Style Edit: Vacheron Constantin marks its 270th anniversary with new Patrimony and Traditionnelle models, all with a Maltese cross motif on the dial and côte unique finishing
This year,
Vacheron Constantin wowed visitors to Watches and Wonders in Geneva with a stunning booth dedicated to the storied maison's 270th anniversary. Central to the celebrations was the brand's emblem since 1880, the Maltese cross, which serves as the central design motif for a stellar line-up of anniversary releases across the collections.
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date. Photo: Handout
'These two collections epitomise the understated elegance of the watches created by
Vacheron Constantin over the last 270 years,' says product and innovation director Sandrine Donguy. 'These classic collections are elevated by signature complications, including the retrograde date display; and subtle details, such as the Patrimony's domed dial and the Traditionnelle's fluted caseback. These unexpected twists give each piece a distinctive character, making it a natural decision to honour these timeless designs.'
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All the latest anniversary additions to these two collections include a Maltese cross, uniquely designed for each dial and carefully placed to account for complication displays. Sapphire casebacks reveal 'côte unique' finishing, which was only rediscovered in 2021 while reproducing the Historiques American 1921. The brand's artisans spent more than 500 hours perfecting the technique, now on full display in this year's releases.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-Winding. Photo: Handout
'We wanted the limited editions to illustrate the 270th anniversary with the movements as well as the dial,' says Donguy. 'The finish is both technical and decorative, with the bridges appearing to form a continuous and harmonious line. Perpetuating ancestral skills, preserving knowledge and passing it on are key values that define
Vacheron Constantin 's history.'
The Traditionnelle collection is known for combining exceptional technical standards and aesthetics, evoking Geneva's 18th century high horology, seen in details such as stepped lugs, fluted casebacks, slender bezels, a railway-type minutes track and dauphine-style hands.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Moon Phase. Photo: Handout
This year, the collection sees two celebratory editions of the Manual-Winding and Moon Phase. The latter is presented in a stunning diamond-set pink gold 36mm case and is limited to 270 pieces, driven by the manufacture calibre 1410 AS/270 and showing time, power reserve indication, small seconds and moon phase on a mother-of-pearl dial.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-Winding. Photo: Handout
The Manual-Winding sees limited edition runs of 370 pieces each in 950 platinum and 18k 5N pink gold, both in a 38mm case and complete with the calibre 4400 AS/270; and a 270-piece run in a 33mm diamond-set pink gold version with the calibre 1440/270.
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South China Morning Post
05-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Style Edit: Vacheron Constantin marks its 270th anniversary with new Patrimony and Traditionnelle models, all with a Maltese cross motif on the dial and côte unique finishing
This year, Vacheron Constantin wowed visitors to Watches and Wonders in Geneva with a stunning booth dedicated to the storied maison's 270th anniversary. Central to the celebrations was the brand's emblem since 1880, the Maltese cross, which serves as the central design motif for a stellar line-up of anniversary releases across the collections. Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date. Photo: Handout 'These two collections epitomise the understated elegance of the watches created by Vacheron Constantin over the last 270 years,' says product and innovation director Sandrine Donguy. 'These classic collections are elevated by signature complications, including the retrograde date display; and subtle details, such as the Patrimony's domed dial and the Traditionnelle's fluted caseback. These unexpected twists give each piece a distinctive character, making it a natural decision to honour these timeless designs.' Advertisement All the latest anniversary additions to these two collections include a Maltese cross, uniquely designed for each dial and carefully placed to account for complication displays. Sapphire casebacks reveal 'côte unique' finishing, which was only rediscovered in 2021 while reproducing the Historiques American 1921. The brand's artisans spent more than 500 hours perfecting the technique, now on full display in this year's releases. Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-Winding. Photo: Handout 'We wanted the limited editions to illustrate the 270th anniversary with the movements as well as the dial,' says Donguy. 'The finish is both technical and decorative, with the bridges appearing to form a continuous and harmonious line. Perpetuating ancestral skills, preserving knowledge and passing it on are key values that define Vacheron Constantin 's history.' The Traditionnelle collection is known for combining exceptional technical standards and aesthetics, evoking Geneva's 18th century high horology, seen in details such as stepped lugs, fluted casebacks, slender bezels, a railway-type minutes track and dauphine-style hands. Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Moon Phase. Photo: Handout This year, the collection sees two celebratory editions of the Manual-Winding and Moon Phase. The latter is presented in a stunning diamond-set pink gold 36mm case and is limited to 270 pieces, driven by the manufacture calibre 1410 AS/270 and showing time, power reserve indication, small seconds and moon phase on a mother-of-pearl dial. Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Manual-Winding. Photo: Handout The Manual-Winding sees limited edition runs of 370 pieces each in 950 platinum and 18k 5N pink gold, both in a 38mm case and complete with the calibre 4400 AS/270; and a 270-piece run in a 33mm diamond-set pink gold version with the calibre 1440/270.
