Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Les Aérostiers: Celebrating the History of Ballooning
The French called them aérostiers ? those early aviation pioneers who piloted the first hot air balloons into the sky during the late 18th century, paving the way for the advent of powered flight. This year, Vacheron Constantin pays tribute to these balloonists and their historic, gravity-defying “aerostatic experiments” with five new timepieces in its aesthetically ambitious Métiers d’Art collection, called Les Aérostiers, which showcase on their breathtakingly detailed and colorful dials a combination of artistic techniques.
The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Arts Les Aérostiers consists of five watches, each limited to only five apiece.
The dials of the Métiers d’Art Les Aérostiers watches combine hand-engraved, micro-sculpted gold depictions of five historical hot air balloons, whose flights took place between 1783 and 1785 in locations throughout France, with translucent background elements in plique à jour enamel. The balloons are created using a technique called pounced ornament engraving, in which a master engraver first traces the volumes of a two-dimensional rendering using a drypoint technique, then sculpts the materials to achieve a delicate rounded effect, carving out the curves of the balloons, their baskets, and the tiny lines of their ropes. The burins used to execute the engravings ? along with other tools such as small stones, brushes, and files ? must be repeatedly sharpened as the level of finishing becomes ever more ...
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Introducing – The Bremont Terra Nova 40.5 Date Caramel Limited Edition
31-10-2024 04:00 - (
Luxury Watch )