Inauguration of the Vacheron Constantin Mansion in Shanghai, a place as unique and special as the manufacture’s long history with China.
(Vacheron Constantin has built relations since early 19th century)
This prestigious centre with over 600 square metres on 4 floors with a penthouse
housed in a magnificent historical building set in its own garden, in the heart of the city.
Salerooms, exhibitions, personalised services such as a collector salon, the Atelier Cabinotiers Department to order unique timepieces, personal safety-deposit boxes,
a restaurant, an art gallery… Vacheron Constantin treats its customers as honoured guests.
While the Vacheron Constantin Mansion in Shanghai is inspired by its “historical” counterpart in Geneva, it respects its Chinese heritage and identity.
With the opening of this exceptional site, Vacheron Constantin reaffirms its position as the leading brand in China’s Haute Horlogerie segment.
(Vacheron Constantin currently has 12 exclusive boutiques in China, 2 of them in Hong Kong and 1 in Macau)
Vacheron Constantin has recently opened a large Vacheron Constantin Mansion in China, right in the heart of Shanghai. Its official inauguration took place on October attended by Juan-Carlos Torres, CEO, Marc Guten, International Director, Yann Bouillonnec, Managing Director of Asia Pacific, and Charlie Lai, Managing Director Hong Kong China of Vacheron Constantin.
Also present – and this was a first – were the heirs and direct descendants of the Constantin family, Jean and Odette Constantin, who, at the brand’s invitation, travelled from Geneva to cut the symbolic ribbon at this important event.
In his speech, Juan-Carlos Torres said: “Customer expectation has risen considerably in terms of both service and product quality. Our Chinese clients, in particular, display a very sophisticated level of taste as well as a strong attachment to the importance of history and the mastery of high quality craftsmanship. Their interest in our timepieces therefore is important. Our decision to open the Vacheron Constantin Mansion in Shanghai was made to meet this interest. This project confirms our continued determination to strengthen our presence in China, where we are already the most firmly established Haute Horlogerie brand.”
Around 800 guests – VIP’s, clients, friends of the brand, and journalists - crossed the threshold of 796 Huai Hai Lu, a prestigious avenue in the heart of the old French concession in Shanghai, to discover treed grounds laid out in the English style and, at the far end, the magnificent colonial-style villa from the Decorative Arts period that houses the Vacheron Constantin Mansion.
A full year was needed to renovate this superb listed private mansion and complete a project that is important for the Geneva-based manufacture in China. Built in 1921 and lovingly restored to its original condition, it has been modelled on, and inspired by the spirit of, its historical counterpart in Geneva, but at the same time respects its Chinese heritage and identity.
The Vacheron Constantin Mansion in Shanghai is not an ordinary boutique, but a unique centre for the Haute Horlogerie brand’s entire range of services and products in an area covering more than 600 square metres on four floors:
SECOND FLOOR
On the first floor are salerooms with all the Geneva-based manufacture’s collections, as well as special enamel pieces from the Métiers d’Art collection inspired by the villa’s original stained-glass windows, and vintage watches from the Vacheron Constantin Collectors collection.
The second floor, dedicated to collectors and after-sales service, with the only Vacheron Constantin Swiss Master watchmaker working outside Geneva, He shares with enthusiasm his knowledge and his passion of Haute Horlogerie.
The Collector Salon provides watch collectors with a professional, yet confidential, sharing platform. Vacheron Constantin is the first brand in the industry in China to have set up a high-class watch salon within a boutique. It is not just a place to relax and share opinions on watches, it also provides a premium and thoughtful watch storing service for clients.
There is a security room with safety-deposit boxes on the same floor, where customers can safely store their private collections. Each watch deposited here will be very carefully looked after and benefit from the brand’s finest technical skills and knowledge.
A dedicated room for the Atelier Cabinotiers Special Orders Department for ordering unique pieces completes the comprehensive services offered by the Vacheron Constantin Mansion.
At the very top of this magnificent villa lies a private room, bearing the Vacheron Constantin signature. Specially designed for guests to enjoy fine food and wines, a splendid view, and the peace of the English garden from the surrounding veranda in the ultimate premium atmosphere, this private dining room offers luxury on a new level.
