Vacheron Constantin Guilloché: A Captivating Canvas of the 12 Zodiac Signs

The innovative guilloching reinterprets and expresses classic themes. Vacheron Constantin's new Métiers d'Art collection, "In Memory of the 12 Zodiacs," is a collection of watches each featuring a tourbillon and each representing one of the 12 zodiac signs.

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　There are various theories about the origin of the 12 zodiac signs, which are also used in astrology, but the most likely one is Babylonia, an ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Before the Common Era, humans had already begun to draw concrete images connecting the lines of the zodiac. Two millennia later, how can these still be incorporated into a wristwatch today? Woven with an exceptional aesthetic sense, Vacheron Constantin's answer is "Métiers d'Art - Contemplating the 12 Zodiac Signs."

　The motifs of the 12 constellations, including imaginary beings, were imagined by ancient humans as images in the sky. They dreamed up paintings on canvases cut out from a corner of cosmic space. Vacheron Constantin, meanwhile, made full use of the artistic techniques of the Métiers d'Art to bring the fantasy world of these paintings to life. A key technique is the extremely cutting-edge use of guilloching. The contours of the subject are filled with triangles carved at varying pitches, intersecting in various directions, creating a visually three-dimensional image.

　The technique of geometrically deconstructing a subject and then reconstructing it brings to mind the Cubism of Picasso and Braque. Unlike Picasso, these constellations do not reject perspective; instead, they express light, shadow, depth, and three-dimensionality using only guilloche lines. The flattened constellation figures are reconstructed as three-dimensional objects floating in space. These images are superimposed on diamond stars connected by constellation lines. The astronomical reality of the stars, whose distances from Earth vary by tens or even hundreds of light-years, is recaptured in the romance of infinite space as brilliant-cut rays, imaginary scenes, and phenomena. To borrow a line from the poet Li Bai, "Doubt it be the galaxy that has fallen from the nine heavens," the dial is created as if the galaxy had fallen from the heavens.

　The blue that covers the motif against the sunburst background connects the visual to the baguette-cut sapphires that adorn the bezel, crown, lugs, and buckle. The transcendental connection of the gem setting completes the complete worldview in which the entire watch is a reflection of outer space. Competing in presence with the constellations is the beautiful tourbillon with its Maltese cross carriage.

　There is no definitive guideline for when you are unsure which tourbillon to choose, but our zodiac signs are already determined by the ancient rule of dividing the year according to the location of the sun. Everyone has a tourbillon among the 12 that they are destined to choose. The masterpieces of the Métiers d'Art offer twelve artistic ways of enjoyment to all humanity around the world.

Professor Hirota's "This is amazing!"

　Guilloched dials are often seen on luxury watches, but there are limitations to the motifs they can be used for, and they are not suitable for anything other than symmetrical or linear finishes.

　However, Vacheron Constantin has succeeded in using guilloching to engrave unprecedented motifs. This piece is a good example of this. Although regular engraving would have been sufficient, there is a reason why they chose guilloching.

　Looking at the dial of this watch, you can see that it is engraved with a large surface that would be difficult to achieve by hand engraving. Moreover, the nuances are clearly those of guilloché. Vacheron Constantin chose guilloché not for the sake of technique, but for the sake of expression. The sheer breadth of its capabilities is astounding.