Vacheron Constantin facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Luxury watchmaking |
| Founded | 1755 1819 (became Vacheron & Constantin) 1970 (became Vacheron Constantin) |
| Founder | Jean-Marc Vacheron |
| Headquarters | Plan-les-Ouates, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland 46°09′57″N 6°06′02″E / 46.16597°N 6.10054°E |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Louis Ferla (CEO) |
| Products | Mechanical watches, clocks |
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Production output
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Around 20,000 (2018) |
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Number of employees
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Around 1,200 (2018) |
| Parent | Richemont (since 1996) |
Vacheron Constantin SA is a famous Swiss company that makes luxury watches and clocks. It was started way back in 1755. This makes it one of the oldest watchmakers in the world that has been making watches without stopping since it began.
Since 1996, Vacheron Constantin has been part of the Swiss Richemont Group. In 2018, about 1,200 people worked for the company. Most of them work in the company's factories in Geneva and Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
Vacheron Constantin is known for making amazing watches. One of their old pocket watches, made in 1929 for King Fuad I of Egypt, sold for US$2.77 million in 2005. In 2015, they made a pocket watch called Reference 57260. It is currently the most complicated mechanical watch ever built, with 57 special features.
Contents
The History of Vacheron Constantin
How It All Started
The company began in 1755 with Jean-Marc Vacheron. He was a watchmaker in Geneva, Switzerland. Jean-Marc was friends with famous thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire. They all loved philosophy, science, and watchmaking.
In 1770, Vacheron's company made the world's first watch with a special feature, called a complication. Nine years later, they designed the first engine-turned dials. Jean-Marc's son, Abraham Vacheron, took over the business in 1785.
Later, Jean-Marc's grandson, Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron, became the head in 1810. He started selling the company's watches in France and Italy. Jacques-Barthélemy needed help to sell watches overseas. So, in 1819, François Constantin joined the company. The company then became known as Vacheron & Constantin.
François Constantin wrote a letter on July 5, 1819. In it, he wrote the company's motto: "Faire mieux si possible, ce qui est toujours possible." This means "Do better if possible, and that is always possible." This motto is still used today.
François Constantin traveled the world to sell watches. North America was a big market then. In 1833, Vacheron and Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot. He was an inventor who helped make watch parts better. He was the first to make watch movements in standard sizes, called Calibers. In 1844, Leschot won a gold medal for his pantographic device. This machine could engrave tiny watch parts and dials.
Changes and Growth
After François Constantin died in 1854 and Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron died in 1863, family members continued to run the company. At one point, two women were in charge. In 1862, Vacheron Constantin joined a group that studied materials that are not affected by magnets.
In 1877, the company's official name became Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Geneve. In 1880, they started using the Maltese cross as their symbol. This cross shape came from a part inside a watch that helped control the mainspring.
In 1887, Vacheron & Constantin became a joint-stock company. This means it was owned by many shareholders. That same year, a famous Fabergé egg, the 1887 Third Imperial Egg, had a Vacheron Constantin lady's watch inside. The company won a gold medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in Geneva in 1887 for its great work. The first Vacheron & Constantin shop in Geneva opened in 1906.
During the Great Depression, a tough economic time, the company faced challenges. In 1936, Charles Constantin became the head. But in 1940, Georges Ketterer bought most of the company's shares.
Recent Times
Georges Ketterer passed away in 1969. His son, Jacques Ketterer, took over. In 1970, the company officially changed its name to Vacheron Constantin.
The company faced difficulties during the "quartz crisis" in the 1970s and 1980s. This was when cheaper, battery-powered quartz watches became popular. When Jacques Ketterer died in 1987, the company was bought by Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani. He was a former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia and a big watch collector.
In 1996, the entire company was bought by the Swiss Richemont Group. In 2004, Vacheron Constantin opened its new main office and factory in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. The building was designed by Bernard Tschumi and is known for its cool architecture.
Today, Vacheron Constantin is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. They make about 20,000 watches each year.
Company Motto
Vacheron Constantin's motto is "Faire mieux si possible, ce qui est toujours possible." This means "Do better if possible, and that is always possible." François Constantin first wrote this in a letter on July 5, 1819.
How Vacheron Constantin Makes Watches
Cool Inventions and Patents
Vacheron Constantin has made many important contributions to watchmaking:
- In 1790, they created the world's first watch with a special complication.
