n 2019, Vacheron Constantin announced an ambitious artistic and cultural partnership with the Louvre. Three years later, a series of “Tribute to Great Civilisations” watches demonstrating the most precious craftsmanship are among the first tangible results of this collaboration.

“This is not a simple sponsorship, but a partnership involving multiple levels of collaboration,” emphasises Christian Selmoni, Director of Style and Heritage at Vacheron Constantin. Behind the scenes, the two institutions, both founded in the 18th century (1755 for Vacheron Constantin and 1793 for the Louvre) were already in frequent communication, whether in terms of craftsmanship techniques, cultural points of view or expertise in archiving, conservation and restoration of a dense heritage.

Even before the partnership was formalised, the first step was Vacheron Constantin’s restoration of the clock named La Création du Monde, a masterpiece of 18th century precision horology. Other initiatives were launched in the meantime, including the Louvre’s online auction of a one-off Les Cabinotiers piece, whose dial would reproduce in enamel an artwork kept in the museum, selected by its buyer. Two of the museum’s gilders also accompanied Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers to the Homo Faber event held this year in Venice, which showcased the best of international craftsmanship.

Miniaturising ancient techniques

The four models that pay tribute to the great civilisations of Antiquity, all based on works of art on display in the Louvre, take this collaboration, initiated just before the outbreak of the pandemic, to the next level. They represent key periods of the chosen civilisations: the Persian Empire of Darius the Great; the golden age of Ancient Egypt; the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greece; and the rise to power of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

In order to maintain the greatest possible coherence between each masterpiece exhibited at the Louvre and its horological interpretation, the ornamentation of the dials (less than 40 mm in diameter) is inspired by the decorative arts of the corresponding period: champlevé and grisaille enamel, stone marquetry, stone micro-mosaic and engraving. “It truly was a joint effort, with great concern for consistency and accuracy in the choice of pieces and crafts,” says Christian Selmoni. “Given the museum’s extraordinary inventory dedicated to Antiquity, these choices were natural. For example, that of micro-mosaic, used in the Roman Empire and therefore completely relevant for the model representing the bust of Augustus.”

This model is the one, out of the four timepieces unveiled, that took the longest to make. An extremely rare technique in watchmaking, stone micro-mosaic requires a large number of tiny pieces of semi-precious stones (more than 600 were used for this model) to be meticulously assembled and glued in such a way as to render the joints that seal them practically invisible. The size of the stones – tiny squares measuring just 0.55 millimetres each – makes this type of ornamentation particularly demanding.

Christian Selmoni also points to the immense care taken to reproduce the Lion of Darius on the timepiece dedicated to the Achaemenid Persian Empire (559-330 BC). The Frieze of Lions, a glazed brick decoration, was located in the first courtyard of the palace of Darius the Great in Susa, the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire in south-western Iran. “The work of cutting the stones and the choice of having some uniform stones alongside others with veining evokes the passing of time,” emphasises Selmoni.

The sources of our civilisation

Although the four models differ in their ornamentation, they all follow the same multi-layered, nested architecture. The movement is topped by the dial and surrounded by a frieze – these two components provide the canvas for the master artisans to display their talents. A sapphire crystal bearing a sculpted gold applique depicting one of the four major works of ancient sculpture is then placed on the dial. This same slightly smoked crystal is also engraved with metallic characters in cuneiform, hieroglyphic, ancient Greek or Latin script, depending on the model. Once these various elements have been placed on top of the movement, the case is then sealed with the outer crystal.

To power these watches, Vacheron Constantin has chosen its self-winding Manufacture Calibre 2460 G4/2, which features four discs indicating the hours, minutes, days and dates. The apertures for reading the time and calendar indications, symmetrically positioned around the dial periphery, leave a vast field of expression for the artisans, as no hands disturb the view of these miniature masterpieces.

In a nod to the partnership with the museum, the oscillating weight features a depiction of the east façade of the Louvre and its colonnade inspired by the work of Louis Le Vau and Claude Perrault, based on an 18th century etching. The matrix of the design was hand-sculpted and then used to stamp the twenty oscillating weights that make up the series – each model being limited to five pieces.

“Our Métiers d’Art collection perfectly illustrates the creativity and expertise in craftsmanship of Vacheron Constantin,” says Christian Selmoni. “These timepieces will certainly appeal to collectors who are fond of fine craftsmanship, but they will also resonate with art lovers. We already saw this when we launched our Les Masques series in 2007 in collaboration with the Barbier-Mueller Museum.”

These new models augur a promising future for the collaboration between the two venerable institutions. Having been active for several centuries, both operate according to a long time horizon. It is no coincidence, then, that the first fruits of their collaboration refer back to the very foundations of our civilisation.