

These 3  unique pieces were created to celebrate the tricentenary of the École Française de Danse.

Their dial use the grisaille enamelling technique which allows to highlight the different characters on the dial. I was very surprised by the contrast between the dancers and the background.

Each scene was inspired by Edgar Degas works.

The 3 watches share in common:
- a 40mm WG case
- an officer caseback
- the use of caliber 2460 SC (central second hand).

The scenes are "the dance class", "the rehearsal", "two dancers on stage".

The big second hand animates the dial:

You will notice the shape of the hours hand:

The officer caseback allows to discover the nice finishings of the caliber 2460 SC:

And the 3 watches on the wrist:

Even if I'm not a fan of the topic (I can't imagine myself wearing ballerines on my wrist), I was impressed by the quality of craftsmanship and the perfect execution of the dial.

My report is over now. I hope that you enjoyed the diversity of the watches presented inside. This is maybe the reason why Vacheron has a special place in the industry: the Manufacture knows how to combine the different techniques, how to integrate an artistic approach inside a watchmaking project.

I would like to thank a lot the staff of the boutique in Paris for the warm welcome.

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