{"lien_WSTV":"","tax_name":"deprecated","tax_rate":20,"id_manufacturer":"0","id_supplier":"0","id_category_default":"298","id_shop_default":"1","manufacturer_name":false,"supplier_name":false,"name":"Tourbillon \u2013 Ode to the four Guardians \u201cAzure Dragon\u201d","description":"<p><strong>Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Asian culture, seasons and wood marquetry <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Embargo lifted on 12 November 2024, 9AM CET<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 In suggesting a return to the mythological origins of Time, Vacheron\u00a0Constantin has taken an interest in its cyclical time as viewed through the cycle of the seasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Four sacred animals from Asian tradition have been chosen to embody the\u00a0seasons: the Azure Dragon for spring; the Vermilion Bird for summer; the White Tiger for autumn; as well as the Black Tortoise for winter.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A combination of decorative arts and mechanical engineering, wood marquetry and ultra-thin 2160 calibre with tourbillon regulator.<\/p>\n<p>The Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin (divine time) series explore the notion of time in its various cultural and conceptual perceptions: physical and linear like a chronology; astronomical and cyclical like the seasons; metaphysical in the infinite stretching of the present moment. For each of these interpretations, Vacheron Constantin offers a journey towards different cultural horizons, a horological odyssey punctuated by the mechanics of time and staged by artistic crafts. To embody cyclical time, composed of alternating astronomical phenomena, declines and rebirths, Vacheron Constantin has opted for the succession of seasons. Each of the latter is symbolised by a sacred animal from traditional Asian culture, highlighted by wood marquetry. The timepieces feature a tourbillon regulator driven by ultra-thin Calibre 2160.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cyclical time<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The alternation of day and night, of seasons and lunar cycles, was a very early incentive for humankind to seek regularity. Watchmaking was born of these observations, gradually infusing time with a scientific identity that has never ceased to progress. From cyclical time came physical time, to be sequenced and measured; followed by metaphysical time, which fuels deeper reflection on a concept inherent in the foundations of our universe. The theme of Le Temps Divin explores these different meanings of the term, expressing cyclical time through the seasons as generally expressed in Asian cultures and notably in Chinese culture.<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time that Vacheron Constantin has taken an interest in the cycle of the seasons in different cultures, as demonstrated by the M\u00e9tiers d'Art \u2013 Apollo\u2019s chariot, The Four Seasons and the M\u00e9tiers d'Art \u2013 La symbolique des laques series. The Maison has also examined the Chinese zodiac cycle that has inspired many of its timepieces, including a Mercator watch with zodiac signs from the 1990s and a 1927 Art Deco table clock.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sacred animals to symbolise the four seasons<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The rhythm of the seasons and years is of highly symbolic importance in Asian cultures, often associated with mythological creatures and the signs of the zodiac. Within such a cosmogony, the celestial ecliptic \u2013 the imaginary line corresponding to the visible movement of the Sun as seen from the Earth \u2013 is divided into four sections of seven constellations, each represented by its sacred animal: the Azure Dragon, symbol of strength and power for the East and spring; the Vermilion Bird, symbol of luck and prosperity for the South and summer; the White Tiger, symbol of seriousness and courage for the West and autumn; as well as the Black Tortoise, symbol of wisdom and longevity for the North and winter. These animals took shape under the marquetry artisan\u2019s hand, inspired by the murals in the Kitora burial mound in Japan, a circular tomb dating from the 7th century CE and depicting these mythical animals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A combination of decorative arts and mechanical engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The marquetry artisan\u2019s work involves using different types of wood in a variety of shades that are cut, organised, assembled and applied according to the motif to be created. The process involves 150 types of wood covering around 60 natural colours, sheets of veneer preserved at the right temperature and humidity. For these Les Cabinotiers timepieces, and depending on the dial, ten to 12 types were selected: sycamore, padauk, hornbeam, tulip tree, blue myrtle, eucalyptus, maple, burl wood, oak, walnut... some of which were stained or even heated to obtain the right colour.