Other exceptional facilities offered at this new benchmark address are the highly exclusive Kee Club restaurant, a very upmarket gastronomic destination, and the ShanghArt Gallery, a renowned centre for contemporary Chinese art. Not surprisingly, the inauguration of this site was one of the most memorable events on the Shanghai social calendar for a long time.
The evening of the inauguration was highlighted by a spectacular light show on the building’s exterior façade. Inside, pride of place was given to the Métiers d’Art, those ancestral skills so carefully cultivated over the years by the Vacheron Constantin manufacture. Engravers, enamellers and master watchmakers were on hand to demonstrate their traditional expertise and technical and aesthetic talents on timepieces specially designed to celebrate this new art and horology centre.
Vacheron Constantin’s relations with China early 19th century is as exceptional and unique as its place in the history of Haute Horlogerie.
Relations between the Geneva-based manufacture and its Chinese clients are built on cultural respect, a shared passion for watches, and a common recognition of the importance of history and traditional high quality craftsmanship.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN
MORE THAN 250 YEARS OF COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest watch manufacture, has enjoyed uninterrupted activity since its founding in 1755. A full-fledged watch Manufacture, it masters the complete creative process, ranging from research and development of movements, the aesthetic definition of each of its models, the full set of stages in designing and making the watch components, through to entirely hand-crafted finishing.
Some history…
It was in 1755 that a brilliant master-watchmaker named Jean-Marc Vacheron opened his workshop at the heart of Geneva and hired its first apprentice. An open-minded and scholarly individual inspired by the humanist current of thought, this “cabinotier” – as the Geneva watchmaking craftsmen were called at the time – soon began making exceptionally finely fashioned watches that were to earn a reputation that spread well beyond national borders. He was to transmit his talent, his knowledge and his sense of excellence to numerous generations of his descendents.
A seasoned businessman and a peerless salesman, François Constantin joined forces with the heirs of Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1819. Displaying tremendous energy, he travelled the length and breadth of Europe for decades, opening up numerous markets to the marvels of ingenuity emerging from the workshops of a manufacture now called Vacheron et Constantin.
In 1839, the history of watchmaking and that of the company were marked by the hiring of a brilliant technical director, Georges-Auguste Leschot. This inventive, visionary engineer developed and produced the first machines enabling series production of movement components, and in particular a device called a pantograph. Until then, no constituent part could be substituted for another, given the inevitable irregularities of their entirely hand-made production. By associating the machine with the human hand, Vacheron Constantin thereby revolutionized production, enabling a considerable acceleration in the marketing of watch products.
In 1880, Vacheron Constantin registered the brand’s “Maltese Cross” symbol. It is in fact based on a small component of the barrel-cover, which was formerly used to limit the extent to which the mainspring could be wound, thus enhancing the rate of the watch.
Throughout the 20th century, Vacheron Constantin has pursued its in-depth exploration of its art through stunning creations intended for an increasingly large number of clients. Year after year, Vacheron Constantin reinforces its reputation based on its know-how and on its sense of technical and aesthetic innovation.
Vacheron Constantin
QUALITY AND ADDED VALUE
From the 18th century to nowdays, the spirit and the letter have remained intact. Today as yesterday, creations by Vacheron Constantin stem from the encounter of three key factors:
Technique: Vacheron Constantin combines age-old know-how and ultra-modern equipment to produce ever more sophisticated timepieces. The brand thus offers an entire range of movements, from the simplest – indicating the hour, minutes and seconds – to the most complex, such as the perpetual calendar, chronograph, moon-phase or jumping-hour models and tourbillons, and on to extremely clever minute repeaters.
Aesthetics: As the world’s oldest watch Manufacture, Vacheron Constantin has never stopped creating and innovating. Drawing its inspiration from an existing wealth of successes and from its own traditions of excellence, it is able to create watches with exemplary lines and volumes, in harmony with the most authentic contemporary spirit. Down through changing eras, the shapes and decorative motifs are consistently aimed at achieving a universal, timelessly refined aesthetic appeal that is never ostentatious.
Finishing: The finishing testifies to the efforts expended on technical and aesthetic levels to give exceptional value to each watch emerging from the workshops. It is the care devoted to each detail that makes a Vacheron Constantin so clearly recognizable to connoisseurs. This quest for perfection constitutes the genuine signature, invisible yet very real, of the master-watchmakers of the manufacture.
