In 1755 in Geneva, Jean-Marc Vacheron began writing the first chapter of a story that has become a remarkable human adventure – a quest for excellence passed down from generation to generation. The passion, expertise and creativity of the men and women of the Manufacture have shaped Vacheron Constantin’s identity through a subtle balance between technical mastery and artistic sensitivity. Deeply rooted in the workshops, these values do much to explain the Maison’s longevity. Since the turn of this century, Vacheron Constantin has marked each new decade by honoring its heritage, looking to the future and issuing a number of exceptional timepieces.
Throughout 2025, to mark 270 years of creation, tradition and innovation, a series of celebrations begins with the reissue of an iconic timepiece, much awaited by its clients, the Historiques 222, cased in stainless steel.
In the 18th century, when Vacheron Constantin was born, Geneva was a peaceful and economically prosperous city. ‘The factory that flourished most in Geneva was the watchmaking industry, which accounted for more than a fifth of the city’s population’, noted Diderot and d’Alembert’s Encyclopédie. Its booming economy was matched by great cultural richness: the home city of Rousseau, it attracted other great minds, including Voltaire, who took up residence the same year that the Maison was established.
Jean-Marc Vacheron’s signing of his watchmaking apprenticeship contract in 1755 is regarded as the founding act of Vacheron Constantin – the beginning of a quest for watchmaking excellence driven by the determination and passion of successive generations. This contract also established a fundamental value of the Maison: the transmission of knowledge and skills. The sharing of knowledge over 270 years – at first supported by the open- mindedness of the Age of Enlightenment and always driven by the desire for constant progress – has forged the character of Vacheron Constantin. In 1819, Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron, the founder’s grandson, received a note from his new business partner, François Constantin, urging him to “do better if possible, and that is always possible”. This maxim remains the motto of the Maison to this day.
Vacheron Constantin’s enduring success lies in its singular approach to watchmaking – one that deftly balances technical mastery and artistic sensitivity, mechanical complexity and craftsmanship, innovation and elegance. Witness the pocket watch with chronograph and chiming mechanism set in an elaborately chased 20k gold.
