Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacturer in Geneva. The company was founded in 1755 by a 24-year-old Jean-Marc Vacheron. His goal was to create expensive and exclusive timepieces. In 1785, the son of Jean-Marc, Abraham, took over the company. The company was able to survive the French Revolution as well as the following economically difficult period.
By 1814, third generation of family's watchmakers, Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron, took over the company, but he soon realized, that he needed a partner to take care of the day-to-day operations of the company as well as the international sales. So in 1819, Francois Constantin, a wealthy grain merchant, became a partner in the company. Vacheron & Constantin was created.
Francois Constantin led a luxurious lifestyle and was a flamboyant character. He enjoyed travelling around the world representing Vacheron Constantin. The company had constructed huge shipping cases with hidden compartments for the most expensive and luxurious products. Through his journeys, Francois opened a lot of new markets for the company and its products, for instance in North America, where the company established an affiliate in 1864. Francois Constantin's personal motto became to be the company's motto as well: "Do better when possible, and it is always possible!".
Another key character in the Vacheron Constantin history was Georges-Auguste Leschot. Lechot was a mechanical genius, and had invented machines that could be used for series production of watch components. This was never done before, but the industry ridiculed him for his efforts. At the time it was strongly regarded, that watch components and watches were to be made by hand by skilled craftsmen!
However, Vacheron Constantin recognized Lechot's talent, and in 1839 he was hired as Technical Director for the company. Lechot immediatly manufactured various machines for the watch production, including a turning and drilling machine that could drill all the watch components holes in the exact same position. This ment, that the company could produce the needed watch components for far less than their competitors. Nevertheless, Lechot insisted that craftsmanship would still continue to play an important roll in the production, as the watchmakers were able to focus more of their attention on finishing the product. As a result, Vacheron Constantin was able to increase the quality of their products and lower the production costs, while refining the craftsmanship.
In 1854, after Francois Constantin's death, followed by Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron's death in 1863, a series of their heirs took over the company. For a period, the company was even led by two women, which was very unusual at the time. This occurred, when an heir apparent, Charles Vacheron, died at the age of 25, and his widow, Laure Vacheron-Pernessin, and the 88-year-old widow for Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron took over the company.
In 1877, the official name of the company was Vacheron & Constantin, Fabricants, Genève, while salesman Jean-Francois Constantin was promoted to partner. It was during this period that the company started to use the Maltese Cross as its trademark.
After the deaths of Laure Vacheron-Pernessin and Catherine-Etienne Vacheron the company was re-organized as a stock company. This was followed by a period of declining sales, but the company recovered in the early 20th century when successfully capitalizing the new demand for wristwatches. A series of spectacular pocket watches were also sold, including an ultra-complicated pocket watch that was a gift to the Egyptian King Fouad in 1931.
Vacheron Constantin's sales suffered during the Great Depression and the Second World War. After the war, Georges Ketterer became the president of the company, and under his command the company regained a strong position in the market. It was during Ketterer's reign that the company produced some of their most famous watches, such as the Chronometre Royale.
In the late 1970's, the official company name was changed from Vacheron & Constantin to Vacheron Constantin. After Ketterer's death in 1987, the company changed owners again.
Vacheron Constantin has introduced a number of popular and famous collections, such as the sporty Overseas as well as the classic Les Historiques, whose design is clearly inspired after classic designs from the 1940's and 1950's. Vacheron Constantin has also produced the single most expensive wristwatch ever made. The exclusive Kallista (Greek for "the most wonderful"), which is set with over 130 carats of diamonds, each with its own GIA-certificate. Kallista's original selling price was 5 million USD, and today its value is estimated at over twice that much.
Vacheron Constantin continues to manufacture exclusive high-quality timepieces with many advanced complications, such as the Tourbillon watch and the Grand Mercator. For many enthusiasts, Vacheron Constantin represents the absolut best in the business.