<\/p>\n<p>The artisan begins by reproducing the motif on a scale four times the size of the dial. The lines must be clean and accurate before the design is reduced to its correct proportions and printed in as many copies as are needed for cutting. This is done on tracing paper for each of the pieces composing the marquetry, taking care to leave the perimeter clear. The next and most delicate stage consists of applying these tracings to a stack of ten or so layers of veneer, each 0.6 mm thick, sawn in one piece to facilitate cutting. The operation is performed using a pedal-operated scroll saw, the aim being to divide the tenth-of-a-millimetre design line into two. Finally, the delicately sanded and sometimes previously heated or tinted components are assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. At this stage, they are no more than 0.4 mm thick and, in some cases, not much wider. They are then glued to the final substrate before being sanded down to level and varnished.<\/p>\n<p>This to the millimetre-accurate wood marquetry is even more complex in that it often requires a very large number of components, averaging more than 200 tiny parts from eight to ten different species for each dial. Making a dragon, for example, requires a piece of wood for each of its scales.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In all, it takes a month and a half to make a single dial.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The slim case of the four models is the result of ultra-thin Calibre 2160, measuring 5.65mm thick. Operating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour, it offers an 80-hour power reserve by a winding mechanism coupled to a peripheral rotor. This open architecture of the 188-component movement reveals the level of finishing applied to this High Watchmaking mechanism, with a circular-grained plate on the dial side and hand-bevelled bridges adorned with C\u00f4tes de Gen\u00e8ve on the back. The gear train wheels are circular satin-finished, the screws chamfered and polished, while the tourbillon bar with its Maltese cross-shaped carriage bearing the small seconds indicated by a blackened screw is delicately rounded off by hand.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Questions to Sandrine Donguy, for Product & Innovation Director<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In this series of four timepieces, you evoke cyclical time. What do you mean by this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vacheron Constantin's Le Temps Divin is a theme inspired by notions linked to the very concept of time and its representations in different cultures. Cyclical time illustrates a repetitive and perpetual notion of time. Like the alternation of the seasons, this concept of time is omnipresent in Asian culture, where the alternation of cycles sets the pace of social organisation. Our designers were inspired by the symbolism surrounding the cycle of the seasons in Asian cultures, featuring references to sacred animals such as the tiger, bird, tortoise and dragon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why did you choose wood marquetry?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It's a technique that produces stunning results in watchmaking, witness the Les Cabinotiers M\u00e9caniques Sauvages Panda timepiece launched in 2018. This craftsmanship gives access to rich and subtle compositions. From a distance, the work can be contemplated like an impressionist painting. Up close, the details emerge: the accuracy of the cut, the perfect choice of colours, the genius of the composition, the harmony of the shapes... Needless to say, such creations require patient work, extremely meticulous care and great dexterity. It takes several weeks \u2013 from three to six depending on the complexity \u2013 to complete a dial that may comprise several hundred pieces.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why include a tourbillon, at the risk of distorting such compositions?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Les Cabinotiers editions not only call upon artistic crafts, but also on the Maison\u2019s horological knowledge. It is precisely this combination of mechanical engineering and decorative arts that sets them apart. In terms of complications compatible with these timepieces, the tourbillon was the obvious choice: for the cyclical aspect of its mobile carriage first; , also for the animation it brings by becoming an integral part of the composition. As self-winding Calibre 2160 is an ultra-thin movement, measuring just 5.6 mm thick, notably thanks to its peripheral rotor, our watchmakers took up the challenge of integrating this type of regulation into a watch with an exquisitely crafted dial, as always with the Maison\u2019s characteristic concern for elegance.