Vacheron Constantin and the Qing Imperial Family

　　Vacheron ConstantinAn annual production of 19000 watches, with enamel timepieces commissioned twice by the Qing imperial court, while the Hallmark of Geneva stands as the pinnacle of haute horlogerie.

　　Vacheron Constantinwatch

　　In 1755, young watchmaker Jean-Marc Vacheron founded his first watchmaking workshop in the centre of Geneva, Switzerland, continuously refining the craft of watchmaking. In 1819, experienced merchant Francois Constantin partnered with the descendants of Jean-Marc Vacheron to establish Vacheron Constantin.

　　Producing 19000 watches annually, Vacheron Constantin is affectionately said to be luxurious to its very core, while the Maltese Cross, polished by 257 years of history, continues to shine. The world's most exquisite phrasing falls short of capturing the passage of time, yet Vacheron Constantin etches it into an aristocratic work of art.

　　200 years ago, craftsmen in the attics of Geneva crafted enamel pocket watches that journeyed across oceans to the Chinese Emperor. 200 years later, wealthy individuals in China viewed owning one as a symbol of taste.

　　The Qing imperial court commissioned twiceVacheron ConstantinEnamel watch

　　In 1755, when Jean-Marc Vacheron founded the Vacheron Constantin brand in Geneva, Switzerland, the distant Eastern nation of China was experiencing the Qing Dynasty. The reigning Emperor at the time was Qianlong who, much like his grandfather Emperor Kangxi, was an avid watch enthusiast, collecting numerous clocks and watches imported from the West. Because China still used the traditional timekeeping system of twelve double-hours, Western timepieces were unsuited for calculating the Chinese calendar. Consequently, members of the imperial nobility viewed clocks and watches merely as ingenious novelties, carrying pocket watches with them simply as playthings.

　　In 1845,Vacheron Constantina commercial collaboration with the Chinese market was recorded in history for the first time when Vacheron Constantin shipped a batch of sample watches to China, though China had no watch market at that time. Upon receiving this news,Vacheron Constantindid not delay plans to develop the massive Chinese market, but instead maintained trade relations with China, exporting a selection of fine timepieces into the country.

　　In 1846, during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor, despite the Opium War breaking out on Chinese soil, the lavish Qing imperial court still ordered enamel pocket watches from Vacheron Constantin. One of these was a yellow gold timepiece set with natural pearls, featuring exquisite enamel painting depicting two white doves amidst a variety of colourful flowers, leaving a lasting impression. In 1862, the eighth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Tongzhi, ascended the throne, and 3 years later, the Qing imperial court placed yet another order with Vacheron Constantin for a blue enamel pocket watch set with diamonds, by which time the Vacheron Constantin company had been developing for 110 years.

　　Staff at the Vacheron Constantin China representative office told Financial News reporters that early archival records of the Vacheron Constantin workshop preserve many product orders from China. Aside from chiming watches, perpetual calendars, and enamel watches, the ordered items also included jewellery watches with bezels set with pearls and rubies, erotic watches, and various shaped novelty watches modelled after insects and fruit.