Raluca Michailov: What can you tell us about this wonderful new creation that crosses the boundaries of Haute Horlogerie, Haute Couture and Haute Parfumerie – The Pleats of Time?

Christian Selmoni: Well, I think you have summed up this timepiece very well. So let’s talk about our concept watch: Égérie – The Pleats of Time. As you know, at Vacheron Constantin we don’t have ambassadors, but we do have talents – people who share our values, I would say, and who are very authentic in their activities. Since 2020, Yiqing Yin has been one of our talents and, in a way, she has become the image of Égérie. Yiqing Yin is a creator of haute couture. And together with Yiqing Yin we decided to create a concept watch – which is The Pleats of Time. I think it is something quite unexpected from Vacheron Constantin.

It is, indeed.

Because we have multiple entries into our watchmaking world, but to create a concept watch which is based on Égérie is quite surprising. Personally, I think it is a great idea. Because the idea, as you were suggesting, was really to create a connection between the three universes – fine watchmaking or Haute Horlogerie with Vacheron Constantin, Haute Couture with Yiqing Yin, and Haute Parfumerie with Dominique Ropion. So the concept behind The Pleats of Time was a collaboration between our designer and Yiqing Yin to create a timepiece. That was the first step. So they had several discussions about this timepiece and you have seen the results at the booth.

Very impressive.

And I think that one of the key aspects of this concept watch is obviously the bracelet, which was fully designed by Yiqing, and it was thought to be seen together with a dress that she created, which is absolutely mind-blowing.

It is, I have seen it.

The bracelet contains embroidery and bits of mother-of-pearl. But there is something that is quite surprising. Yiqing has worked in the past with Dominique Ropion, a famous perfume maker from France. There are some nanocapsules of perfume that are encapsulated in the strap. So when you wear the watch on your wrist and you naturally twist the bracelet a little bit, some of the capsules break and release the fragrance. And the fragrance is a unique creation by Dominique Ropion, exclusively for this timepiece. So, in a nutshell, this is the concept of The Pleats of Time and, of course, as a concept watch, it will remain unique and will not be for sale.

But are you planning any further developments in this direction that might be for sale?

This remains an open question in the sense that the purpose of these concept watches is really to broaden our universe, to make us think outside the box, and – why not – maybe in the future think about going into one of these directions. For now, in 2024, it remains a concept watch. But time will tell. The good news, however, is that we made a limited edition of the Égérie 37mm complicated moon phase model in rose gold, also co-designed with Yiqing Yin. We have our very beautiful mother-of-pearl in lilac, which is a colour that she really appreciates, she likes it very much, and you can see that we have the pleated motif which decorates the mother-of-pearl dial. You can also see the beautiful moon phase, with mother-of-pearl clouds set in tiny rose gold pieces. Yiqing has chosen three interchangeable straps to accompany the watch. It’s a limited edition of 100 pieces, which will be numbered and will have Yiqing Yin’s name engraved on the caseback. So this is, in a nutshell, this year’s limited edition in the Égérie collection.

Very lovely. Thank you. And moving on to the other launches of this year: which one did you particularly like?

Well, this is a really difficult question. I think we have some very interesting watches this year. I must confess I have a great interest for the new Overseas’, which are in rose gold. We have four different references. They are all in rose gold and they feature green dials. The green dial is a trend which has been around for several years already. So why did we come up with such a colour in 2024, you might ask. The answer is that we wanted to create a green colour that would be similar in terms of complexity, sophistication and appeal with the signature blue that I have on my wrist. To do so, we took some time to really make sure that we had the same level of sophistication. In other words, I think it is a very interesting colour: depending on how the light catches the surface of the dial, we have a certain shade of green, which is almost pale or, if you look at it from a different angle, the dial looks almost black. I think this is exactly the effect that we wanted to achieve and is comparable with the steel model.

In terms of watches, we have the 35mm automatic that we launched last year, with a diamond-set bezel, we have the 42.5mm chronograph in rose gold, the 41mm model with three hands and date and finally the 41mm Dual Time model with the red triangle for the second timezone and the AM/PM indication.

