What is the Vacheron Constantin Concours d’Élégance Horlogère?
The Vacheron Constantin (VC) Concours d’Élégance Horlogère is an initiative of Phillips in Association with Bacs and Russo (Phillips). It is a watchmaking competition open to VC owners of pocket watches and wristwatches crafted from 1755 (the year VC was founded) until 1999. “The Concours will celebrate haute horlogerie across historical and contemporary timepieces.”
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In their own words.
“As a lifelong enthusiast of Concours d’Élégance concept, it has long been my dream to bring this concept to fine watchmaking. I am delighted that Vacheron Constantin has accepted our invitation to support the world’s very first Concours d’Élégance dedicated to timepieces and I look forward to the inspiring discoveries and scholarly conversations that will emerge from the timepieces entered in this competition.” – Aurel Bachs, Senior Consultant at Phillips in Association with Bacs and Russo.
“Following our 270th anniversary celebrations, this competition allows us to further honour those who preserve and promote the Maison’s expertise and history. It also creates new opportunities for exchange, particularly with members of exclusive communities such as The Hour Club.” – Christian Selmoni, Heritage & Style Director at Vacheron Constantin.
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What are the watchmaking categories eligible for participation?
VC pocket watches and wristwatches across the following seven categories are eligible: Chiming mechanism, Chronographs, Astronomical complications, Multiple complications, Chronomètre Royal, Métiers d’art, and Design. “Quartz watches, clocks and pieces that have undergone major modifications, as listed in the regulations, are excluded.”
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What are the evaluation criteria?
The eligible pocket watches and wristwatches will be evaluated according to nine criteria: Authenticity, Elegance, Rarity, Impact – either on VC’s history or on horology in general, Provenance, Technicality, Métiers d’art, State of preservation, and Emotion.
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Who are the judges?
The Concours includes an international jury comprising of “watchmaking experts and watchmakers, designers, historians, journalists and authors, collectors, advisors, and key players in the watch industry to ensure a cross-disciplinary approach combining technical mastery, heritage value and market understanding.”
The jury includes:
Aurel Bachs, Senior Consultant at Phillips in Association with Bacs and Russo. (Co-chair.) Christian Selmoni, Heritage & Style Director at Vacheron Constantin. (Co-chair.) Yasmine Alshathry, Founder of CLÉ. Felix Baumgartner, Co-founder and CEO of URWERK S.A. Matteo Bega, Founder of Perpetual Passion. Benjamin Clymer, Founder of Hodinkee. Dr. Helmut Crott, Vintage watch expert, collector, entrepreneur, and author. Nicholas Foulkes, Author, historian, and journalist. Alexandre Ghotbi, Deputy Chairman, Head of Department for Europe and the Middle East – Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, Geneva, Switzerland. Wei Koh, Journalist, watch afficionado, host and executive producer of Man of the Hour, and founder of Revolution. Morgan Maillard, Vacheron Constantin Style & Heritage Expert. Auro Montanari (aka John Goldberger), Collector, author, and publisher of books on vintage watches. Roberta Naas, Author and award-winning journalist. Jia Xian Su, Founder of SJX Watches.
What do we think?
Founded in 1755, VC is the oldest continuous watchmaker in existence. It celebrated its 270th anniversary last year. Together with Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, it is part of the prestigious Holy Trinity. Its breadth and scope of horological and artistic abilities – both past and present – is second to none. Yet VC has always been quite “under the radar” and remains an IYKYN (if you know you know) kind of brand. The launch of their third-generation Overseas collection in 2015 helped “put them on the horological map” to some extent. In an industry (presently) dominated by hype and social media (both play a key role) – VC still does not get the recognition it deserves; both in collectors’ eyes and the secondary market. We hope the Concours d’Élégance Horlogère will help ignite a broader interest in them.
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Additional Details
Registrations began on 19th January and remains open until 30th April. Please visit VC’s website and any of their worldwide boutiques to register. Awards (trophies) will be presented in Geneva on November 10th – right after the Phillips in Association with Bacs and Russo autumn auctions.
