Long Term Vision: A 270-Year Milestone for Vacheron Constantin
One of the most eye-opening things I experienced in the watchmaking world was when I went to the manufactureManufactureA watchmaking term for a company that designs and produces most of its movements and components in-house, rather than relying on outside suppliers. Being a true manufacture signals deep expertise,Go to Manufacture Glossary of the longest continuously operating maison, Vacheron Constantin. It is a huge facility with many modern technologies and processes operating, surrounded by the wonderful environment that can only be had in Switzerland. Walking through that building, passing through the main areas and into a smaller, but sizable space. And suddenly everything was different.
The room smelled wonderful and old–like machine shops and oil and real work. We were amidst machines for engraving and cutting and finishing. And in the middle of that was the one guy who, at that time, was working at each of the stations.
This, more than anything, drove home the point that when you mark 270 years of unbroken watchmaking, you develop expertise and history. You also know where you need to use modern technologies and processes and materials. Which is exactly what Vacheron Constantine does.
The Traditionnelle TourbillonTourbillonA watch complication invented around 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that rotates the escapement in a cage to counter the effects of gravity on accuracy. Tourbillons are mesmerizing and very difficultGo to Tourbillon Glossary Perpetual Calendar 270th Anniversary watch, you will see a guilloche pattern on the dial meant specifically for these anniversary timepieces. Hand-crafted guilloché is a very specific craft, requiring a huge amount of talent and time on machines that haven’t been made for decades.
The work is done on what they call machines in the old world sense–guided and powered by the human hand or indeed often with a foot pedal. And if you don’t control your breathing properly or keep your hand gestures steady, you could cause blemishes on an otherwise perfect line or curve. This is why so many watch companies, even at high levels, choose to simply stamp such dials and surfaces. Vacheron Constantin’s pieces are done in the most traditional of ways, on a hand-operated engine or machine.
The Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, a part of a small family of special pieces, is an excellent showcase for the maison as it marks its 270th anniversary. It is a perpetual calendar, with data balanced on a finely finished face. It is also a tourbillon, so you have an open carriage, which is slightly larger than the sub-dials. There is more depth just below the hour and minute hands that are centrally located. The three sub-dials, each with a single hand, point to day, month, and date. A small aperture near the one o’clock indices gives a single-digit indication of the four-year leap.
Vacheron Constantin is fairly well-known for doing stellar complications that set new world records, and these are typically one-offOne-OffA single, unique item created for one client, with no duplicates, such as a custom car, watch, or yacht. One-offs offer the highest exclusivity, and commissioning one requires working closelyGo to One-Off Glossary creations that are made for specific clients to add to their extremely important collections. Such was the case for the recently-heralded Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, which is known as the record-setting most complicated watch ever made. Very few people will ever lay eyes on that watch
The Traditionelle TourbillonTourbillonA watch complication invented around 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that rotates the escapement in a cage to counter the effects of gravity on accuracy. Tourbillons are mesmerizing and very difficultGo to Tourbillon Glossary Perpetual Calendar 270th anniversary, as it was formally named, is a piece that can be seen and appreciated by more people. This all new model builds on the self-winding caliber 2160, which has, a peripheral rotor that allows you to see as much of the workmanship as possible. A 72-hour, self-winding movement accompanies a perpetual calendar mechanism.
Both the movement and the dial are treated with the 270th anniversary level of detailing and workmanship. At the back, a unique finish on the movement bridges differs slightly from what you see on the front. It features concentric graining on the bridges, which lends a modern look to the watch, as opposed to more intricate detailing which looks more classical.
The watch is large in a 42 millimeter platinum case, but it is actually relatively thin with a height of just over 11 millimeters. On the times when you do wear this watch, it will be held on with alligator leather straps and a matching folding buckle.
The star of the visual show here is really the tourbillonTourbillonA watch complication invented around 1801 by Abraham-Louis Breguet that rotates the escapement in a cage to counter the effects of gravity on accuracy. Tourbillons are mesmerizing and very difficultGo to Tourbillon Glossary. And it has the most clearly visible use of hand finishing and detailing. The Maltese cross, used as a symbol of the maison, is the form used for the tourbillon cage. Even the small details such as the rounded arms on the steel bridge that secure the tourbillon cage are hand-finished.
Vacheron Constantin has always been hugely respected and admired by the more serious watch collectors and enthusiasts. And in spite of all the hype that has gone around with increased interest in watches, they have held pretty true to their soul and long term vision.
This article originally appeared in Robb Report Philippines’ Travel Issue, December 2026.