So these are the four watches with green dials that we are launching in the Overseas collection. And I’d like to point out that, as you know, we have our quick interchangeable system, which allows us to replace the gold bracelet with a rubber strap or, if you prefer, with a more formal calfskin leather strap, in just a few seconds. We know that this kind of versatility which is given by this system is something that our customers really appreciate.

And I noticed during the presentation that when you put on the rubber strap, for instance, it becomes a completely different watch.

It is a completely different watch, I totally agree with you.

How do you like it more: all gold or perhaps a little more understated?

I think everyone has the right to choose the gold bracelet, the rubber strap or the calfskin strap. As far as I’m concerned, I have always considered that the metal bracelet works best in the context of the overall design. So personally speaking, I prefer the metal bracelet, but I have to admit that the green rubber strap fits extremely well and it would be a very nice alternative.

The chronograph is my favourite, to be honest. Which one is yours?

I have to admit I absolutely love the Dual Time. Because of the mix of colours and the extra touch of colour which is given by the red triangle. It is subjective, of course, but this is the one I prefer.

And the green is going to stay?

The green is going to stay, so all these watches are entering the Overseas lineup, and they will not be limited editions or limited productions.

You mentioned you have spent quite a while working on the perfect shade of green that you wanted to get. How long did it take until you were finally satisfied?

This is something that we started thinking about 3 years ago and we took our time to really develop it. I would say it is absolutely essential for us to replicate the very special recipe that we have for the Overseas blue dials and to make the green dials following the same recipe. So you could say it took us about three years to be able to do it from scratch – from the beginning until the presentation.

Yes, because once you launch it, it is there and you cannot take it back. Hopefully, this is going to last for 200 years.

We will see.

1. Thank you for the Overseas presentation and now let’s move on to the beautiful, absolutely beautiful Patrimony.

The Patrimony collection was launched in 2004 – that is 20 years ago. And the first model that we launched in the collection was the 40mm diameter rose gold manual winding model, with two hands. For this year, we decided to revisit that model and the first thing we did was to reduce the diameter. This is because, although the 40mm diameter is very popular, it is also something of a limit for certain wrists, and it is also a timepiece that is very much appreciated by the ladies. So we made several attempts and we finally settled on the 39mm. It may look like it’s not a big difference, but it actually changes everything. Now I think we have a much more versatile timepiece and we decided to create two versions: we have the rose gold version and the white gold version.

Some other important information: we have a new calibre, the 1440. It’s a new manual winding calibre, bearing the Geneva Hallmark, with handmade finishes. It is not really an evolution of the previous calibre, but rather a new calibre with some improvements that were not exactly necessary, but I think we have better performances in terms of service and accuracy. The caseback is closed. It may seem surprising for a Geneva Hallmark calibre, but we wanted to have at least one model in the Patrimony line whose caseback could be personalised by our customers – with an engraving, a message, a date of birth, something like that. The next thing which is important – the dial. I think this is the biggest change, along with the size.

Yes, I agree.

If you remember, in the first Patrimony we had a silver dial with a porcelain-like finish, and hour markers and a “pearl” minute track. For this new model we decided to change the dial and we have a sunburst background, which really reveals the fact that the dial is curved. And we have this very special tone on the dial, which we call Old Silver, and this is kind of a tribute to vintage dials, because, as we know, the origins of the Patrimony design are rooted in the 1950s, even though the watch is modern in design. What is interesting about this Old Silver colour is that it very much reflects the colour of the metal, of the gold: with rose gold, it looks like light champagne. With white gold, it has some greenish accents. But it is exactly the same colour, the same dial. This one is really interesting, because we have added a little twist – the two-tone dial. So we have a white gold case, but we have rose gold hands, hour markers and a “pearl” minute track. This two-tone dial was something that was also very much appreciated in the 40s and the 50s.

I remember.

And now, the last point – the straps. This is also the first time that we have introduced coloured bracelets in the Patrimony line: azure blue for the rose gold, and this beautiful olive green for the white gold.

One last question: what has been the feedback that you personally received on this partocular model?

Honestly, very good. As we know, there is more and more interest in such coloured bracelets, which are less formal than the usual dark brown or black. And I personally love the combination that our designer has chosen – which is really to come up with a third colour. So we have the white gold, the rose gold, and now we have this green, which is unexpected, but I think the combination is stunning.

Thank you so much, this has been great.