Vacheron Constantin celebrates the 100th Anniversary of its tonneau shaped watches in Singapore 14 Sep 2012

thanks to the team at Vacheron Constantin for the invite down to another fine dinner. good dinner companions and conversations, good entertainment and watches... it was simply put... all good :)

press info" On 14 September 2012, Mr David Heng, Managing Director, Vacheron Constantin South-East Asia, hosted a gala dinner where more than 150 highly-valued clients and members of the media in Singapore and Malaysia were specially invited to view the special heritage and contemporary exhibition. The dinner, with themed performances highlighting the tonneau shape history, was held at the Grand Ballroom at Capella Singapore."

sharing my pics from the event and some official pics and press release info too. i had cooled off on tonneau shaped watches for awhile but i must say that the malte pieces presented did look enticing especially the tourby. interestingly enough, at an earlier point of my watch loving journey i did have my eyes set on a royal eagle piece from vc which was tonneau shaped of course... time to start saving again ;) 

VC does things in style of course. They had select pieces on display celebrating their 100th anniversary of tonneau shaped watches...

including the 1912 piece which is a pretty classic looker

 rest of what was out front when we arrived for cocktails...

and then to dinner and entertainment...

some great songs sung by syafinaz selamat... con te partiro, nessun dorma were the highlights that evening for me

after dinner, desserts were had in another area where the new malte tonneau pieces were on display... 

yummy...

"Such an exceptional watch deserved an equally exceptional movement, and this model is duly equipped with mechanical hand-wound Calibre 2795, comprising 246 parts, beating at a frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour) and endowed with an almost two-day power reserve.

This new tonneau-shaped movement – making a perfect fit with the case – is entirely developed and crafted within the Manufacture. The tourbillon carriage is inspired by the brand’s signature Maltese cross, and magnificently showcases the exceptional level of finishing of each movement part, including a number of naturally hand-bevelled interior angles.

The rounding off of the tourbillon bar, which always represents a significant technical challenge, calls for over 11 hours of manual work in order to meet the finishing criteria demanded by Vacheron Constantin. Rounding off consists of filing each end of the arms in order to give them a conical or semi-cylindrical shape, while respecting the limits of the centre and the heels. To finalise this operation, the craftsmen rub it down with stones, buffs, wooden pegs and finishing pastes in order to achieve a perfectly polished effect."

after ogling the watches, a lady asked if she could light my fire and who was i to say no? :) [u know that it would be untrue... u know that i would be a liar... if i was to say to u... girl we couldn't get much higher...]

a line from wall street comes to mind of course... "davidoff, his favorite and very tough to get" [not if u're in Singapore of course ;)] which then makes me remember wall street 2(dreadful sequel to a masterpiece) where baddie josh brolin wears the beautiful 1921 american (which is a dream classic watch for me.. the movie may have sucked but some of the watches in it RULED)

the highlight for me though was catching up with old friends and acquaintances after not having gone for one of these in awhile. i picked up alot of interesting facts... for eg, the fork was made in florence... and S$30k-50 is not much to spend for a bicycle. the highest end ones go for Eur100k or so... DAYUM!! as i am getting pudgier again, the cycling may be an option to pursue and i will have to lay down the fork and not dig in to more desserts ;)

  some of which were dressed up very nicely :)

more press release info if you click on the thingy below. hope u enjoyed the post ;) cheers

[ click to read the rest of the post... expand or collapse ]

In 1912 during an era where round pocket watches were the norm, Vacheron Constantin went against the grain and became one of the first few watch manufacturers to adopt barrel-shaped watchcases, a form more popularly known as the tonneau.

The tonneau-shaped watches were a novel creation in watchmaking history and represented an authentic revolution in horological design codes.

Such emblematic shapes were eventually interpreted through the Malte. Vacheron Constantin’s Malte collection is not just linked to the brand’s horological complications, it carries with it design forms which have since become highly identifiable with this prestigious brand.

“Creating a form-shaped collection was fully legitimate for Vacheron Constantin. The tonneau shape was chosen as it is a beautiful and elegant alternative to the round form. The Malte collection incorporates design elements deeply-rooted in the brand’s history. Most importantly, we have an extraordinary variety of tonneau-shaped watches in our Heritage Collection and archives,” says Christian Selmoni, Artistic Director, Vacheron Constantin.

As part of the brand’s 100th anniversary celebration of the tonneau-shaped watch, Vacheron Constantin, the oldest established watch Manufacture with an uninterrupted production history since its founding in 1755, showcased 12 heritage timepieces from its Geneva Heritage Collection. These historical watches, representative of the evolution of its tonneau-shaped watches over the past century, were showcased in an exclusive exhibition held at Capella Singapore.

These included one of the earliest tonneau-shaped 18K yellow gold wristwatches from 1912, a Chronomètre Royal from 1968, a dual time of 1982 featuring two independent movements and a 1995 platinum piece with a power reserve display and calendar date indicator. More than half of the heritage pieces on show were created in the early 20th century.

In addition to the heritage pieces, contemporary pieces including the highly popular Malte Tourbillon and 2012 novelties were part of the exhibition. There are four models in the 2012 Malte collection: the Malte Tourbillon, Malte Small Seconds, Malte Lady and the 100th anniversary commemorative timepiece issued in a limited edition of only 100 pieces worldwide.

In line with the 100th anniversary, a new tonneau-shaped movement, otherwise known as a form movement, the in-house Calibre 2795 which meets the criteria and seal of quality of the Hallmark of Geneva, was launched and housed in the Malte Tourbillon.

The commemorative Malte 100th Anniversary is the main highlight of the 2012 collection and is specially designed to have a vintage appeal. It is housed in a platinum case and is powered by an in-house Calibre 4400 manual-winding movement that also bears the Hallmark of Geneva.

About Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest watch manufacturer, has enjoyed uninterrupted activity since its founding in 1755. A full-fledged watch Manufacturer, it masters the complete creative process, including research and development of movements, the aesthetic definition of each model, the full set of stages in designing and crafting the watch components, and finally, the application of hand-crafted finishing. The company has developed its business in almost 80 countries around the world, distributed through 30 exclusive boutiques and a network of around 340 carefully selected points of sales.