- In 1824, they made a jumping-hour watch. This type of watch shows the hour in a window, and the number "jumps" to the next hour.
- In 1885, they made the first nonmagnetic timepiece. This watch could work even when near magnetic fields.
- In 1901, they received the first Geneva Seal. This is a special mark of quality for watches made in Geneva.
- In 1929, they created a "Grande Complication" pocket watch for King Fuad I of Egypt.
- In 1955, they made the world's thinnest manual-winding movement, called the Calibre 1003.
- In 1992, they created the world's thinnest minute repeater, the Calibre 1755. A minute repeater chimes the time when you press a button.
- In 2015, they created Reference 57260. This is the most complicated mechanical watch or pocket watch ever made, with 57 special features.
Famous Watch Models
Most Expensive Watches
Vacheron Constantin has made some of the most expensive watches ever sold.
- In 1979, they made the Kallista wristwatch. It had 118 emerald-cut diamonds. It took watchmakers 6,000 hours to build and jewelers 20 months to decorate. Its first price was $5 million, and by 2016, it was worth about $11 million.
- In 2005, the Vacheron Constantin pocket watch Ref. 402833 (1929), which belonged to King Fuad I of Egypt, sold for $2.77 million.
- Also in 2005, a Vacheron Constantin mysterious clock sold for $1.83 million.
- A Vacheron Constantin wristwatch called Tour de I'lle sold for $1.56 million in 2005.
- In 2011, a Vacheron Constantin minute repeater pocket watch (1918) owned by James Ward Packard sold for $1.76 million.
Overseas Wristwatch
In 1996, Vacheron Constantin launched a new luxury sports watch line called Overseas. An earlier version, the Ref. 222, was first made in 1977. It was designed by Jorg Hysek, who was only 23 years old.
The Overseas watch was updated in 2004 and again in 2016. Some Overseas watches have extra features like a chronograph (a stopwatch), World Time (showing time in different cities), and a tourbillon (a spinning cage for the watch's balance wheel).
Patrimony Wristwatch
The Patrimony wristwatch is another famous Vacheron Constantin model. This collection started in 2004. It is known for its simple, elegant look and very thin case. The design was inspired by some of the company's watches from the 1950s.
In 2009, Vacheron Constantin added the minute repeating complication to some Patrimony watches. This created the Patrimony Calibre 1731, which is the world's thinnest minute repeater. The Patrimony collection also includes watches with perpetual calendars and moon phase indicators.
Métiers d'Art Wristwatch
In 2007, Vacheron Constantin introduced the Métiers d'Art 'Les Masques' collection. These watches had tiny copies of ancient art masks on their dials. The company chose 12 masks from a private museum to reproduce.
In 2012, they launched the Métiers d'Art 'Les Univers Infinis' collection. These watches featured designs with interlocking shapes, like the art of M. C. Escher.
250th Anniversary Watch: Tour de l'Ile
In 2005, Vacheron Constantin made the "Tour de I'lle" wristwatch to celebrate its 250th anniversary. This watch has 834 parts and 16 special features, including a tourbillon and a minute repeater. It took over 10,000 hours to research and develop.
The Tour de l'Ile is one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world. Only seven were made, and each sold for over US$1 million. One of these watches, with a unique black dial, sold for US$1.56 million in 2005.
260th Anniversary Watch: Reference 57260
In 2015, for its 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin showed off the world's most complicated mechanical watch. It was called Reference 57260. Three watchmakers spent eight years building this 57-feature pocket watch for a special client. The company did not say the exact price, but it was between 8 million and 20 million US dollars.
The Reference 57260 continues a tradition of special, complicated pocket watches from Vacheron Constantin. This includes the watch made for James W. Packard in 1918, and the one for King Fuad I of Egypt in 1929. They also made watches for King Farouk of Egypt in 1946 and Count Guy de Boisrouvray of France in 1948.
Images for kids
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A Vacheron Constantin pocket watch (1901)
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A Vacheron Constantin pocket watch in Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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A Vacheron Constantin pocket watch in Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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See also
In Spanish: Vacheron Constantin para niños
- List of watch manufacturers
- Manufacture d'horlogerie
- The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260
- Tour de I'lle
