Meet Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Celestial Series

Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art collection has long been a canvas for the brand’s most daring aesthetic, and even technical, creations. Now, the company unveils its newest series: Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Celestial. Consisting of 12  exceptional timepieces that bring the zodiac to life through a variety of crafts such as guilloche, gem-setting, and more, the line is all about capturing the allure of the night sky, the mystery of the constellations and the beauty of the zodiac.

Crafted in 39mm white gold cases with richly textured deep blue dials, each watch is powered by the manufacture-made ultra-thin Caliber2160 tourbillon—an engineering feat in itself.

Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Celestial Five-Layered Constellation Dials

The most striking feature of each watch is its dial, which depicts a stylized zodiac figure and its corresponding constellation in stunning detail. To achieve the visual richness, Vacheron Constantin developed a five-layer dial construction on an 18K gold base.

It starts with a sunburst base layer with sandblasting and fine polishing to create a radiant underlayer and proceeds to a hand-guilloché zodiac figure, created using a traditional rose engine lathe. The process requires more than 16 hours of hand craftsmanship. A cut-out aperture for the tourbillon resides at 6:00 – adding further depth and dimension. Then the entire dial is lacquered in deep blue.

For the constellation itself, brilliant-cut diamonds are meticulously set into the dial to represent the stars. The zodiac signs also feature opalescent elements, achieved by hand-finishing and lacquering tiny applied details for added dimension and character. Once the constellation pattern is complete, a final varnish coat is applied to protect the surface and amplify color depth. The final effect is a vibrant, tactile surface that appears to shimmer and shift with light and movement.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Celestial Bezel and Case Design

Each 39 mm white gold case is adorned with a bezel set with 96 baguette-cut blue sapphires, totaling approximately 3.90 carats. Vacheron Constantin uses a channel setting technique, a process that demands micrometric tolerances to align the stones flush against each other without visible metal prongs. The result is a continuous, glowing ring of blue light around the dial.

The cases measure 11.1 mm in height and are fitted with sapphire crystal casebacks to reveal the finely finished movement, which carries the coveted Hallmark of Geneva Seal attesting to its exquisite craftsmanship.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Celestial Caliber 2160

Behind the artistry of the case and dial lies serious horological muscle. All 12 models are powered by the 188-part  in-house Caliber 2160, a self-winding tourbillon movement first introduced by Vacheron Constantin in 2018.

The movement boasts a peripheral winding rotor made of 22-karat gold. It features hand-beveled bridges with Geneva stripes, polished screw heads, mirror-polished tourbillon bridge, and sandblasted mainplate. The tourbillon cage is shaped like Vacheron Constantin’s Maltese Cross emblem and is held in place by a meticulously black-polished bridge that reflects light like a mirror.

Each of the 12 watches is produced in extremely limited numbers due to their time-consuming complexity to create. Vacheron Constantin is offering them not only individually, but as a complete boxed set.

The Tribute to the Celestial builds on the 2021 Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart Leo Constellation Jewellery, which used astronomy as a thematic and decorative foundation. However, the new series shifts the focus from complex astronomical complications to artisanal interpretations, blending symbolism and storytelling with watchmaking precision – Vacheron Constantin’s forte.