Watches And Wonders 2025: Vacheron Constantin’s Tour de l’Île Collection Is A Timeless Tribute To Geneva

For over 270 years, Geneva has been the heart of Vacheron Constantin’s heritage, a city synonymous with haute horology and artistic craftsmanship. The Maison’s latest collection, Les Cabinotiers Tribute to the Tour de l’Île launches at Watches And Wonders 2025, celebrates this deep connection, showcasing the mastery of métiers d’art and refined watchmaking techniques. At the core of this tribute is the Tour de l’Île clock tower, a landmark that has played a pivotal role in Vacheron Constantin’s history since 1843. The Maison once housed its workshops there, its signage adorning the tower’s façade, before expanding in 1875 to larger premises nearby. Today, this historic structure stands as a symbol of Geneva’s resilience and Vacheron Constantin’s enduring pursuit of excellence.

Inscribed on the dial of the Tour de l’Île’s clock is Geneva’s motto, Post Tenebras Lux (After Darkness, Light), a phrase dating back to the 16th century, a time of transformation for the city. This sentiment aligns with Vacheron Constantin’s ethos—a relentless quest for perfection, artistry, and innovation. In honor of this legacy, the motto is engraved inside the officer-style caseback of each Tribute to the Tour de l’Île timepiece, echoing both the spirit of Geneva and the Maison’s dedication to fine watchmaking.

The Artistic Expression of Les Cabinotiers

Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers workshop, a sanctuary for bespoke and one-of-a-kind creations, has meticulously crafted three unique Tribute to the Tour de l’Île timepieces. Each watch captures the essence of the tower through different decorative arts: Grand Feu enamelling, guilloché, and engraving. The watches are designed with an emphasis on artistic beauty, featuring an elegant 40mm case with a thickness of 9.42mm, embodying the understated sophistication for which the Maison is renowned. Beneath the officer-style caseback, the self-winding Calibre 2460 movement is adorned with perlage, Côtes de Genève, and a hand-guilloché 18K 5N pink gold winding rotor, all certified by the Poinçon de Genève—a hallmark of excellence.

The Grand Feu Miniature Enamel Dial

The first model in this series features a dial crafted using the Geneva technique of Grand Feu miniature enamelling, a meticulous process requiring a month of hand craftsmanship. Inspired by an 18th-century lithograph by Jean DuBois, the enamel painting reinterprets a historic view of the Tour de l’Île, capturing its intricate details in soft pastel tones. The image is painted in multiple layers over a white enamel base, with each layer fired at over 800°C to achieve vibrancy and depth. Set within a 950 platinum case, this timepiece is a testament to Geneva’s rich enamelling tradition and Vacheron Constantin’s commitment to preserving this rare craft.

The second piece reimagines an early 20th-century illustration of the Tour de l’Île, originally created by the Charnaux photographic workshop. The surrounding buildings are rendered in fine black guilloché lines against a sandblasted gold background, creating a striking contrast that enhances the tower’s prominence. The hand-guilloché technique used in this piece is highly intricate, requiring exceptional skill to achieve precision on the textured surface. At the center, the tower is brought to life in Grand Feu miniature enamel, requiring nine layers of enamel and multiple firings to achieve the desired depth and clarity. This combination of engraving and enamelling showcases the Maison’s expertise in blending multiple artistic disciplines.

The Engraved Bas-Relief Dial

The third tribute model features an 18K 5N pink gold dial, engraved using the bas-relief technique to recreate an 1822 engraving of the Tour de l’Île by Pierre Escuyer. This meticulous art form involves carving away the surrounding metal to raise the motif slightly from the surface, creating a three-dimensional effect. Every element, from the bridge’s delicate railings to the minute figures of pedestrians, is carefully sculpted to achieve remarkable depth. The finishing touches include chiseling for darker areas, polishing for highlights, and a satin finish for the clouds, requiring over 140 hours of precise hand engraving.

Les Cabinotiers: Continuing the Legacy

Les Cabinotiers, Vacheron Constantin’s exclusive workshop for bespoke watchmaking, continues the tradition of Geneva’s master artisans who once worked in light-filled cabinets along the city’s rooftops. Specializing in unique, single-edition timepieces, the workshop is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of both mechanical complexity and decorative artistry. The Tribute to the Tour de l’Île collection follows a lineage of Vacheron Constantin’s previous tributes to this historic landmark, including 1920s engraved pocket watches, a 1994 enamelled pocket watch, and the legendary 2005 Tour de l’Île wristwatch, which, with its 16 complications, was once the world’s most complex wristwatch.

With these new one-of-a-kind creations, Vacheron Constantin reaffirms its role as a guardian of Geneva’s watchmaking heritage, seamlessly blending history, artistry, and technical innovation. The Tribute to the Tour de l’Île collection stands as a magnificent homage to both the city and the Maison’s unwavering commitment to excellence.