The year 2025 has marked the 270th anniversary of Swiss brand Vacheron Constantin, the oldest continuously operating watch brand. To honor its founder and legacy, the Richemont-owned luxury brand, considered one of the top three most revered watch brands, pulled out all the stops unveiling exciting new watches and clocks that ranged from one-of-a-kind masterpieces to sports watches and jewelry pieces. In fact, the its last introduction of the anniversary year is a high-jewelry Overseas self-winding 35 mm watch in 18-karat white gold and 18-karat rose gold.

An anomaly, the new Overseas High Jewelry watches deftly blend Vacheron Constantin’s knowledge of watchmaking and gem-setting with its ability to marry sporty chic and elegant motifs. Each watch, with diamond-adorned dial, bezel , case and bracelet, boasts 1,430 brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds weighing an impressive 12.58 carats and underscoring the jewelry aspect of the watch.

The dial is snow-set with 314 diamonds so that the entire gold disk is covered with the sparkling gems. Even the hour markers are diamonds, but they are baguette-cut in order to stand out against the snow-set background. The 35mm size is versatile for any wrist and a self-winding movement powers the watch, offering hours, minutes, central seconds and date. Each watch is sold  with two additional interchangeable straps: one in alligator for a chic appeal (red for the rose gold version and blue for the white gold model) and one in white rubber for that sporty appeal.

Vacheron Constantin and the Arts

This year, too, Vacheron Constantin increased its visibility in the world of arts and culture with another strong partnership with what may well be the world’s most renowned museum: the Louvre. In fact, in late fall, the brand unveiled the result of seven years of work – a masterful clock called The Quest for Time – at the Louvre. It was the first time the museum showcased a modern-day object of art and it did so by surrounding the clock with antique clocks of significance throughout history.

The Quest of Time (La Quete du Temps) is an ambitious undertaking that is all about mastering time, science and astronomy. Stading nearly five feet tall, the astronomical automaton clock brings together more than 20 major complications and an astonishing 6,293 individual components. At its heart lies Caliber 9270, composed of 2,370 hand-finished parts, coordinating celestial, civil, and perpetual calendar indications with incredible precision.

The clock’s most captivating presence is its automaton astronomer, a gilded bronze figure standing beneath a crystal dome. Created in collaboration with legendary automaton master François Junod, the figure becomes the timekeeper. With fluid, human-like gestures, the astronomer’s arms indicate the hours and minutes along curved scales, executing 144 distinct movements with remarkable grace. The automaton mechanism alone comprises nearly 4,000 components and includes a mechanical memory system that synchronizes motion and time.

Above the figure, a three-dimensional retrograde spherical moon — an entirely new complication — traces lunar cycles. Also displayed are layers of astronomical indications, a musical function and more, all housed within a transparent architecture of rock crystal that reveals the clock’s exceptional hand-finishing.

 To further underscore the importance of this clock, Vacheron Constantin also introduced a Tribute to the Quest of Time watch. Created in a limited edition of just 20 pieces, and developed over the course of three years, the watch features a sculpted replica of the astronomer from the clock whose arms serve as   animated retrograde hour and minute indications. It houses an all-new manually wound movement.

According to Laurent Perves, CEO of Vacheron Constantin, the idea of making a watch to honor the clock had been in the works for about a year or two, as well. “We knew we wanted to honor the clock, its innovation and its making, and we have the knowledge to create these automatons with the retrograde hands, so it made sense.” He noted that just 20 will ever be made, most likely over the course of the ensuing two years.

These high-watchmaking endeavors, along with many others the brand released this year,  clearly celebrate its motto: “Do better if it is possible and it is always possible. They also set the bar for 2026.

(Portions of this article by Roberta Naas first appeared on Forbes.com)