Those two things come together on the two new Égérie watches released by the maison at this year’s Watches and Wonders, thanks to a collaboration with a leading light of the fashion world – one that has resulted in some startlingly avant-garde touches.
Both The Pleats of Time concept watch and the Égérie Moon Phase are the fruits of a collaboration between Vacheron Constantin and fashion superstar Yiqing Yin. One of the world’s most respected designers, she has been showing at Paris Fashion Week since 2011, and has worked with the likes of Leonard, Guerlain, Hermès and Swarovski. She has also long brought her talents to bear on other artistic fields, designing costumes for several film and dance productions, and collaborating on numerous artworks and exhibitions.
Here, Yin extends her creative reach further by bringing her vision to a pair of head-turning timepieces. In particular, The Pleats of Time takes haute horology into entirely new territory, drawing its influences not just from haute couture but also from haute parfumerie.
The piece takes its name from its mesmerising dial, decorated with mother-of-pearl pleats interwoven with layers of silk threads, reminiscent of the pleating and draping effects Yin often uses in her couture creations. A circle of these pleats fills the centre, surrounded by a circle of gold pearls, then the pleated pattern extends out to the dial’s edge. Entirely free of indications so that its slender hours, minutes and seconds hands come with added impact, the face is shaded in a soft lilac hue, as is its moon phase complication.
The asymmetrical geometry that characterises the collection sees the moon phase appearing at 2 o’clock alongside the crown, which is set with a moonstone, while opposite, at 8 o’clock, is the maison’s name. Diamonds encircle both the bezel and the moon phase: 58 of them on the former and 34 on the latter, while the piece is housed in a 37mm diamond-set pink gold case.
Things get even more interesting with The Pleats of Time’s calfskin leather strap. An artwork in itself, it uses embroidery and mother-of-pearl shards to create an abstract pattern designed by Yin to evoke a wild watercourse. But it is also the vessel for a fragrance, contained within nanocapsules in the lining, loop and embroidery.
The fragrance is the work of master perfumer Dominique Ropion, one of the most renowned noses in the business, who has developed some of the world’s most beloved fragrances for the likes of Lancôme, Givenchy, Issey Miyake and Yves Saint Laurent. The scent was crafted to complement the watch, displaying pastel, wintry, powdery and iridescent notes, and featuring ingredients including galbanum, lavender, orange blossom, honeysuckle, ylang-ylang, myrrh and oud. It’s designed to be released gradually by the strap, with the movements of the wrist.
The Égérie Moon Phase is infused with the same pioneering DNA. Again, the moon phase appears at 2 o’clock, with the house’s name at 8 o’clock, and again the piece comes with a 37mm pink gold case and rings of diamonds around the bezel and moon phase.
Here, though, the pleats on the mother-of-pearl dial are broken by a smooth ring that backs the numerals. The Égérie Moon Phase comes with three interchangeable straps in colours developed by the designer: lilac alligator leather, night blue satin-effect calfskin and powder-pink grained calfskin leather.
Both it and The Pleats of Time are powered by the in-house Calibre 1088 L, visible through the caseback in the Égérie Moon Phase – which is also engraved with Yin’s name and the individual piece’s number from among the limited edition of just 100.