TODAY… SOME KEY FACTS AND FIGURES
Vacheron Constantin – a branch of the Richemont Group since 1996 – currently employs more than 500 people worldwide, including more than 400 master watchmakers and watchmakers, engineers, designers, craftsmen and staff in Switzerland.
The company runs two production sites in Switzerland, with complementary activities: the site in Plan-les-Ouates - Geneva, a contemporary watchmaking manufacture and the international brand headquarters designed by the architect Bernard Tschumi, where the employees moved to since August 2004; and the “Ateliers of the Vallée de Joux”, which is home to the Research and Development unit and to the manufacturing of the components. Together, they produce a limited number of exceptional watches with high added value: Around 21,000 per year, a figure that obviously favours quality over any other considerations.
Vacheron Constantin has developed its business in almost 80 countries around the world, distributed through 21 exclusive boutiques as well as a network of less than 500 carefully selected points of sale.
Its presence in China, since early 19th century, started in 2000 to open its boutiques in China which includes today: Two in Beijing and two in Hong Kong, also one in Shanghai, Dalian, Ningbo, Anshan, Chengdu and Hangzhou. And since October 2008, the “Mansion Vacheron Constantin” in Shanghai. After all these years, Vacheron Constantin has maintained its leading position in China and will continue to honor its craftsmanship through different means.
Vacheron Constantin
AND ITS FIVE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES
In an age characterised by a frenzied pace, the pursuit of productivity and a constant concern with profitability, values shape the Vacheron Constantin corporate culture. Respect for this ethic enable to continue writing the history of the manufacture, making the most of the lessons from the past in order to excel in the ongoing quest for quality and precision.
Throughout its lengthy history, Vacheron Constantin has never failed to respect its five fundamental values. This is precisely why the Manufacture is so justifiably proud of its exceptional past spanning more than 250 years.
Not only are these five values the pillars of the watchmaking art as Vacheron Constantin cultivate it, but they also constitute the unshakeable foundations that form the bedrock of its present and the guarantee of its future.
As a Vacheron Constantin timepiece expresses a desire to cultivate the exceptional in a daily life, a tribute to the intelligence and skills of its master watchmakers, we are proud of having clocked up over 250 years of history and realise that it has been made possible by our profound attachment to the heritage of our founders and by our unstinting commitment to the following five core values:
A search for excellence
This is conveyed through technical mastery, aesthetic elegance, and the quality of finishing so important to Vacheron Constantin.
A belief in creativity
We believe that everyone has a creative spark. Supporting the spirit of invention and innovation has ensured the Manufacture’s perpetual renewal and continued existence.
A commitment to social responsibility and open-mindedness
We show on a daily basis that economic realities are compatible with social responsibilities. We learn from our contact with other professions, other techniques and, above all, other cultures.
A respect for and transmission of traditions
One of our primary objectives is to perpetuate our savoir-faire. When he hired an apprentice on 17 September 1755, Jean-Marc Vacheron showed his intention to pass on his knowledge. Through our respect for the Geneva Hallmark, an internationally-recognised stamp of quality, we forge a link between watchmaking tradition and local tradition. By supporting watchmaking Métiers d’art, we ensure the survival of such skills as enamelling, engraving and guillochage and help to create new vocations.
A sharing of passion
By sharing our passion, we honour what is beautiful, accurate, precious and excellent. By communicating their enthusiasm and sharing their passion, our watchmakers and employees are the best ambassadors Vacheron Constantin could have.
Vacheron Constantin
A QUARTER OF A MILLENNIUM IN DATES AND LANDMARKS
1755 Jean-Marc Vacheron opens a watchmaking workshop in the Saint-Gervais district of Geneva. He creates his first models there, heralding an impressive production, and founds a dynasty that will shape the destiny of one of the greatest names in watchmaking history.
1819 At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, François Constantin joins the company. For decades, he travels tirelessly the length and breadth of Europe, opening up all the markets of the era to the marvels of ingenuity carrying the Vacheron Constantin signature.
1839 A mechanical genius hired to manage production, Georges-Auguste Leschot revolutionises watch production by developing the first machines capable of making interchangeable parts. He thus gives the company a significant edge in a profession that is gradually mutating towards fine hand-craftsmanship dedicated to technical Haute Horlogerie.
