Vacheron Constantin continues its deep engagement with cultural artistry through the Métiers d'Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac collection. This ongoing series, which honors the traditions of the Lunar New Year, now welcomes two new limited-edition timepieces celebrating the Year of the Horse. These watches are not merely commemorative; they are a synthesis of high watchmaking and ancestral decorative crafts, demonstrating the Maison's commitment to preserving specialized artistic skills. The collection presents two variations, one in 18K 5N pink gold and the other in 950 platinum, each produced in a run of just 25 pieces.
The connection between Vacheron Constantin and China is not a recent development. It is a well-documented relationship that spans nearly two centuries. Archival records confirm that as early as 1846, the Maison sent 33 pairs of watches to Canton, initiating a long and respectful dialogue with the region. These early timepieces were often produced and sold in pairs, meticulously designed to withstand the local humidity, and featured magnificent decorations using engraving, enamel, and precious stones, appealing to the tastes of Chinese dignitaries.
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This historical relationship has informed the Maison's modern approach, leading to the first 12-year cycle of Zodiac watches inaugurated in 2012, and now the second cycle, which began last year with the Year of the Snake. The horse, as the seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, holds a powerful and diverse symbolic meaning in Chinese culture. It is strongly associated with vitality, courage, loyalty, and, most importantly, auspiciousness and good fortune. This cultural reverence for the horse provides a rich narrative foundation for the artisans at Vacheron Constantin.
The Métiers d'Art collection exists as a platform for Vacheron Constantin to perpetuate and evolve traditional decorative crafts. The Maison’s philosophy has long been a synthesis of technical watchmaking and artistic beauty. This collection specifically reflects a commitment to preserving skills like engraving, enameling, and miniature painting by passing this savoir-faire to future generations. This mission, which has been part of the company's identity since 1755, ensures these demanding crafts are not lost to history but are instead given a new context.
At the mechanical heart of these watches is the manufacture Calibre 2460 G4. This self-winding movement is a testament to Vacheron Constantin's expertise in creating mechanisms that serve artistic expression. The movement was ingeniously designed to forgo a conventional handset. By eliminating the central hour, minute, and second hands, the entire dial becomes an unobstructed canvas, allowing the decorative arts to take precedence over the technical display of time.
The Calibre 2460 G4 accomplishes this "hands-free" display through a clever system of four independent discs. These discs rotate to show the indications in four apertures positioned around the periphery of the dial. The two upper apertures display the trailing hours and minutes, which glide by smoothly. Conversely, the two lower apertures provide jumping indications for the day of the week and the date, offering a clean, intuitive, and mechanically sophisticated method of time-telling that never obscures the central artwork.
This intricate movement is composed of 237 components and 27 jewels, all housed within a diameter of 31 mm and a thickness of 6.05 mm. It operates at a frequency of 4 Hz, or 28,800 vibrations per hour, and provides a practical power reserve of approximately 40 hours. The self-winding mechanism is powered by an open-worked oscillating weight made from 22K yellow gold, which is visible through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback.
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Turning the watch over reveals this beautifully finished rotor, which incorporates a polished Maltese Cross, the emblem of the Maison. The rotor's own decoration is designed to complement the Haute Horlogerie finishing seen on the rest of the movement components. This level of detail is a hallmark of the brand and is applied to every part, visible or not.
The finishing of the Calibre 2460 G4 is a map of traditional watchmaking decoration. The bridges are expertly hand-beveled, or chamfered, to create bright, polished angles. The flat surfaces are adorned with classic Côtes de Genève stripes, and the mainplate features meticulous circular graining, also known as perlage. Even the jewel sinks are hand-chamfered, a level of detail that contributes to the movement's overall quality.
This dedication to finishing and construction is validated by the presence of the Hallmark of Geneva. Engraved on one of the movement's bridges, this prestigious certification is an independent guarantee of origin, quality, and durability. It confirms that the watch, as a whole, meets the extremely high standards set by the Republic and Canton of Geneva for movement finishing, decoration, and chronometric performance.
The dial is where the watch truly transitions from a time-telling instrument to a piece of wearable art. It unites three distinct and incredibly difficult crafts: grand feu enameling, miniature painting, and hand-engraving, all working in concert to create a new aesthetic language. The visual anchor of the dial is the three-dimensional horse, sculpted in relief and depicted leaping over a large, rocky outcrop.
