How do you respectfully honour another culture’s design legacy? Well, you call in the experts to make sure you get it right.
Which is exactly what the Swiss marque Vacheron Constantin have done for their latest Métiers d’Art Tribute to Traditional Symbols collection.
The set of four limited edition watches feature two interpretations of the “Seawater Cliff”, a famed Chinese motif that dates back to the Ming dynasty and was officially named under Emperor Wanli. VC artisans worked with the Former Associate Research Librarian of the Palace Museum, Mr Song, whose speciality field of study is the cultural tradition of Imperial China, to create dials that emulate a motif found on court buildings, furniture, porcelain, and most famously, Imperial dragon robes.
The Eternal Flow design is made via an originally Chinese technique called Jintai Blue, a form of cloisonné enamelling, which depicts mountain peaks caressed by tidal waves and set against a starry sky.
220 gold wires were used to delineate each part of the motif, taking over 50 hours to complete. Layers of enamel are then placed—how many is dependent on its colour and intensity—and it's fired in a kiln in between each coating. A polish and then an enamel coating is placed to enhance the final product.
The second design option, Moonlight Slivers, has a depth effect on a monochrome base. With hollowed waves, blue enamelled parts and raised diamonds set against a 18K white or pink gold (depending on which you choose) model, this style is a slightly more subtle option compared to the former.
It also uses enamel techniques, while the waves in the background are engraved into the dial to create volutes. Each sea tide is delicately hand-set with diamonds to evoke the moon slivers that inspired the name of this piece.
Behind the dial, the watches are powered by an in-house calibre 2460 with a 40-hour power reserve. The 22K gold rotor echoes the symbolism of the dial, since the oscillating weight is delicately engraved with a motif recalling the movement of waves and tides.
