Weekly Roundup: 31 January 2014
While it is certainly hard to focus on events outside the SIHH in the world of watches this week, rest assured that the globe continued to revolve and there were other happenings. Here is a summary of some of them.
Tag Archive for: Vacheron Constantin
Give Me Five! Happy Chinese New Year Of The Horse
This New Year rings in the year of the horse, and thus a select group of horse-themed watches by high-quality watch manufacturers.
A sign of respect, though perhaps not necessarily authenticity as some crucial elements (such as the color red) are not in evidence, these ticking treasures celebrating an extremely festive moment of Chinese culture are unique heirlooms in and of themselves – mainly thanks to the rare, handcrafted work that goes into them.
360° Views Of The 2014 SIHH
Take a 360° tour of the 2014 SIHH! As the first big watch exhibition of the year, the annual SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva attracts plenty of interest. However, as a very restricted, invitation-only trade show, it is difficult for the watch-loving public to get an idea of what the SIHH really looks like.
Give Me Five! 5 Stunning Artistic Dials Even Men Might Appreciate From SIHH 2014
While it seems that “métiers d’art” could be considered a catchword, trend or even buzz phrase in modern high-end watchmaking, the reality is that when luxury brands take the time, energy, and cost to create these unique elements, it results in some of the most magnificent artwork available in horology today.
Vacheron Constantin’s Infinite Illusion Of Time: Les Univers Infinis
Though it may seem that using rare and even unusual artistic crafts is a major trend running through high horology at the moment, it is important to remember how very difficult both the execution of and inspiration for these crafts can be. Guilloché, enamel, engraving, and even gem-setting are skills that almost died out in the pre-mechanical renaissance watch industry along with the art of mechanical watchmaking itself. Therefore, there are truly very few artists today able to perform them.