<\/p>","description_short":"","quantity":0,"minimal_quantity":"0","available_now":"","available_later":"","price":0,"specificPrice":false,"additional_shipping_cost":"0.00","wholesale_price":"0.000000","on_sale":"0","online_only":"0","unity":"","unit_price":0,"unit_price_ratio":"0.000000","ecotax":"0.000000","reference":"6040C\/000G-153C ","supplier_reference":"","location":"","width":"0.000000","height":"0.000000","depth":"0.000000","weight":"0.000000","ean13":"","upc":"","link_rewrite":"tourbillon-ode-to-the-four-guardians-azure-dragon","meta_description":"Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Asian culture, seasons and wood marquetry Embargo lifted on 12 November 2024, 9AM CET \u2022 In suggesting a return to the mytholog...","meta_keywords":"","meta_title":"Watch Vacheron Constantin Tourbillon \u2013 Ode to the four Guardians \u201cAzure Dragon\u201d | Cabinotiers 6040C\/000G-153C White Gold - ...","quantity_discount":"0","customizable":"0","new":true,"uploadable_files":"0","text_fields":"0","active":"1","redirect_type":"","id_product_redirected":"0","available_for_order":"0","available_date":"0000-00-00","condition":"new","show_price":"1","indexed":"0","visibility":"both","date_add":"2024-12-19 22:04:07","date_upd":"2024-12-23 16:20:34","tags":false,"base_price":"0.000000","id_tax_rules_group":"1","id_color_default":0,"advanced_stock_management":"0","out_of_stock":2,"depends_on_stock":false,"isFullyLoaded":true,"cache_is_pack":"0","cache_has_attachments":"0","is_virtual":"0","id_pack_product_attribute":null,"cache_default_attribute":"0","category":"cabinotiers","pack_stock_type":"0","id":9179,"id_shop_list":null,"force_id":false,"customization_required":false}
{"Compl\u00e9ment":"White Gold - Blue Dial - Strap Alligator Leather","Statut de vente":"En vente depuis","Date":"2024","Sexe":"Homme","Diam\u00e8tre":"42","Epaisseur":" 11.40","Types":"Self-winding","Styles":"High Horology","Calibre_autre":"2160","Calibre distinction":"Hallmark of Geneva","Calibre distinction_autre":"22K gold peripheral oscillating weight","Complication":"Hours and minutes,\r\n Tourbillon,\r\n Small seconds on tourbillon carriage (coloured screw)","Mati\u00e8re du bo\u00eetier":"White gold","Particularit\u00e9 du boitier":"Sapphire caseback, Transparent caseback","Forme":"Round","Cadran":"Marquetry","Couleur du cadran":"Blue","Mati\u00e8re du bracelet":"Alligator leather ","Fermeture du bracelet":"Folding buckle ","Couleur du bracelet":"Blue","Plus de caract\u00e9ristiques":"<br\/>\r\nMovement<br\/>\r\nCaliber 2160<br\/>\r\n Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin <br\/>\r\nMechanical self-winding <br\/>\r\n31.00 mm diameter, 5.60 mm thick <br\/>\r\nMovement power reserve: approximately 80 hours <br\/>\r\n2.5 Hz (18\u2019000 vibrations\/hour) <br\/>\r\n188 components <br\/>\r\n30 jewels <br\/>\r\n22K gold peripheral oscillating weight<br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\nCase<br\/>\r\n 18K white gold <br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\nDial<br\/>\r\nWood marquetry dial (blue-tinted tulip tree, brosimum rubescens, padouk, blue-tinted \r\ndappled eucalyptus, blue-tinted speckled sycamore maple, sky-blue-tinted tulip \r\ntree, hornbeam, natural sycamore, blue myrtle burr, amarelo), representing the Azure \r\nDragon<br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\nStrap \/ Buckles<br\/>\r\nBlue Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, \r\nsaddle-finish, large square scales<br\/>\r\nClasp 18K white gold folding clasp<br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\nPresentation box & accessory \r\nLes Cabinotiers model <br\/>\r\n<br\/>\r\n Unique timepiece <br\/>\r\n\u00ab Pi\u00e8ce unique \u00bb, \u00ab Les Cabinotiers \u00bb and \u00ab AC \u00bb hallmark engraved on the back of the timepiece"}
Tourbillon – Ode to the four Guardians “Azure Dragon”
6040C/000G-153C
| Brand : | Vacheron Constantin |
| Collection : | Cabinotiers |
| Model : | Tourbillon – Ode to the four Guardians “Azure Dragon” |
| Reference : | 6040C/000G-153C |
| Complement : | White Gold - Blue Dial - Strap Alligator Leather |
| On sale : | 2024 |
-
