The April 3rd sale will be offering 250 of the rarest, most complicated and refined timepieces produced by Vacheron Constantin. These pieces are representative of the art of the Manufacture from its beginnings in 1755 through to the present day, and therefore represent an opportunity for those who cherish beauty, complication and history to join the select circle of “those in the know”. Indeed, not only has Vacheron Constantin been the monarchs’ choice from its earliest days, but it can also boast an impressive list of sought-after personalities, leaders, politicians, actors, artists, designers and top-ranked sports champions as proud owners and devotees of brand with the Maltese cross. These include Kim Novak, Ingrid Bergman, Nicole Kidman, Tony Curtis, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Kirk Douglas, Gianfranco Ferré Segovia, Arthur Rubinstein, Dwight Eisenhower, Anthony Eden, Perez de Cuellar, Maharaja de Baroda, Aga Khan, King Farouk, Queen Elizabeth II, the Emperor Akihito and King Fouad of Egypt, to mention but a few. One trusts that participants in this anniversary sale will allow themselves to be guided by their senses and to continue or begin their collection with some of the finest and most complicated timepieces in the world.

Two years of work were required to complete the enormous task of preparation, culminating this spring in an event that will comprise seven sections: steel, aluminium (mainly pocket-watches), yellow gold, white gold, platinum, chronometers and the Verger era.

According to Etienne Leménager, this auction will enable Vacheron Constantin to reach a new clientele. The enormous network of collectors that Antiquorum has faithfully and patiently built up over its 31 years of existence (and among which the 500 most active receive GMT at the same time as the Antiquorum catalogue) is increasingly interested in brands other than the inevitable Patek Philippe, of which they have more or less already acquired the most important watches. Thus, at its autumn sale in October 2003, Antiquorum had offered a series of extremely beautiful Vacheron Constantin creations, including a triple-scale steel chronograph which had not fetched more than 40,000 at previous auctions, and went this time for the sum of CHF 100,000.–

This 250th anniversary auction comprises some extremely rare items, such as the 1940s pink gold chronograph with pulsometer, tachometric scale and breath counter. No such chronograph intended for medical use exists in the Patek Philippe production and it will doubtless excite interest among brand aficionados. Antiquorum will also be presenting several Art Deco models. For Etienne Leménager, these 1920s timepieces symbolise the most interesting period for Vacheron Constantin, during which it was associated with Verger. In addition to the fact that they are naturally of extremely high quality, they also feature cases that are enamelled and designed with tremendous creativity.

This 250th anniversary auction comprises some extremely rare items, such as the 1940s pink gold chronograph with pulsometer, tachometric scale and breath counter. No such chronograph intended for medical use exists in the Patek Philippe production and it will doubtless excite interest among brand aficionados. Antiquorum will also be presenting several Art Deco models. For Etienne Leménager, these 1920s timepieces symbolise the most interesting period for Vacheron Constantin, during which it was associated with Verger. In addition to the fact that they are naturally of extremely high quality, they also feature cases that are enamelled and designed with tremendous creativity.

One of the must in this collection is undoubtedly the so-called Hermès model: a rectangular white gold 1930s watch with triple date display, decorated by Hermès. White gold was rarely used at that time, triple dates were rare within the Vacheron production, and this model is also distinguished by its Breguet numerals. Nonetheless, Etienne Leménager has a personal preference for Reference 4261, a 1950s platinum minute repeater model with a very broad diameter for the , graced with diamond hour-markers, an impressively high-quality movement, and a crystal-clear tone unmatched by other brands.

Many of these items are estimated at several hundred thousand Swiss francs. When questioned on the total amount that might be fetched by this prestigious operation as a whole, Etienne Leménager is absolutely clear: “no idea”! Meaning one can well anticipate several record-breaking sales…