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This central horse motif is hand-engraved from a solid block of either 18K white gold (for the platinum model) or 18K pink gold (for the pink gold model). A master engraver spends three full days meticulously carving out the fine details of the horse's flowing mane, its muscular form, and its dynamic tail. This process creates a tangible sense of depth and movement.
Once the engraving is complete, the horse and rock sculptures are given a hand-patinated finish to enhance their texture and contours, creating a play of light and shadow that further heightens the three-dimensional effect. The color nuances of the sculpted metal are then subtly enhanced with touches of miniature enamel painting, adding another layer of realism and artistry to the central figure.
This powerful sculpture is set against a dreamlike background created using two different enameling techniques. The main background color is achieved with multi-colored gradient grand feu enamel. This is an exacting process where the artisan applies fine layers of enamel powder with a brush and then fires the dial plate in a kiln at temperatures exceeding 800°C. This operation is repeated multiple times to build up the color and achieve the desired effect.
The result of this grand feu process, which takes two weeks of work, is a softly graduated color that shifts from a lighter shade in the center of the dial to a slightly darker tone at the edges. This gradient effect adds visual depth and draws the eye toward the central horse. The background is further embellished with delicate flora, rendered in miniature-painted enamel, which lends a soft, ethereal quality to the scene, contrasting perfectly with the strength of the horse.
As a final, unifying detail, the background colors used for the indications within the four display windows are perfectly matched to the enameling on the dial. This ensures that the hour, minute, day, and date apertures do not feel like interruptions but rather as integrated components of the overall artistic composition.
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The two versions of the watch are defined by their case materials. The first, reference 86073/000R-H067, is crafted in 18K 5N pink gold. This warm, reddish-gold alloy gives the watch a rich and classical presence, and the dial's central horse is sculpted from matching 18K 5N pink gold. The case has a fully polished finish that highlights its smooth, round contours.
The second version, reference 86073/000P-H066, is cased in 950 platinum. This metal is cooler in tone, denser, and has a more understated but substantial feel on the wrist. For this model, the leaping horse and the rock on the dial are sculpted from 18K white gold to maintain the white-metal aesthetic throughout the piece.
Both watches share the same versatile case dimensions, measuring 40 mm in diameter and 12.72 mm in thickness. This size provides enough space for the expansive dial artwork while remaining very wearable. The case is water-resistant to 3 bar, approximately 30 meters, and is protected by a sapphire crystal on the front and back.
Each watch is paired with a strap that complements its case metal. The 18K 5N pink gold model is fitted with a brown Mississippiensis alligator leather strap. The 950 platinum model is paired with a deep blue Mississippiensis alligator leather strap. Both straps are hand-stitched with a tone-on-tone thread, feature a comfortable alligator leather inner shell, and are finished with large, square scales for a high-quality look.
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The straps are secured to the wrist with a folding clasp made from material matching the case—either 18K 5N pink gold or 950 platinum. This clasp provides a secure and comfortable fit while continuing the precious-metal construction of the watch head. Each timepiece is also delivered with a special corrector pen, used for setting the jumping day and date indications on the movement.
As with all pieces in this specialized collection, the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – Year of the Horse watches are highly exclusive. Production is strictly limited to 25 numbered pieces for each reference, for a total of 50 watches. These timepieces are available only through Vacheron Constantin boutiques, and the price is available on request.
Case: 18K 5N pink gold or 950 platinum. 40 mm diameter, 12.72 mm thick. Transparent sapphire crystal caseback. Water-resistance tested at 3 bar (approx. 30 meters).
Movement: Calibre 2460 G4, mechanical self-winding. 31 mm diameter, 6.05 mm thick. Approximately 40 hours of power reserve. 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour). 237 components, 27 jewels. Hallmark of Geneva certified. Trailing hours and minutes, jumping day of the week and date in apertures.
Dial: 18K 4N gold base, opaque miniature and Grand Feu enamelled. Central hand-engraved horse and rock motif in 18K 5N pink gold or 18K white gold, also enamelled.
Strap: Brown (pink gold model) or blue (platinum model) *Mississippiensis* alligator leather. Alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish. 18K 5N pink gold or 950 platinum folding clasp.
Price: Price on Request.
Reference Number: 86073/000R-H067 (18K 5N pink gold), 86073/000P-H066 (950 platinum).
Notes: Limited edition of 25 pieces per reference. Features a hands-free display using four apertures, leaving the dial open for Métiers d'Art. Delivered with a corrector pen.