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Vacheron Constantin
Manufacturer: Vacheron Constantin Year: 1933 Movement No: 416'362 Case No: 257'268 Material: 18K white and pink gold Calibre: Manual, cal. RA 17''' 15/12, 18 jewels Dimensions: 45mm. Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by Vacheron Constantin Extract from the Archives indicating date of production in 1933. Literature: For an archival photo please see C. Lambelet & L. Coen, The World of Vacheron Constantin, p.396. Catalogue Essay World Time watches are more than a time telling device: they are a window into our history. The rise and fall of global and local powers can be followed by just studying the cities whose time zones are displayed on the dial, many of which are different from one decade to the next. The invention of the world time can be attributed to only one genius watchmaker: Louis Cottier. He supplied his system to great Swiss manufactures, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe or Agassiz to name just a few. It is around 1930/1931 that Cottier designed a movement featuring a local time, with the hour and minute hands at center, linked to a rotating 24hour ring, and bordered by a fixed outer dial ring with the names of different cities inscribed on it. The city of choice (local time zone) was placed at the 12 o'clock position with the hours/minutes hand set at local time, the watch would then display the correct time in both hours and minutes, night and day, for every time zone in the world simultaneously, all the while allowing easy and accurate reading of local time, and all on a single dial. In December 1932 Vacheron Constantin supplied Cottier with a 17”” calibre on which the latter added his world time mechanism thus making it Vacheron Constantin’s very first world time watch and to the best of our knowledge, the second watch to use the Cottier system. A one off was previously made for Beszanger, a jeweler based in Carouge (some rumors suggest that the base movement used in this piece was supplied by Vacheron Constantin). The present watch, in superb condition, housed in a white gold case with a rose gold outer segment and bow with a city ring featuring 31 cities is this historically important watch: Vacheron Constantin’s first world time to see the light of day and the first world time by a major Swiss manufacture. The historical importance of this piece cannot be underlined enough. It is a watch that set the benchmark for the design of the world time watches. It is a milestone, an icon and a turning point in the history of horology and is a must have for the sophisticated collector. Read More