In the world of Fine Watchmaking, where precision is often the focus, Vacheron Constantin has decided to go one step further and transform time into art. To mark its 270th anniversary, the Maison presents La Quête du Temps , a monumental work that combines science, poetry, and artisanal virtuosity in a single creation.
The project, conceived over seven years , breaks with all familiarity: a piece that not only measures the passing of time, but does so through an automaton with movements so fluid they seem human. This figure, an astronomer with an almost mystical presence, invites us to contemplate the sky, to rediscover in mechanical gestures our ancestral fascination with the cosmos.
Beneath a glass dome, a visual and symbolic spectacle unfolds: hand-painted constellations recreate the Geneva sky as it appeared in 1755, the year the Maison was founded. The base, covered in lapis lazuli and precious stones, represents the solar system with a refinement that evokes the wonders of the enlightened courts of the 18th century. Each activation of the automaton is accompanied by specially composed melodies, making time a sonorous and poetic experience.
More than an object, La Quête du Temps is a philosophical and cultural statement. On display at the Louvre Museum as part of the Mécaniques d'Art exhibition, it becomes a symbol of a universal dialogue: watchmaking as a bridge between technology and beauty, between humanity and the mystery of the universe.
Photos: courtesy.
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