1875 Now somewhat cramped within its historical premises on the Tour de l’Ile, the Maison moves to the nearby Rue des Moulins “Maison en l’Ile” – House on the island - where the company headquarters, museum and boutique are still located to this day.
1880 Adoption of the Maltese Cross as the brand symbol, derived from a component that used to be fixed to the barrel-cover in order to prevent excessive winding of the mainspring and thus to enhance the rating precision of the watch.
1889 Vacheron Constantin presents its first ladies wristwatches at the Universal Exposition in Paris
1906 Inauguration of the Vacheron Constantin “Maison en l’Ile”, in Geneva.
1911 Vacheron Constantin launches its first “tonneau” shaped wristwatches.
1934 Vacheron Constantin produces one of the most complicated watch ever sold by the manufacture, for King Farouk of Egypt.
1955 Celebration of the company bicentenary with the development of the world’s thinnest mechanical movement: just 1.64 mm.
1972 Presentation of the graceful and asymmetric “1972” feminine watch, awarded by the “Diplôme du Prestige de France” in Paris. This was the first time this honour was granted to a watch manufacture.
1979 Sculpted directly from a gold lingot and then set with 130 carats of emerald-cut diamonds, the Kallista watch by Vacheron Constantin immediately asserts itself as one of the world’s most dazzling watch creations, the result of no less than 8,700 hours of meticulous workmanship.
1992 Launch of the Vacheron Constantin 1755 (Minute repeater) and 1760 (Tourbillon) movements.
1996 The Manufacture launches its Overseas Travel collection.
2000 Launch of the Malte Collection, characterised by its resolutely contemporary spirit, and its emblematic shaped Tourbillon.
2003 Launch of the Egérie collection dedicated to women.
2004 Inauguration of the new Manufacture in Plan-Les-Ouates-Geneva. Introduction of the Métiers d’Art Tribute to the great explorers which perpetuates the art of enamelling.
Inauguration of the “Maison Vacheron Constantin en l’Ile”, which reunites the historic Boutique, the Heritage Department and an exhibition area.
2005 Vacheron Constantin celebrates its 250th anniversary. At this occasion, Vacheron Constantin presents an exceptional collection of commemorative timepieces with the “Jubilé 1755”, the “Saint Gervais”, the “Métiers d’Art Les 4 saisons”, the “Esprit des Cabinotiers” and “The Tour de l’Ile”, the world’s most complicated wristwatch with 16 complications sold in only 7 pieces.
2006 To enter in its new quarter of millennium, what finer symbol of purity, exclusivity, prestige and durability could there be than Platinum? In tribute to this noblest, rarest and most precious of metals, Vacheron Constantin proudly introduced the Collection Excellence Platine in which all platinum timepieces is first presented in a limited edition, featuring a platinum dial bearing the discreet inscription PT950.
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of its Maison in Geneva, Vacheron Constantin introduces “Atelier Cabinotiers Special Order”, a department based at its historical address “La Maison en l’Ile” in the island of Geneva, fully dedicated to the Special Order in the true tradition and commitment to excellence of Vacheron Constantin.
2007 Mirrors of the human and divine, search of man’s roots, beautiful expressions of its soul, true art of time, Vacheron Constantin - in association with the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva which owns the most important private collection of primitive arts in the world – presents the “Métiers d’Art Les Masques”, a limited edition bringing tribal art and the art of watchmaking and engraving together.
Classic and timeless, reinterpreting tradition in a spirit adapted to contemporary values and tastes, Vacheron Constantin introduces the Patrimony Traditionnelle line - with notably the “calibre 2755” - which completes the Patrimony Contemporaine models.
2008 In keeping with its long tradition of service, Vacheron Constantin is introducing Quai de l’Ile, a new dimension in Haute Horlogerie: offering its customers the opportunity to create their own personalized watch by choosing its components from a large selection of options. Thanks to a revolutionary case with 7 main parts, a choice of three metals (pink gold, palladium and titanium) and three innovative dials featuring top-secret security-printing technology, almost 400 combinations are available at the launching. To equipped Quai de l’Ile, two new self-winding calibres – the 2475SC/1 Day-Date & Power-reserve and the 2460 QH Date, both stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva - have been developed, designed and are manufactured by Vacheron Constantin.
Source: Vacheron Constantin
Tags: Vacheron Constantin History
