Introducing – Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale, inspired by the classic masculine wardrobe (with price)

Sartorialism: From sartorial, itself from New Latin sartorius ?(“pertaining to a tailor”), from Late Latin sartor ?(“tailor”), from Latin sarcire ?(“to patch, mend”), an interest in matters of or relating to the tailoring of clothing. Meaning, an adoration for hand-crafted and fine clothing dedicated to men. This is exactly what the Old Maison Vacheron Constantin wants to celebrate with a brand new collection, composed of 5 watches, bearing hand-crafted dials, obtained through Metiers d’Art techniques. The manufacture gives its own unique take on the classic masculine wardrobe and the new watches feature dial showing several woven motifs used in fine tailoring. Here is the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection.

5 patterns (from left to right) – prince of wales check pattern – windowpane pattern – herringbone pattern – pin stripes pattern – tartan pattern

Just like a fine-tailored suit with a highly qualitative fabric is a must-have in every gentleman wardrobe, an elegant watch that can mix with this attire also is something to be highly considered. In fact, both are part of the masculine elegance – and certainly are the only 2 elements you’ll have to focus on. One has to be your one-and-only proper piece of clothing while the second has to be your one-and-only proper piece of jewelry. Thus, it makes sense for a Maison such as Vacheron to create a collection of watches celebrating the art of Sartorialism. By using old and fine techniques such as enameling and guillochage, the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale watches offer an immersion into the rich treasures of the art of tailoring, with dials depicting some of the most known patterns used in tailoring.

These 5 watches should be summed up in one sentence, it could easily be “guardians of time, guardians of style“. Five different watches compose the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection, with 5 different dials. However, all of them are based on the same design, differing from the patterns and colours used. The off-centered hour and minute dial is made of two areas, one being in the center and features a guilloché pattern, reminiscent of a silk pocket square against a suit. This sub-dial is surrounded by an hour track, with black roman numerals painted on a mother-of-pearl background, this time reminiscent of shirt buttons (usually made in nacre, at least in fine tailoring). The rest of the dial, empty of any timing indication, is a playground for guillochage and enameling. A hand-guilloché decor picking up classic woven motifs occupies the moon crescent-shaped space. It is coated with translucent Grand Feu enamel in various colours.

Here are the 5 watches of the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection:

• Ref. 1400U/000G-B215 – prince of wales check pattern, 18k white gold case – superimposed squares connected by vertical and horizontal stripes, enhanced by a raspberry red coloured translucent enamel
• Ref. 1400U/000R-B159 – herringbone pattern, 18k pink gold case – lavender-toned enamel and variously contrasting zigzag motif (like a chevron pattern)
• Ref. 1400U/000R-B216 – windowpane pattern, 18k pink gold case – a warm grey enamel dial with a regular and geometrical squared motif, enhanced by a diamond guilloché in the centre
• Ref. 1400U/000R-B217 – pin stripes pattern, 18k pink gold case – a slim vertical pin stripes pattern shimmer beneath a soft linen colour (reminiscent of tennis stripped suits)
• Ref. 1400U/000G-B218 – tartan pattern, 18k white gold case – a motif with criss-crossing horizontal and vertical grooves, coated with a cerulean blue

These dials, resembling finely woven cloth in accordance with the sartorial spirit, manually recreate the structure of the fabrics. By incising tiny grooves in thin gold plates, using the complex process of guilloché, the woven motif is first created. This process, already difficult to achieve because driven by hand, is even enhanced by applying a translucent enamel on the textured surface, revealing a rich colour and letting the guillochage appear underneath. Several layers of enamel and oven steps are used to reveal a unique shine and the required transparency.

Because of the specific layout of the dial, with an off-centered hour and minute display, the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection features a small movement, itself off-centered in the case. The mechanical, manual-winding, Caliber 1400 is used here, and the entire watch has benefit from its thinness (2.6mm). The finish is on par with the one applied on the dial, with Geneva stripes, chamfered bridges and internal angles. It beats at 28,800vph and offers 40 hours of power reserve. This small (20.65mm in diameter) movement is nonetheless bearing the Hallmark of Geneva, attesting to its fine execution and its very good precision. The polished case-back leaves room for a personalized engraving.

The Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection is offered in a 40mm case, in 18k pink or 18k white gold (depending on the dial) and mounted on alligator straps. It is a non-limited edition but it will only be available in the official boutiques of the brand. Price, for all the editions, will be $53,600. More details on the official website of Vacheron Constantin, or via a dedicated page.