Vacheron Constantin Luxury Swiss Watches

Vacheron Constantin is a company steeped in tradition, even in Geneva, where long-time watchmakers are a part of the local culture. Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch company in Geneva, as the company was founded in 1755, over 250 years ago! In the years since then, the company has become famous for not only making the most expensive watch in history (the Kallista, worth over $10 million), but also a long history of quality timepieces with both technical and artistic merits to spare.

The company was founded by Jean-Mark Vacheron, a 24-year old watchmaker who wanted to make elegant timepieces that stood out for their quality. He ran the company until thirty years later, when his son Abraham took over. Abraham was able to navigate the company through economic crises caused by such volatile periods as the French Revolution, which is no small feat.

By the time the third generation of Vacheron men had taken over (in the form of Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron), it was realized that a partner was needed for the financial future of the company. In 1819, Francois Constantin became a partner, and the company adopted the name that has stood for over 190 years since.

Francois Constantin took a role as a traveling marketer and salesman of the company’s watches, and cherished his position and the flamboyant lifestyle he led as a result. Constantin was able to spread the company’s work overseas to North America and many other areas, and was known to say, “Do better when possible…and it is always possible!”

The Vacheron family and Constantin were not the only people responsible for the company’s early success. Georges-Auguste Leschot was the genius behind using machines to produce certain watch components, which at first earned him the ridicule of fellow watchmakers. However, his measures led to savings that Vacheron and Constantin passed on to consumers, which allowed the company to sell their watches for less than the competition without sacrificing quality. At the same time, Leschot insisted that the parts all still be worked on by hand, and watchmakers were able to focus their attention on the important tasks, which fabrication of component parts were done by machine.

In the time since then, the company has shown that it is never afraid to do things differently. For instance, when Charles Vacheron died at age 25, Laure Vacheron-Pernessin (Charles’ widow) and Catherine-Etienne Vacheron (widow of Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron) took over to guide the company successfully into the 20th century.

During this time, the company bounced back from declining sales in the late 19th century, as they capitalized on the increasing public demand of wristwatches. Of course, they still also produced pocket watches, which were of high enough quality as to be presented to royalty such as Egypt’s King Fouad I. Even through the Great Depression and World War II, the company persevered, with Georges Ketterer assuming majority ownership and supervising the company to a renaissance of sorts. The Chronometre Royale and other great watches were made under Ketterer’s supervision.

Now, Vacheron Constantin produces almost 20,000 watches per year, including popular models such as Overseas, and Les Historiques, which are modeled after classic designs found in the mid-20th century. The company also creates Tourbillon watches and other technical watches, which show Vacheron Constantin’s continued pursuit of excellence in the craft of watchmaking.