Patrimony automatic: a limited edition born from a long collaboration with Ora ïto.
Inspired by a 1957 model, the Patrimony collection launched in 2004 pays tribute to the great watchmaking tradition, hiding a complex design behind its sobriety. The celebration of the collection’s 20th anniversary ends with a new automatic reference limited to 100 pieces, the result of the collaboration with designer Ora ïto.
A minimalist aesthetic rooted in the 1950s
The 1950s were characterized by the creation of anthology watch calibers whose finesse equals the beauty of their construction. The ultra-thin 1001 and 1003 hand-wound movements from Vacheron Constantin are among them. They then equip the references 6179 and 6187 which occupy a special place in the history of the Maison. The 1001 caliber, barely 2.94 mm thick, features a specific construction with five arabesque bridges. Certified by the Geneva Seal, it falls into the chronometric category thanks to its precision regulator. It prefigures the 1003 caliber launched on the occasion of the Maison’s bicentenary in 1955, then the thinnest movement in the world (1.64 mm thick), and still considered today as one of the highest-quality hand-wound creations.
With the advent of the wristwatch in the first half of the 20th century, the creation of extremely thin models was considered an aesthetic choice and a sign of watchmaking talent. Since the 1950s, flat and ultra-flat watches have become a real challenge within the profession.
Inspired by these creations, Vacheron Constantin launched the Patrimony collection in 2004: born from classic watchmaking, it is distinguished by its understated design and rare elegance. In the twenty years since its launch, the Patrimony models have never deviated from these principles, characterized by a round case and its thin bezel, as well as a refined, domed dial with slender, curved applied hour markers, curved baton hands and a pearled minute track.
This apparent simplicity of form requires high quality execution. The almost invisible curvature of the dial requires rigorous stamping that is calculated to the micron. The production of the curve given to the hands, hour markers and minute track pearls requires the same attention to detail, with each machined component having to be reworked by hand with the additional difficulty linked to their tiny size.
Aesthetic sobriety – a paradoxically complex exercise in style – is matched by fine watchmaking mechanics. The Maison designs several ultra-thin movements, simple or complicated, such as the 1731 caliber with manual winding and minute repeater and the 1120 caliber automatic perpetual calendar, respectively 3.90 mm and 4.05 mm thick. All the models in the collection are driven by mechanical movements ranging from three-hand displays to noble complications, including variations with special displays such as retrograde date and day.
The fruit of a long collaboration
”A good design was not created to be thrown away after a period of use, it is designed around the essential to make it eternal”. Ora ïto
The aesthetic worlds of Patrimony and Ora Ïto are made to combine. Face of the collection since 2019 as part of the “One of Not Many” campaign, the French designer is a long-time admirer of the Patrimony collection, which embodies his concept of “Simplexity” in watchmaking.
A neologism combining two seemingly contradictory notions, simplicity and complexity, it consists of the art of proposing a simple answer to a complicated problem, of offering a simple appearance to an object that incorporates an invisible complexity. From architecture to furniture, including perfumery, telephony and public transport, Ora ïto distinguishes itself through constant reinvention and design that tends towards the essential. The new Patrimony automatic is in watchmaking illustration.
A signature piece
Understated, essential, timeless, the new Patrimony automatic celebrates the apparent simplicity that characterizes the collection. Limited edition of 100 pieces, it has a 40 mm yellow gold case that opens onto a tone-on-tone gold dial, adorned with an infinity of concentric circles catching the light. With great visual purity, this circular geometry, which unfolds like a wave, echoes the domed surface of the dial. Passionate about astronomy, Ora ïto explains that “this circular movement of light refers to the Baily Pearls, a spectacular phenomenon that accompanies an eclipse of the sun by the moon”. The dominant yellow gold is expressed with force: on the applied indexes, on the beaded minute track and on the slightly curved hands that follow the curve of the dial. This multitude of details gives a retro touch to the model, like the date that stands out discreetly at 6 o’clock in a tone-on-tone window or the Vacheron Constantin logo placed under the sapphire crystal in a metallic transfer.
On the back, the sapphire crystal reveals the automatic manufacture caliber 2450 with hours, minutes, seconds and date with fine watchmaking finishes including, in particular, circular graining on the plate, Geneva stripes on the bridges and an openworked gold oscillating weight on a Maltese cross. The piece extends onto a burgundy calfskin strap punctuated with softened rectangular shapes that reinforce the vintage character of the watch and contrast with the circular geometry of the case and dial.
Patrimony automatic technical sheet:
Reference
85180/000J-H069
Caliber
2450 Q6
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Self-winding mechanical
26.2 mm (11¼’’’) in diameter, 3.6 mm thick
Approximately 40 hours of power reserve
4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
196 components
27 jewels
Timepiece certified by the Geneva Seal
Indications
Hours, minutes, date, central seconds
Case
750/1000 3N yellow gold
40 mm in diameter, 8.55 mm thick
Water-resistance tested to a pressure of 3 bar (approximately 30 meters)
Dial
Tone-on-tone gold, circular decoration
Domed outer zone with external minute track composed of fine pearls polished in 750/1000 3N yellow gold
Applicable indexes, hour and minute hands in 750/1000 3N yellow gold
Strap
Burgundy calfskin, with calfskin lining
Buckle
Pin buckle in 750/1000 3N yellow gold
Polished half-Maltese cross