Vacheron Constantin continues to pay tribute to the Chinese culture through the Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac collection, with the introduction of two 25-piece limited editions dedicated to the Year of the Horse.

An enduring tribute to Chinese culture

Last year, underlining its openness to the world and deep cultural curiosity, Vacheron Constantin initiated a second 12-year cycle of Métiers d’Art watches dedicated to the Chinese zodiac. The current cycle, together with the preceding cycle inaugurated in 2012, follows the Maison’s long history of creating timepieces that incorporate expressions of both Western and Eastern astrology.

The two new models are dedicated to the Horse, the seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, which will supersede the Snake at Lunar New Year in February With a strong presence in Chinese culture and art since ancient times, the horse has a highly diverse symbolic meaning, encompassing vitality, elegance, loyalty and courage – and especially auspiciousness and good fortune. According to its archives, Vacheron Constantin sent 33 pairs of watches to Canton in 1846, thus beginning a long and close relationship that included orders from Chinese dignitaries. Often produced and sold in pairs, the watches destined for China were designed to withstand humidity and were magnificently decorated with engravings, enamel and precious stones.

Over the generations, the Maison has continued to create watches influenced by Chinese culture. Examples from recent years include the Métiers d’Art Tribute to Traditional Symbols series, a Traditionelle Tourbillon watch honouring the Qilin and Les Cabinotiers pieces such Memorable Places series. Not forgetting the Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac series, the second 12-year cycle of which began with the Year of the Snake last year.

Technical prowess in honour of deep savoir-faire in the artistic crafts 

The two Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – Year of the Horse watches are powered by the self-winding manufacture Calibre 2460 G4. Illustrating the Maison’s expertise in designing mechanisms dedicated to serving artistic expression, the movement was conceived to create an expansive canvas for the decorative arts, thanks to the absence of conventional hands. Instead, a system of four discs displays the indications in apertures positioned around the periphery of the dial.

The trailing hours and minutes are positioned on the upper part of the dial, complemented by jumping indications for day of the week and date on the lower part. The movement’s 237 components are contained in a diameter of 31 mm and thickness of 6.05 mm. The self-winding calibre provides a power reserve of 40 hours and the sapphire crystal caseback reveals the open-worked oscillating weight.

Formed from 22K yellow gold, it incorporates a polished Maltese Cross and is decorated with that complement the Haute Horlogerie finishing on the other movement components. The elegance of the movement architecture and quality of these finishes, which include circular graining (perlage),  Côtes de Genève, hand-bevelled bridges and hand-chamfered jewel sinks is confirmed by the Hallmark of Geneva engraved on one of the bridges.