Brand : Vacheron Constantin Collection : Cabinotiers Model : Tourbillon – Ode to the four Guardians “Azure Dragon” Reference : 6040C/000G-153C Complement : White Gold - Blue Dial - Strap Alligator Leather On sale : 2024 List Price : On request Diameter : 42 mm Thickness : 11.40 mm Styles : High Horology Types : Self-winding Calibre : 2160 Calibre distinction : Hallmark of Geneva 22K gold peripheral oscillating weight Complication : Hours and minutes Tourbillon Small seconds on tourbillon carriage (coloured screw) Case material : White gold Case peculiarity : Sapphire caseback Transparent caseback Shape : Round Dial : Marquetry Dial color : Blue Strap material : Alligator leather Strap color : Blue Strap clasp : Folding buckle + More characteristics :
Movement
Caliber 2160
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical self-winding
31.00 mm diameter, 5.60 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 80 hours
2.5 Hz (18’000 vibrations/hour)
188 components
30 jewels
22K gold peripheral oscillating weight
Case
18K white gold
Dial
Wood marquetry dial (blue-tinted tulip tree, brosimum rubescens, padouk, blue-tinted dappled eucalyptus, blue-tinted speckled sycamore maple, sky-blue-tinted tulip tree, hornbeam, natural sycamore, blue myrtle burr, amarelo), representing the Azure Dragon
Strap / Buckles
Blue Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Clasp 18K white gold folding clasp
Presentation box & accessory Les Cabinotiers model
Unique timepiece
« Pièce unique », « Les Cabinotiers » and « AC » hallmark engraved on the back of the timepiece
DESCRIPTION
Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Asian culture, seasons and wood marquetry
Embargo lifted on 12 November 2024, 9AM CET
• In suggesting a return to the mythological origins of Time, Vacheron Constantin has taken an interest in its cyclical time as viewed through the cycle of the seasons.
• Four sacred animals from Asian tradition have been chosen to embody the seasons: the Azure Dragon for spring; the Vermilion Bird for summer; the White Tiger for autumn; as well as the Black Tortoise for winter.
• A combination of decorative arts and mechanical engineering, wood marquetry and ultra-thin 2160 calibre with tourbillon regulator.
The Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin (divine time) series explore the notion of time in its various cultural and conceptual perceptions: physical and linear like a chronology; astronomical and cyclical like the seasons; metaphysical in the infinite stretching of the present moment. For each of these interpretations, Vacheron Constantin offers a journey towards different cultural horizons, a horological odyssey punctuated by the mechanics of time and staged by artistic crafts. To embody cyclical time, composed of alternating astronomical phenomena, declines and rebirths, Vacheron Constantin has opted for the succession of seasons. Each of the latter is symbolised by a sacred animal from traditional Asian culture, highlighted by wood marquetry. The timepieces feature a tourbillon regulator driven by ultra-thin Calibre 2160.
Cyclical time
The alternation of day and night, of seasons and lunar cycles, was a very early incentive for humankind to seek regularity. Watchmaking was born of these observations, gradually infusing time with a scientific identity that has never ceased to progress. From cyclical time came physical time, to be sequenced and measured; followed by metaphysical time, which fuels deeper reflection on a concept inherent in the foundations of our universe. The theme of Le Temps Divin explores these different meanings of the term, expressing cyclical time through the seasons as generally expressed in Asian cultures and notably in Chinese culture.
This is not the first time that Vacheron Constantin has taken an interest in the cycle of the seasons in different cultures, as demonstrated by the Métiers d'Art – Apollo’s chariot, The Four Seasons and the Métiers d'Art – La symbolique des laques series. The Maison has also examined the Chinese zodiac cycle that has inspired many of its timepieces, including a Mercator watch with zodiac signs from the 1990s and a 1927 Art Deco table clock.
Sacred animals to symbolise the four seasons
The rhythm of the seasons and years is of highly symbolic importance in Asian cultures, often associated with mythological creatures and the signs of the zodiac. Within such a cosmogony, the celestial ecliptic – the imaginary line corresponding to the visible movement of the Sun as seen from the Earth – is divided into four sections of seven constellations, each represented by its sacred animal: the Azure Dragon, symbol of strength and power for the East and spring; the Vermilion Bird, symbol of luck and prosperity for the South and summer; the White Tiger, symbol of seriousness and courage for the West and autumn; as well as the Black Tortoise, symbol of wisdom and longevity for the North and winter. These animals took shape under the marquetry artisan’s hand, inspired by the murals in the Kitora burial mound in Japan, a circular tomb dating from the 7th century CE and depicting these mythical animals.
