Vacheron Constantin Celebrates 270 Years With a Travelling Exhibition

Founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron, Vacheron Constantin holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest continually operating watch manufacture. Over nearly three centuries, the Maison has set the benchmark in horological innovation and artistic mastery—from the signing of its first apprentice contract to groundbreaking feats like the Reference 57260 pocket watch which, in 2015, became the most complicated mechanical timepiece ever made with 57 complications.

In 2025, the company marks its 270th anniversary with The Quest: 270 Years of Seeking Excellence, a travelling exhibition that pays homage to this extraordinary legacy. Immersive, educational, and elegantly staged, the exhibition retraces the values that have defined Vacheron Constantin since the Enlightenment, namely technical ingenuity, aesthetic refinement, and a relentless pursuit of perfection.

Touring Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai before returning to Geneva, The Quest will be open to the public at the Pont de la Machine from September 15 to 28, 2025. The exhibition would be structured around three thematic worlds—Heritage, Arts and Crafts, and Fine Watchmaking. It will offer a journey through time that speaks equally to connoisseurs and newcomers.

Heritage

This section unveils the Maison’s foundations with archival treasures, including Jean-Marc Vacheron’s 1755 contract with his first apprentice and the founder’s earliest signed pocket watch. Iconic creations such as the 222, emblematic of bold 20th-century design, stand alongside enamelled masterpieces like the pocket watch inspired by Jean Du Bois’ View of Geneva. Together, they narrate a story of resilience, artistry, and timeless relevance.

Arts and Crafts

Vacheron Constantin’s soul lies in its métiers d’art, where time becomes canvas, and craftsmanship becomes poetry. Visitors will encounter rare artisanal techniques—enamelling, engraving, gem-setting, and guilloche. Highlighting this section are three singular Les Cabinotiers pieces, decorated as tributes to Geneva’s Tour de l’Île, a landmark where the Maison established its workshops in 1843.

Fine Watchmaking

The final chapter reveals the beating heart of haute horlogerie: complications. Visitors can explore masterpieces such as the 1918 chronometre pocket watch created for Packard Motor Company’s founder, and the Saltarello with its daring jumping-hour and retrograde display. The experience culminates with an encounter with Les Cabinotiers – The Berkley Grand Complication (2024), the world’s most complicated watch with 63 complications and the unprecedented Chinese perpetual calendar. Displayed across an entire wall, it epitomises the Maison’s credo since 1819: “Do better if possible, and that is always possible.”

Through The Quest, Vacheron Constantin reaffirms that is leads with a vision which has been embodied, refined, and reinvented for 270 years.