Vacheron watches
by David Barth
written March 29, 2003
Vacheron
From their earliest days, the Vacheron name has been synonymous with fine watchmaking. The name has been regarded by industry insiders with a high degree of
reverence and respect. Vacheron and Constantin's origins can be traced back to 1755, when the 24 year old Jean-Marc Vacheron joined the ranks of the Cabinotier of
Geneva. Vacheron's reputation extended to the Royal Courts of Europe, where their creations impressed the Court Timekeeper and Royal Watchmakers. One of the
great contradictions of Haute Horlogerie is the worship of hand craftsmanship, the mystique of the human touch, in an endeavour that is often better served by
mechanized production. Georges-Auguste Leschot was one of the pioneers of the mechanization of serialized production. Prior to his work at Vacheron, virtually all
parts were rough cut, formed, and finished by hand. This lack of fine precision essentially forced the custom creation of every single piece, even if the design was
fundamentally unchanged. There was no interchangeability of parts, even for the same model. Essentially, every finished piece was a one-off. This was a problem of
production and execution, not of design.
Work to create machines that could produce, reliably and consistently, precision parts was already underway. Leschot's breakthroughs were in designing machines
that could produce parts that were of sufficient quality and precision that they were interchangeable in the same caliber. The production and cost efficiencies were
such that Vacheron and Constantin quickly became a major supplier of components and ebauche to other watchmakers. It can be reasonably argued that Leschot's
machines were a key factor in the success of the Swiss bar movement design. Karl Marx' Das Kapital makes reference to Vacheron and Constantin for successfully
introducing machine work into the watchmaking process. Leschot and Vacheron can claim a pivotal role in the industrialization of watchmaking. During the latter part
of the 19th century, Vacheron and Constantin underwent a number of name and individual ownership changes, but always with a Vacheron and a Constantin at the
helm.
The company was a frequent participant in time trials and competitions, usually winning top of class awards and prizes. It's even claimed that 9 consecutive watches
submitted to Kew Observatories in England, all won top honours. These awards and prizes further reinforced the image of VC as best in the world.