A combination of decorative arts and mechanical engineering
The marquetry artisan’s work involves using different types of wood in a variety of shades that are cut, organised, assembled and applied according to the motif to be created. The process involves 150 types of wood covering around 60 natural colours, sheets of veneer preserved at the right temperature and humidity. For these Les Cabinotiers timepieces, and depending on the dial, ten to 12 types were selected: sycamore, padauk, hornbeam, tulip tree, blue myrtle, eucalyptus, maple, burl wood, oak, walnut... some of which were stained or even heated to obtain the right colour.
The artisan begins by reproducing the motif on a scale four times the size of the dial. The lines must be clean and accurate before the design is reduced to its correct proportions and printed in as many copies as are needed for cutting. This is done on tracing paper for each of the pieces composing the marquetry, taking care to leave the perimeter clear. The next and most delicate stage consists of applying these tracings to a stack of ten or so layers of veneer, each 0.6 mm thick, sawn in one piece to facilitate cutting. The operation is performed using a pedal-operated scroll saw, the aim being to divide the tenth-of-a-millimetre design line into two. Finally, the delicately sanded and sometimes previously heated or tinted components are assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. At this stage, they are no more than 0.4 mm thick and, in some cases, not much wider. They are then glued to the final substrate before being sanded down to level and varnished.
This to the millimetre-accurate wood marquetry is even more complex in that it often requires a very large number of components, averaging more than 200 tiny parts from eight to ten different species for each dial. Making a dragon, for example, requires a piece of wood for each of its scales.
In all, it takes a month and a half to make a single dial.
The slim case of the four models is the result of ultra-thin Calibre 2160, measuring 5.65mm thick. Operating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour, it offers an 80-hour power reserve by a winding mechanism coupled to a peripheral rotor. This open architecture of the 188-component movement reveals the level of finishing applied to this High Watchmaking mechanism, with a circular-grained plate on the dial side and hand-bevelled bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève on the back. The gear train wheels are circular satin-finished, the screws chamfered and polished, while the tourbillon bar with its Maltese cross-shaped carriage bearing the small seconds indicated by a blackened screw is delicately rounded off by hand.
Questions to Sandrine Donguy, for Product & Innovation Director
In this series of four timepieces, you evoke cyclical time. What do you mean by this?
Vacheron Constantin's Le Temps Divin is a theme inspired by notions linked to the very concept of time and its representations in different cultures. Cyclical time illustrates a repetitive and perpetual notion of time. Like the alternation of the seasons, this concept of time is omnipresent in Asian culture, where the alternation of cycles sets the pace of social organisation. Our designers were inspired by the symbolism surrounding the cycle of the seasons in Asian cultures, featuring references to sacred animals such as the tiger, bird, tortoise and dragon.
Why did you choose wood marquetry?
It's a technique that produces stunning results in watchmaking, witness the Les Cabinotiers Mécaniques Sauvages Panda timepiece launched in 2018. This craftsmanship gives access to rich and subtle compositions. From a distance, the work can be contemplated like an impressionist painting. Up close, the details emerge: the accuracy of the cut, the perfect choice of colours, the genius of the composition, the harmony of the shapes... Needless to say, such creations require patient work, extremely meticulous care and great dexterity. It takes several weeks – from three to six depending on the complexity – to complete a dial that may comprise several hundred pieces.
Why include a tourbillon, at the risk of distorting such compositions?
The Les Cabinotiers editions not only call upon artistic crafts, but also on the Maison’s horological knowledge. It is precisely this combination of mechanical engineering and decorative arts that sets them apart. In terms of complications compatible with these timepieces, the tourbillon was the obvious choice: for the cyclical aspect of its mobile carriage first; , also for the animation it brings by becoming an integral part of the composition. As self-winding Calibre 2160 is an ultra-thin movement, measuring just 5.6 mm thick, notably thanks to its peripheral rotor, our watchmakers took up the challenge of integrating this type of regulation into a watch with an exquisitely crafted dial, as always with the Maison’s characteristic concern for elegance.
Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin Asian culture, seasons and wood marquetry
Embargo lifted on 12 November 2024, 9AM CET
• In suggesting a return to the mythological origins of Time, Vacheron Constantin has taken an interest in its cyclical time as viewed through the cycle of the seasons.
