The following article was produced in partnership with Vacheron Constantin.
If you’re going to celebrate 270 years of uninterrupted watchmaking, you may as well do it with an expected horological fanfare.
First, Vacheron Constantin released the Historiques 222, a grail watch for many collectors, to officially begin the Swiss luxury manufacture’s anniversary celebrations. This contemporary release took the model’s signature à la mode design of a ’70s icon and updated it with a stainless steel case and matte blue dial that made an already rare piece even more desirable.
It was a clever move: before the complications and classical artistry of Watches and Wonders in Geneva this week, Vacheron reminded the industry that even its sports watches are executed with architectural precision.
And now, Vacheron Constantin has arrived on the floor in Switzerland with confidence, with a slate of limited-edition references across its Patrimony and Traditionnelle collections. Vacheron is marking the moment with the kind of restraint and Swiss finesse only a 270-year legacy allows.
Eight references, each a study in balance and proportion, anchored by new dial motifs, rare finishing techniques, and subtle nods to the Maison’s deep well of heritage. For Vacheron, the release of these exquisite anniversary editions is a well-deserved victory lap from one of the industry’s most decorated luxury Maisons.
The Traditionnelle Collection
In honour of the 270th year, Vacheron has developed an entirely new calibre that combines a tourbillon and perpetual calendar, fitting neatly inside a platinum case that measures just 6.55mm thick: the 2162 QP/270. It’s a remarkable feat of design and engineering.
The tourbillon is visible at six o’clock, while the perpetual calendar tracks day, date, month and leap years with no manual correction needed until 2100. The peripheral rotor helps maintain the movement’s slim profile while giving a full view of the anniversary engravings and côte unique finishing. Only 127 pieces will be made.
As a tribute to both the openworked dial and retrograde complications in Vacheron’s history, three platinum-cased references round out the collection: a Tourbillon Retrograde Date, a Complete Calendar, and a new Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date. All three feature sapphire dial elements and the anniversary guilloché motif, adding architectural drama to the exposed mechanisms beneath.
The Tourbillon Retrograde Date is powered by the Calibre 2162 R31/270 a 72-hour power reserve, a tourbillon at six and a retrograde date up top. The Complete Calendar uses Calibre 2460 QCL/270 with a moon phase accurate to 122 years, day and month displayed via sapphire discs.
The standout here is the brand new Calibre 2460 QPR31/270 inside the Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date, which introduces a precision moon phase with a retrograde date in one of the slimmest executions of its kind. Each of the three models is limited to 370 pieces.
Vacheron Constantin’s Tribute to the Tour de L’île
These three unique pieces pay tribute to Geneva’s most enduring symbol, the Tour de l’Île. A lone tower, once part of a 13th-century castle built to defend the city, later home to Vacheron’s workshops and the first location to bear the Maison’s name. It’d hardly be appropriate to celebrate 270 years of watchmaking without an ode to where it all began.
Each reference draws on a historic view of the tower and turns it into a miniature masterpiece using the full range of Métiers d’Art. Whether through hand engraving, Grand Feu miniature enamelling, or the painstaking layering of pigments over guilloché backgrounds, these dials represent Vacheron’s commitment not just to watchmaking, but to art.
The Engraving Edition is inspired by a 1822 engraving by Pierre Escuyer, recreated on an 18K 5N pink gold dial. The motif is subtly raised by carving away metal around it — a technique that demands absolute precision from Vacheron Constantin’s revered artisanal craftspeople. With a plate just 1mm thick, even a millimetre off could destroy the piece. The engraving alone took over 140 hours, all by hand.
The Grand Feu Miniature Enamelling Edition is based on an 1830 lithograph by Jean DuBois, taking its monochrome original and bringing it to life with inviting pastel tones. This piece called on Geneva’s historic enamelling methods developed in the 18th century, which require pigment testing, repeated firings, and a full month of work to get the colours just right. The result is a luminous view of the Place de Bel-Air.
The Figurative Guilloché and Enamelling Edition leans into early 20th-century photography, drawing from a Charnaux workshop image of the tower. Set against a sandblasted gold dial, the scene is brought to life with a mix of guilloché and Grand Feu miniature enamelling.
At just 33.6mm, these dials are a celebration of micro-artistry. Inside each officer-style caseback is Geneva’s proud motto, Post tenebras lux, which translates to “After darkness comes light”. It’s a reminder that even after all this time, Vacheron Constantin is still as committed to innovation and technical prowess as it was during each of these poignant moments in its nearly three-century-long history.
The Traditionalle Openface
Vacheron Constantin’s Openface trio might just be the most visually arresting expression of its 270th anniversary. Each of the three platinum-cased Traditionnelle models – the Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date, the Tourbillon Retrograde Date, and the Complete Calendar – reinterprets some of the brand’s most iconic complications through a contemporary lens.
The standout of the trio is the Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date, powered by the new Calibre 2460 QPR31/270, which neatly pairs a retrograde date with a moonphase and sapphire calendar discs inside a 41mm platinum case.
The Tourbillon Retrograde Date keeps things slightly simpler, displaying its brushed dial with a 72-hour Calibre 2162 R31/270. Rounding out the set, the Complete Calendar offers a contemporary take on Vacheron’s classic triple calendar, complete with curved pointer date and a semi-transparent moonphase.
Shared across the trio is a new hand-guilloché Maltese cross motif, integrated into each dial with subtle adjustments based on the model’s unique layout. The motif ties the collection back to the Maison’s emblematic symbol. Depending on your taste, the Maltese cross may toe the line between artistic flourish and heavy branding, but there’s no denying the craftsmanship behind it.
Each reference is limited to 370 pieces and powered by a manufacture calibre bearing the Hallmark of Geneva, finished with Vacheron’s quietly complex ‘côte unique’ decoration.
Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date
Inspired by the ultra-thin, round watches of the 1950s, Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony collection embodies a confident minimalism that still catches the eye. There’s nothing here that doesn’t need to be, just pure proportions and a timeless watchmaking discipline.
Offered in both pink and white gold, the Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date is perhaps the most visually complex of the new Patrimony releases, maintaining a tradition employed by the Swiss Maison since the 18th century… now there aren’t many watchmakers that can say that.
The retrograde date is set with a central hand across the upper half of the dial, while a moon-phase display at six o’clock follows the lunar cycle with astronomical precision. Inside is the self-winding Calibre 2460 R31L/270 with a 40-hour power reserve and Vacheron’s signature openworked 22K gold oscillating weight, visible through the sapphire caseback. The movement, naturally, carries the anniversary emblem and côte unique decoration. Each metal is limited to 270 pieces.
Patrimony Self-Winding
A textbook execution of the Patrimony philosophy. Minimal, refined, symmetrical. This 40mm watch is offered in white or pink gold with a silver-toned dial featuring the anniversary motif. It’s powered by the Calibre 2450 Q6/270, delivering a central seconds hand and a date window at six o’clock.
The 22K gold rotor is openworked in the shape of the Maltese Cross, and the bridges beneath it are finished with the côte unique pattern. A total of 370 examples will be made in each metal.
There aren’t many brands in the world that can mark 270 years of continuous creativity, but Vacheron Constantin is doing it with a typical confident edge. The Swiss luxury watchmaker is undoubtedly taking a look back on nearly three centuries of craft and innovation. But these releases this week are a statement of intent from one of the horological space’s heaviest hitters. Bring on the next 270.
