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A new age of elegance: Vacheron Constantin Égérie
By Sarah Jayne Potter | 4 minute read
Vacheron Constantin has launched a line of watches dedicated entirely to women. The meeting point of haute horlogerie and haute couture, the new Égérie collection is a beautiful blend of the classic and the contemporary, and features a pioneering ‘tapestry’ technique.
- Vacheron Constantin’s new Égérie collection is aimed exclusively at women.
- Available in either stainless steel or 18-carat 5N pink gold, each watch has a diamond-set bezel.
- The collection uses a historical technique, inspired by tapestry, that makes the dial look like pleated silk.
- The Égérie models include variations with a moon-phase or date indicator.
Woman’s hour: the Égérie ladies’ collection
The Égérie Quartz is presented in an 18-carat 5N pink-gold 30mm case and comes with three alligator-leather straps in candied chestnut, raspberry pink and midnight blue. These can be interchanged without the use of any tools – an ingenious way to lend your day the perfect tone. Its silvered opaline dial is surrounded by a halo of round-cut diamonds, and still more encircle its date display. The Égérie watches are practical as well as beautiful, being water-resistant to 30m, making them as suitable for everyday as for after-dark wear.
The gorgeously feminine aesthetic of the collection – as demonstrated by the 5N pink-gold Égérie model above – is complemented by the three beautiful alligator-leather straps
The 35mm stainless-steel Égérie Self-Winding features a date complication. Its bezel is set with the signature ring of round-cut diamonds, equating to around 0.88 carats. This watch, like the two we describe below, benefits from a stop-seconds device. It’s powered by the automatic in-house calibre 1088, with an approximate 40-hour power reserve. It has a matching polished-steel bracelet that’s light but secure, delivering both comfort and reliability.
The Égérie Self-Winding has a date display encircled with 34 round-cut diamonds and features the collection’s revolutionary pleated dial design at its centre and periphery
The 37mm Égérie Moon Phase in stainless steel has a delightful complication that reveals a moon appearing from behind clouds. These clouds glisten with a mother-of-pearl sheen and are set in a blue star-strewn sky that’s complemented by the hue of the seconds hand. The collection’s moonphase models are powered by the in-house calibre 1088 L, which, like the 1088, has an approximate 40-hour power reserve. A transparent sapphire case back allows the wearer to admire the hand-tooled Côtes de Genève motif and open-worked 22-carat-gold oscillating weight, the shape of which was inspired by the Maltese cross that is Vacheron Constantin’s instantly recognisable emblem.
The Égérie Moon Phase in stainless steel features the draped design that’s typical of the collection, as exemplified by its italicised hour markers and off-centre sub-dial
The escapement can be viewed through the case back of the 37mm Égérie Moon Phase in 18-carat 5N pink gold too. Its dial is fringed with the signature ring of diamonds and features a similarly spectacular diamond-encircled moon-phase indicator. The collection’s customary cabochon-cut moonstone is set into the crown. This watch comes with the same trio of interchangeable straps as the quartz model, lending it the versatility to be worn with any ensemble in your wardrobe.
The 18-carat pink-gold watches come with three interchangeable alligator-leather straps in raspberry pink, midnight blue and candied chestnut
A new angle: Égérie’s pleats and drapes
The new Égérie collection, named after the French word for ‘muse’, is a contemporary interpretation of Vacheron Constantin’s classic aesthetic. Some of its features have been brand signatures since the early 19th century, and its two overlapping circles and calligraphic-style hour markers are recognisable from the line’s first iteration, in 2003.
The brand describes its Égérie timepieces as ‘haute couture meets haute horlogerie’, and nowhere is this more apparent than in their exquisite ‘pleated’ dials. They feature a design at their centre and periphery that’s reminiscent of the folded silk of high-end gowns. This textured element, developed after months of testing in Vacheron Constantin’s métiers d’art department, was made possible by the use of a unique machine constructed in 1904 – the only one capable of reproducing such a complex design.
Another shared element of the collection is the off-centre crown, set with a moonstone. It’s positioned in line with a smaller circle – also offset – on the dial. This ring, which houses either a date or a moon-phase indicator, is situated between 1 and 2 o’clock, in the middle of the diagonal that runs between the crown and the brand’s logo. Together with the italicised Arabic numerals, these upward-tilted elements give the watch an appearance of draping. The whole collection has an attractively feminine feel that we really like, as exemplified by the delicacy of the fine, leaf-style hour and minute hands.
The Égérie collection’s bezel is inlaid with 58 shimmering round-cut diamonds, totalling around 1.00 carats, and its crown is set with a cabochon-cut moonstone
Easy does it: the Égérie’s strap and bracelet
One of the most notable elements of this collection is the simplicity of altering the strap of the gold watches. No tools are required: the wearer can switch between the semi-matt raspberry pink, midnight blue and candied-chestnut choices supplied with each model with a simple click of the button hidden on the underside. Each leather strap is fastened with an 18-carat 5N pink-gold ardillon buckle, while the polished stainless-steel bracelets benefit from a triple-blade folding clasp for both functionality and beauty as well as ultimate comfort on the wrist.
