NOBLE SAUVAGES

Noble Sauvages

Combining outstanding creativity, craftsmanship and time-honoured horological finesse, Vacheron Constantin’s Mécaniques Sauvages series possesses pure animal attraction

If indeed watchmaking is an art (and we’d certainly argue that’s the case), then the cabinotier could be its old master. The moniker for these outstanding craftspeople— true Renaissance men, profoundly skilled in watchmaking but also steeped in the disciplines of contemporary and classical art, science and philosophy—derives from the workspaces they inhabited in the 18th century. The naturally lit rooftop ateliers where these artisans laboured over unique and bespoke timepieces were known as cabinets. And from these cabinets continue to emerge creations of rare beauty, imagination and craftsmanship.

Since the manufacture’s foundation in 1755, Vacheron Constantin—the oldest watchmaker in continuous operation—has set numerous cabinotiers to work in sun-drenched eyries above Geneva to bring to life clients’ extraordinary wishes and whims. Formalising the manufacture’s longstanding bespoke service, Vacheron Constantin launched more than a decade ago an arm named Atelier Cabinotiers which provides clients with the opportunity to customise a watch’s case, movement and complications, dial and hands, and its strap or bracelet.

Undoubtedly the most legendary piece to result from this offering is the Reference 57260, a pocket watch boasting 57 horological complications. It was created over eight years by three master watchmakers at the behest of a major collector who, for now at least, wishes to remain anonymous. The most complicated mechanical timepiece created to date, this magnificent piece was delivered in 2015 and is estimated to have cost in the vicinity of US$10 million.

The latest wonders to issue from the hands and minds of Vacheron Constantin’s cabinotiers come in the form of a series dubbed Mécaniques Sauvages. Each a

(one of a kind), the watches celebrate the majesty and grace of noble beasts, including serpents, lions and tigers, eagles and falcons, and the great panda. Vacheron Constantin says these creatures “convey the values of the maison: tradition and innovation, craftsmanship, hand finishing, extreme care for details, as well as elegance.”

The manufacture hopes the individual Les Cabinotiers examples detailed below— each borne on an alligator leather strap and packaged in a Makassar ebony wood box alongside a complementary magnifying glass (to enable the workmanship to be properly appreciated)—will inspire further bespoke commissions that will test the skills and creativity of their inventive cabinotiers to their limits.