• Four sacred animals from Asian tradition have been chosen to embody the seasons: the Azure Dragon for spring; the Vermilion Bird for summer; the White Tiger for autumn; as well as the Black Tortoise for winter.
• A combination of decorative arts and mechanical engineering, wood marquetry and ultra-thin 2160 calibre with tourbillon regulator.
The Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin (divine time) series explore the notion of time in its various cultural and conceptual perceptions: physical and linear like a chronology; astronomical and cyclical like the seasons; metaphysical in the infinite stretching of the present moment. For each of these interpretations, Vacheron Constantin offers a journey towards different cultural horizons, a horological odyssey punctuated by the mechanics of time and staged by artistic crafts. To embody cyclical time, composed of alternating astronomical phenomena, declines and rebirths, Vacheron Constantin has opted for the succession of seasons. Each of the latter is symbolised by a sacred animal from traditional Asian culture, highlighted by wood marquetry. The timepieces feature a tourbillon regulator driven by ultra-thin Calibre 2160.
Cyclical time
The alternation of day and night, of seasons and lunar cycles, was a very early incentive for humankind to seek regularity. Watchmaking was born of these observations, gradually infusing time with a scientific identity that has never ceased to progress. From cyclical time came physical time, to be sequenced and measured; followed by metaphysical time, which fuels deeper reflection on a concept inherent in the foundations of our universe. The theme of Le Temps Divin explores these different meanings of the term, expressing cyclical time through the seasons as generally expressed in Asian cultures and notably in Chinese culture.
This is not the first time that Vacheron Constantin has taken an interest in the cycle of the seasons in different cultures, as demonstrated by the Métiers d'Art – Apollo’s chariot, The Four Seasons and the Métiers d'Art – La symbolique des laques series. The Maison has also examined the Chinese zodiac cycle that has inspired many of its timepieces, including a Mercator watch with zodiac signs from the 1990s and a 1927 Art Deco table clock.
Sacred animals to symbolise the four seasons
The rhythm of the seasons and years is of highly symbolic importance in Asian cultures, often associated with mythological creatures and the signs of the zodiac. Within such a cosmogony, the celestial ecliptic – the imaginary line corresponding to the visible movement of the Sun as seen from the Earth – is divided into four sections of seven constellations, each represented by its sacred animal: the Azure Dragon, symbol of strength and power for the East and spring; the Vermilion Bird, symbol of luck and prosperity for the South and summer; the White Tiger, symbol of seriousness and courage for the West and autumn; as well as the Black Tortoise, symbol of wisdom and longevity for the North and winter. These animals took shape under the marquetry artisan’s hand, inspired by the murals in the Kitora burial mound in Japan, a circular tomb dating from the 7th century CE and depicting these mythical animals.
A combination of decorative arts and mechanical engineering
The marquetry artisan’s work involves using different types of wood in a variety of shades that are cut, organised, assembled and applied according to the motif to be created. The process involves 150 types of wood covering around 60 natural colours, sheets of veneer preserved at the right temperature and humidity. For these Les Cabinotiers timepieces, and depending on the dial, ten to 12 types were selected: sycamore, padauk, hornbeam, tulip tree, blue myrtle, eucalyptus, maple, burl wood, oak, walnut... some of which were stained or even heated to obtain the right colour.
The artisan begins by reproducing the motif on a scale four times the size of the dial. The lines must be clean and accurate before the design is reduced to its correct proportions and printed in as many copies as are needed for cutting. This is done on tracing paper for each of the pieces composing the marquetry, taking care to leave the perimeter clear. The next and most delicate stage consists of applying these tracings to a stack of ten or so layers of veneer, each 0.6 mm thick, sawn in one piece to facilitate cutting. The operation is performed using a pedal-operated scroll saw, the aim being to divide the tenth-of-a-millimetre design line into two. Finally, the delicately sanded and sometimes previously heated or tinted components are assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. At this stage, they are no more than 0.4 mm thick and, in some cases, not much wider. They are then glued to the final substrate before being sanded down to level and varnished.
This to the millimetre-accurate wood marquetry is even more complex in that it often requires a very large number of components, averaging more than 200 tiny parts from eight to ten different species for each dial. Making a dragon, for example, requires a piece of wood for each of its scales.
