Cover In the Les Cabinotiers armillary tourbillon - Ode to Chronos watch, all the surfaces of the case components are decorated by the engraver in geometrical motifs inspired by Greek mythology (Photo: Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
In the Les Cabinotiers armillary tourbillon - Ode to Chronos watch, all the surfaces of the case components are decorated by the engraver in geometrical motifs inspired by Greek mythology (Photo: Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
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Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers Le Temps Divin series explores the notion of time as it is perceived throughout cultures, capturing this essence in its innovative watches
Time—it’s an abstract notion difficult to grasp, but it has nonetheless been a focus and aspect of countless cultures throughout history. Swiss maison Vacheron Constantin has beautifully captured this fascination with the Le Temps Divin collection, which examines it through the lens of various mechanics of time and artistic crafts. This includes tributes to the four sacred animals from Asian traditions featured prominently in Chinese mythology, the divine kami of Japanese Shintoism and perhaps most fittingly, Chronos and the deities of Greco-Roman traditions.
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Above An early 18th century pocket watch (Photo: courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
An early 18th century pocket watch (Photo: courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
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The timepieces evoking the god Chronos takes the form of two editions equipped with Calibre 1990, featuring a bi-axial armillary tourbillon regulator system with retrograde hours and minutes indication. The unconventional bi-retrograde indications come in a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals; the former for the hours and the latter for the minutes, reinforcing the multifaceted notions of time that the collection exudes.
“The choice of Le Temps Divin as the theme for our new Les Cabinotiers collection opened up a number of avenues to explore when it came to illustrating the various connotations of Time with a capital T,” says Vacheron Constantin heritage director Christian Selmoni, explaining the maison’s decision to use time—physical, cyclical and metaphysical—as its muse. “In this sense, Chronos, father of the hours, was truly inescapable.”
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Ode to Chronos is a homage to this mighty personification of time. Its Greek inspirations are immediately evinced in the friezes that are layered on the bezel, handchiselled in by master craftsmen using the taille de joue intaglio technique. This gives it visible and noticeable depth, especially to complement the bas-relief of a winged Chronos holding an hourglass. The result is an elegant piece that encapsulates the god of time, from whose name is derived the very essence of horology.
Above Les Cabinotiers armillary tourbillon - Ode to Chronos (Photo: Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
Above Les Cabinotiers armillary tourbillon - Tribute to infinite time (Photo: Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
Les Cabinotiers armillary tourbillon - Ode to Chronos (Photo: Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
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Meanwhile, Tribute to Infinite Time draws inspiration from the dome of the famous Pantheon in Rome, a temple dedicated to the 12 major deities of Greek mythology. It replicates the square patterns of its interior by using geometric motifs, hand-engraved using the taille de joue method. This narrows the furrows, creates an impression of shadows and gives the illusion that it is protruding upwards. Its excellent craftsmanship rivals those of the very masons that constructed the temple it is influenced by—a proud testament to human ingenuity.
Above Vacheron Constantin’s master craftsmanship comes alive in the Le Temps Divin collection (Photo: courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
Vacheron Constantin’s master craftsmanship comes alive in the Le Temps Divin collection (Photo: courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
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With these, Vacheron Constantin creatively weaves together sophisticated watches with artistic crafts and tradition. The concept of time moves us; we measure it, harness it and above all, appreciate it. The Swiss maison has done something exceptional with its Le Temps Divin collection: it challenges us to see the hours that pass by not just through the hands of our watch, but to seek out wherever else it can be found.
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About
Tobias wants to write things that make people think, laugh, and reflect. He’s especially proud when he can sneak in a cheeky pop-culture reference or a pun in his titles and articles.
He possesses a deep love of history, resulting from years of books, games, and museum visits. It was this fascination with the human endeavour that fostered his love of writing, spanning genres, tones, and moods. He one day hopes to write a novel—he just hasn't decided on a genre yet. A certified homebody, you'll often find him on the computer he built himself, binge-watching Seinfeld or House, playing his favourite gacha game, or reading a book.
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Tobias is a features writer that specialises in branded content. Reach out to him at tobias.tomas@tatlerasia.com.
