The Vacheron Constantin Harmony Tourbillon Chronograph

In Vacheron Constantin’s impressive portfolio of watches, there has been one glaring absentee in the past 20-odd years: an in-house manufactured chronograph movement. The ubiquity of the chronograph in almost every other watch brand’s portfolio belies the fact that it is a complex function, as it is required to start and stop on demand, without hampering the time-telling functions. That’s not to say that Vacheron Constantin lacked the expertise—in fact, over the Swiss manufacture’s 260 years of continuous legacy (not even interrupted by the quartz crisis), it has proven its expertise with complications such as minute repeaters, tourbillons, perpetual calendars and more. 

Vacheron Constantin made its first chronograph wrist watch in 1917, but since the 1980s, it has been using modified Lemania calibres. To commemorate its momentous milestone, the watchmaker has developed an entirely new line of chronograph movements, for a brand-new Harmony collection. 

The case joins the curvaceous, round body of the Patrimony, the slightly stockier, barrel-shape of the Malte, and the angular case of Quai de l’Ile, staking its own place in the watchmaker’s family with an elegant cushion shape. It might be a deceptively simple case construction in its appearance, but tricky to achieve: too curvy, and it will just resemble a modified classic round case; too many hard edges, and you have a 1970s-looking square-shaped watch. But Vacheron Constantin has conceived a perfect middle ground, playing with proportions, light and polishes to achieve the elegant Harmony case, boasting a round case middle housed within a polished square bezel that curves slightly at the edges. 

This is not a new shape to Vacheron Constantin. In fact, the watchmaker delved into its archives and based the Harmony collection on a museum piece from 1928. Christian Selmoni, artistic director of the brand, says that this watch has always been one of their favourites from the archive, so it made sense to revisit it.

Christian Selmoni, artistic director of Vacheron Constantin has been with the company for 25 years 

“We thought it would be a great opportunity to design the collection based on this 1928 chronograph for two reasons: the watch has a beautiful cushion shape that we wanted to revisit. Secondly, since we wanted to launch chronographs, this watch was a good mix of design and technicality since it was a chronograph, too. In addition, when we speak of our product line, every year’s collection can be defined by shape. In our history, we have always had a very creative approach when talking about designs and shapes, and this diversity is an interesting aspect of the brand.” 

Speaking of diversity, the cushion shape is just as elegant on the wrist of a man as it is on a woman’s, although she might prefer the smaller version sprinkled with diamonds. In fact, of the seven models presented this year, two of them have been designed specifically with women in mind. But diamonds or not, it is an aesthetically pleasing form that has been so gracefully executed by the watchmaker that it will surely appeal to both traditional collectors and the more adventurous ones. 

It would have been simpler for Vacheron Constantin to replicate the exact same timepiece from 1928—and it would have been an easy way out, a sure-fire success with collectors with a voracious appetite for a slice of history. But the watchmaker did not want to create a vintage watch, says Selmoni. “It was not a matter of taking the watch, measuring it and remaking it slightly bigger. For us, the question was to take the essence of the watch and build a new watch. For example, in terms of design, we still have the original cushion shape, but we’ve injected some modernity in the form of the curves and straight lines; the case of Harmony is really contemporary.” 

The Right Balance 
Still, a first glance at the collection will have watch lovers scratching their heads: if the Harmony is supposed to house chronographs, where are the pushers? In another nod to the 1928 timepiece, the brand opted to revisit the monopusher chronograph. Breitling only introduced the two-button chronograph in 1933, so that explains the 1928 watch, but why would a watchmaker as forward-looking as Vacheron Constantin decide to adopt this archaic, slightly impractical feature in a 2015 collection? 

Selmoni explains, “It might seem like we are going reverse in technology. On one hand, we have technical feats in our chronograph, on the other, we are coming back to the old idea of a monopusher. There are certainly pros and cons for making a single-button chronograph. For us, it made sense to introduce these movements with monopushers as this is a wink to the watch from 1928; it had one button because two buttons had not yet been invented and by doing so we pay tribute to the original movement. Secondly, it is very nice looking! You don’t immediately see that this is a chronograph. Many technical people have said that two buttons are more convenient and modern. But I think such a watch is a combination of several elements, some aesthetics, some technical, some have to be emotional. That’s why we did it.”  

Vacheron Constantin Chronograph Small Model

Aesthetically, the single pusher might offer a congruous symmetry to the Harmony, but it also belies the technical virtuosity of the collection. For the first time in 20 years, Vacheron Constantin has developed three new chronograph movements, using manufacturing techniques such as LIGA that were not available some 15 years ago. With these techniques, the manufacture can create more complex and precise metallic components that offer greater accuracy. Like most high-end chronographs, these ones, too, use a column wheel system for utmost precision, but with significant, state-of-the-art updates that have eliminated problems that chronographs typically encounter. For instance, in conventional chronographs, the second hand would jerk slightly before starting its countdown, but with the introduction of a friction technique for the lateral coupling clutch, Vacheron Constantin has eliminated that minor jump. 

Meet the Family 
The cherry topping the collection is the 10-piece limited edition Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph Calibre 3500. The “grand complication” in the name might be slightly misleading, as one would expect additional features such as a minute repeater or a perpetual calendar. Yet, the technical feats within this movement are truly grand, as Vacheron Constantin has engineered the thinnest split-second chronograph in the industry, measuring a svelte 5.2mm thin. 

The Harmony Chronograph is a direct descendant of the 1928 chronograph with a pulsimeter

Then, there is the Tourbillon Chronograph Calibre 3200, a handwound timepiece with a 65-hour power reserve. But the closest in form and function to the 1928 watch is the Harmony Chronograph Calibre 3300: they are both chronographs with a pulsimeter scale, and ultra-elegant feuille hands. While the dial format remains the same, the updates give the 2015 version a sleeker, more contemporary panache. The Arabic numerals have been rendered in a jaunty blue, as compared to the sombre black, and are taller and slimmer. The small seconds and 45-minute chronograph counters at 3 and 9 o’clock are bigger; they might take up more space on the dial, but the effect is easier on the eyes, and offers a congruous and capacious aesthetic.

The hand-finishing, as expected, is sublime, worthy of the haute horlogerie tag affixed to Vacheron Constantin’s endeavours. While the watchmaker intends to make the Harmony a permanent fixture within its family, these exquisite 260-year commemorative pieces are all presented in limited editions, denoted by a fleurisanne engraving that has been rendered on the back.