One of a Kind
Louis Ferla, CEO of Vacheron Constantin, explains how its Les Cabinotiers range embodies the maison’s highest standards
Just as suits can be bought off the rack, made-to-measure or completely bespoke, so too can timepieces be customised to varying degrees. Among watchmakers, Vacheron Constantin stands out for being capable of offering unique timepieces to clients who want to invest in one-of-a-kind creations – and are willing to wait for them. As the brand has demonstrated in the past, anything is possible, because even new complications can be dreamed up, then developed from scratch. These special creations are all subsumed under Les Cabinotiers, a collection which also offers “ready-to-wear” timepieces that are, nonetheless, still one-off creations. In a recent interview, CEO Louis Ferla told us more about the line.
Your approach to Les Cabinotiers seems to have changed recently.
The collection’s watches are each oneof-a-kind, and we decided three years ago that we’d work on a set of these timepieces annually. Previously, clients would come to place their orders before waiting anywhere between three to eight years for them to be fulfilled. Since they’re always eager to collect their watches once they’re complete, we’ve never had the chance to properly communicate about them.
Now that we produce a themed collection every year, we can plan ahead and devote more time to research and development without feeling too much pressure. When a collection is done, we can now showcase them properly at events – there’s closer interaction with our clients as a result, so we build stronger connections. Finally, these clients who purchase and wear our unique pieces then become our ambassadors.
What about clients who still want a completely bespoke timepiece, like the Ref. 57260?
We still offer this service. The key point about Les Cabinotiers is that they’re all unique watches – it’s the pinnacle of fine watchmaking in that sense. The reason why we’re now offering a “ready made” collection of timepieces is because some clients don’t want to wait that long. We will, of course, still do special orders for our clients, but they must be willing to wait.
How do you decide on what to produce for each year’s collection of Les Cabinotiers timepieces then?
It’s a mix of three things. We have a team focused on Les Cabinotiers at Vacheron Constantin, and they speak to our clients while also working very closely with the watchmaking workshop. Because of this, we have different elements: what the workshop is developing, what the Les Cabinotiers team is exploring, and what the clients are giving back to us in terms of feedback. It really depends. This year’s La Musique du Temps was initiated internally, and decided upon three to four years in advance.
How many projects are there under development at any one time then?
They’re all at different stages – some have barely begun, but others are almost complete. I’d say between 30 to 50.
What about the people behind them?
It’s hard to put an exact number like that. We have two teams in the workshop, a commercial team that works with clients, a creative team that’s in charge of design, and so on. There are many people involved at different levels and functions, but it’s an important part of our brand.
Do technical innovations developed for Les Cabinotiers watches trickle down to the regular collections?
We don’t use the same movements, obviously, but some ideas do translate across watches and collections. The tourbillon escapement developed in Ref. 57260, for example, was re-used in another Les Cabinotiers watch.
The Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar was also originally an idea of the Les Cabinotiers team. You can definitely see bridges between Les Cabinotiers watches and the regular collections.