South China Morning Post
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- South China Morning Post
Selling comfort: ‘loneliness economy' emerges as more South Koreans live alone
Living alone in his early 40s after ending four years of marriage and getting divorced, Suh spends far more than 142,000 won (US$100) per month to buy premium food brands, get top-rated grooming services and pay insurance for his Maltese dog. Advertisement Suh acknowledges that he may be 'excessively' spending for his dog, considering 142,000 won was Korean pet owners' monthly average spending in the 2024 report released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Nevertheless, he finds such spending 'worthwhile as my dog helped me to get away from loneliness, which I previously struggled with after getting a divorce'. 'The joy and happiness that my dog brings as a lifetime companion is priceless, especially as I do not have kids and also rarely keep in touch with friends and families in recent years,' Suh said, declining to give his full name due to privacy concerns. Suh's unsparing financial commitment to his pet, according to economists, manifests a burgeoning 'loneliness economy' – a segment of goods and services that capitalise on people's feelings of isolation and social disconnection to make profits. A woman walks past a souvenirs shop in a tourist area in Seoul. Loneliness-driven businesses are closely associated with a fast-growing number of single-person households in South Korea. Photo: AFP Such loneliness-driven businesses include psychological counselling and therapy, dating apps and even controversial dating services in return for money. The businesses are closely associated with a fast-growing number of single-person households, including those who are unmarried, divorced or widowed, according to Shin Se-don, professor emeritus of economics at Sookmyung Women's University.
South China Morning Post
11-04-2025
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The key trends at Watches and Wonders 2025: form, fit and function rule, with new concepts from Rolex and Vacheron Constantin, cool wearability from A. Lange & Söhne and Panerai, and bold new colours
When more than 60 brands showcased new releases at Watches and Wonders this year , innovation and bold design leap to mind as the main stand-outs. Some brands focused on new mechanics under the bonnet, some chose to focus on increasing durability and function, while others concentrated on rethinking aesthetics in terms of colour use and watch size. Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson. Photo: Handout Vacheron Constantin veered heavily in one direction as it released Les Cabinotiers Solaria, breaking the record for most complications in a single wristwatch at 41. 'Usually for these grand complication [pieces],' Vacheron Constantin heritage and style director Christian Selmoni told us in a round-table chat, 'you'll see that there is engraving or gem setting to emphasise the complexity of the watch and the value of the timepiece. [To contrast with that] we wanted to do a very simple design […] because if you look at the dial, which is technical, we wanted to have this readability and the case is almost brutal. We wanted to anchor this timepiece in modernity, which is something I think unexpected but that people will appreciate, [especially] since we are already breaking with tradition.' Advertisement While Selmoni refers to the Solaria specifically, the desire to develop bold and exciting yet relevant and wearable pieces is a key undercurrent in all the disparate and wonderful ways brands approached their releases this year. New movements, new borders A view of the Calibre L122.2 in the A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual. Photo: Handout Vacheron Constantin and Bulgari are certainly not the only names pushing boundaries in 2025, and nor was Rolex the only brand that debuted a stunning new movement . Grand Seiko made waves as it released Spring Drive UFA (meaning Ultra-Fine Accuracy) with the new 9RB2 calibre inside. It combines quartz oscillation with traditional mechanical powering to achieve an accuracy of plus/minus 20 seconds a year. A. Lange & Söhne introduced two new movements with wearability in mind. The Minute Repeater Perpetual contains the new L122.2 calibre and combines big date, perpetual calendar and minute repeater complications in a case thickness of just 12.1mm. Meanwhile, the brand released the smallest version of the 1815 yet with a 34mm case courtesy of the calibre L152.1 allowing for a smaller watch, which also has a whopping 72 hours of power reserve. Panerai Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech. Photo: Handout Movements aren't the only spaces for upgrades – brands also focused on functionality. Panerai's Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech allows you to set the perpetual calendar using the crown only, with no need to fiddle with separate pushers or correctors. Complicated yet functional