In all, it takes a month and a half to make a single dial.
The slim case of the four models is the result of ultra-thin Calibre 2160, measuring 5.65mm thick. Operating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour, it offers an 80-hour power reserve by a winding mechanism coupled to a peripheral rotor. This open architecture of the 188-component movement reveals the level of finishing applied to this High Watchmaking mechanism, with a circular-grained plate on the dial side and hand-bevelled bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève on the back. The gear train wheels are circular satin-finished, the screws chamfered and polished, while the tourbillon bar with its Maltese cross-shaped carriage bearing the small seconds indicated by a blackened screw is delicately rounded off by hand.
Questions to Sandrine Donguy, for Product & Innovation Director
In this series of four timepieces, you evoke cyclical time. What do you mean by this?
Vacheron Constantin's Le Temps Divin is a theme inspired by notions linked to the very concept of time and its representations in different cultures. Cyclical time illustrates a repetitive and perpetual notion of time. Like the alternation of the seasons, this concept of time is omnipresent in Asian culture, where the alternation of cycles sets the pace of social organisation. Our designers were inspired by the symbolism surrounding the cycle of the seasons in Asian cultures, featuring references to sacred animals such as the tiger, bird, tortoise and dragon.
Why did you choose wood marquetry?
It's a technique that produces stunning results in watchmaking, witness the Les Cabinotiers Mécaniques Sauvages Panda timepiece launched in 2018. This craftsmanship gives access to rich and subtle compositions. From a distance, the work can be contemplated like an impressionist painting. Up close, the details emerge: the accuracy of the cut, the perfect choice of colours, the genius of the composition, the harmony of the shapes... Needless to say, such creations require patient work, extremely meticulous care and great dexterity. It takes several weeks – from three to six depending on the complexity – to complete a dial that may comprise several hundred pieces.
Why include a tourbillon, at the risk of distorting such compositions?
The Les Cabinotiers editions not only call upon artistic crafts, but also on the Maison’s horological knowledge. It is precisely this combination of mechanical engineering and decorative arts that sets them apart. In terms of complications compatible with these timepieces, the tourbillon was the obvious choice: for the cyclical aspect of its mobile carriage first; , also for the animation it brings by becoming an integral part of the composition. As self-winding Calibre 2160 is an ultra-thin movement, measuring just 5.6 mm thick, notably thanks to its peripheral rotor, our watchmakers took up the challenge of integrating this type of regulation into a watch with an exquisitely crafted dial, as always with the Maison’s characteristic concern for elegance.
-
Brand : Vacheron Constantin Collection : Cabinotiers Model : Tourbillon – Ode to the four Guardians “Azure Dragon” Reference : 6040C/000G-153C Complement : White Gold - Blue Dial - Strap Alligator Leather On sale : 2024 List Price : On request Diameter : 42 mm Thickness : 11.40 mm Styles : High Horology Types : Self-winding Calibre : 2160 Calibre distinction : Hallmark of Geneva 22K gold peripheral oscillating weight Complication : Hours and minutes Tourbillon Small seconds on tourbillon carriage (coloured screw) Case material : White gold Case peculiarity : Sapphire caseback Transparent caseback Shape : Round Dial : Marquetry Dial color : Blue Strap material : Alligator leather Strap color : Blue Strap clasp : Folding buckle More characteristics :
Movement
Caliber 2160
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical self-winding
31.00 mm diameter, 5.60 mm thick
Movement power reserve: approximately 80 hours
2.5 Hz (18’000 vibrations/hour)
188 components
30 jewels
22K gold peripheral oscillating weight
Case
18K white gold
Dial
Wood marquetry dial (blue-tinted tulip tree, brosimum rubescens, padouk, blue-tinted dappled eucalyptus, blue-tinted speckled sycamore maple, sky-blue-tinted tulip tree, hornbeam, natural sycamore, blue myrtle burr, amarelo), representing the Azure Dragon
Strap / Buckles
Blue Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales
Clasp 18K white gold folding clasp
Presentation box & accessory Les Cabinotiers model
Unique timepiece
« Pièce unique », « Les Cabinotiers » and « AC » hallmark engraved on the back of the timepiece