Famous Vacheron Constantin Silver Watches, Discount Replica Vacheron Constantin Silver

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Horse (86073/000R-9831)

I love big, bold watch faces. This watch isn''t small but I wouldn''t call it a wall clock either. For me, it was just right. I just wish the band was a little bit longer.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Reem B, From Nederlands Geleen

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine Yellow ( 81180/000J-9118)

Looks even better in person. Nice size - not too big or too small. Worth every dollar.

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Scott McAninley, From Fdg Ffdgdf

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Chronograph Silver Dial Black Leather Men's Watch 47192000G-9504

This was much nicer than I expected it to be. It has a nice, simple look, which is what I wanted. I had to take a most of the links out since the band is rather large, but it's well worth the price!

---- [Rating: 5 / 5 stars]

Review by Walter Williams, From India Gurgaon

The most complicated watch in the world, presented recently by Vacheron Constantin, came in the form of a huge pocket watch. With 57 high-end complications crammed into its 98mm case, for a weight of nearly a kilo, it remains the most extreme (and most unattainable, since only one piece has been made) variation on the theme. But three other brands have also recently launched new pocket watches, at both ends of the price spectrum.

At the more affordable end, Baume & Mercier and Frederique Constant propose classically themed models. The Frederique Constant Manufacture Pocket watch comes with a 45mm case in stainless steel or gold-plated steel and has a design that harks back to the most traditional of pocket watches, with a guilloche pattern on the dial and a circle of Roman numerals. With its double bow and pocket chain it certainly wouldn't look out of place in an episode of the hit drama Downton Abbey. Inside the watch, however, beats a brand-new manually-wound version of Frederique Constant's FC-700 in-house designed and produced movement, with a fine circular graining and Côtes de Geneve decoration and 42 hours of power reserve.

Baume & Mercier offers a limited-edition pocket watch in celebration of the brand's 185th anniversary this year. The new watch, launched last week at Watches & Wonders in Hong Kong, comes in a 50mm diameter 18-carat red gold round case that has a distinctive bow at 12 o'clock. Insead of a pocket chain it has an unusual black lambskin strap. With alternating Arabic numerals and slender hour markers, and without a central seconds hand, it offers a slightly more modern design than the Frederique Constant model. The slider protruding from the case between 4 and 5 o'clock also indicates that it has a special movement hidden inside: the Dubois-Depraz D73 manually wound calibre, which has the particularity of incorporating a five-minute repeater function.

Quatuor + Spider = Pocket Time Instrument
At the other end of the scale, Roger Dubuis has incorporated its mesmerizing RD101 calibre, which features four balance wheels oscillating independently, into a pocket watch whose design features all the typical Roger Dubuis hallmarks. These include the grooved bezel (quite unusual for a pocket watch) and a level of skeletonisation pushed to its logical conclusion with a skeletonized bow at 12 o'clock, not forgetting the most prestigious hallmark of all, the Poinçon de Geneve, whose exacting standards all Roger Dubuis timepieces meet. Despite being the biggest of this trio of new watches, with a 60mm case diameter, it is also probably the lightest, thanks to its skeletonized movement and lightweight titanium case. But it is also the most expensive, by far. One of these avant-garde pocket watches will set you back a cool 415,000 Swiss francs.

Juan-Carlos Torres was born in Barcelona in 1956, and moved to Switzerland with his family when he was four years old. After graduating from business school he joined Camy Watch in the accounts department, and continued with his studies, earning an accounting qualification.
In 1981 he went to work for Vacheron Constantin, still in accounting, and this set him on the path to the pinnacle of watchmaking. In 1988 Juan-Carlos Torres was appointed Finance Director and proxy holder, with responsibility for the company's internal organisation. In 1989 he was encouraged to take on more responsibility; as well as finance, he was put in charge of IT, human resources, after-sales service and general administration.
In 2000 Juan-Carlos Torres was appointed Deputy Director General in charge of operations, with the task of managing the company's entire manufacturing and watchmaking operations. In 2004 he also took over distribution, marketing and communication.
Juan-Carlos Torres' unparalleled knowledge of the company was rewarded in 2005, when the Richemont Group appointed him Director General of Vacheron Constantin.

Through its new creations, Vacheron Constantin weaves subtle ties between two worlds that evolved in similar ways in the late 19th century: architecture and watchmaking. Based on Calibre 4400, this sculptural work with its airy, transparent and finely arched construction exalting the art of openworking vividly evokes the large European railway stations symbolising the golden age of the industrial revolution. The engraver's technique is reinvented to resemble that of the sculptor; Grand Feu enamelling completes the piece.

As the railway network developed in the 19th century, the major European stations of the time become the symbol of a world of accelerating exchanges and cultural interchange. It was indeed time to offer travellers a common point of reference, and large central clocks began setting the pace for railway station activity, featuring large and easily readable Roman numerals. The architecture of these buildings literally standing for progress also underwent major changes dictated by both aesthetic and technical considerations. The massive, solidly built initial premises made way for more airy constructions featuring Gothic inspired arches and streamlined ribbed vaults.

Also symbolising time in motion, horology underwent a similar evolution. The imposing pocket-watch calibres were gradually slimmed down by dint of long and patient work on reducing the size of components in terms of both diameter and thickness. The aspiration towards a more airy style gave rise to the first 19th century openworked watches reflecting an approach similar to that governing the architecture of the period: a will to reconcile aesthetic and technical concerns.

An historical quest
While the first entirely openworked Vacheron Constantin calibre appeared in 1924, the Manufacture was a pioneer in this field of stylistic research, since the first watch produced by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755 already featured an openworked and engraved balance-cock. Over the following years, the Manufacture relentlessly pursued this quest for mechanical transparency, as it produced movements comprising ever more finely fashioned components. After pocket-watches, it began producing openworked movements for wristwatches as of the 1960s, constantly pushing the boundaries of its art by openworking such complicated calibres as minute repeaters, perpetual calendar and tourbillons - including in ultra-thin variations.

New milestones in the art of engraving
Openworking a movement is a demanding art, since it involves hollowing out the mechanical parts as much as possible, while being careful not to impair the smooth running of the watch. The watchmakers and artisans of the Manufacture compounded the feat of removing almost half the material compared with the solid Calibre 4400 by addressing another challenge: that of transforming the new movement into an authentic three-dimensional architectural work expressing striking light and shadow effects. To achieve this, the engraving artisans have carefully chased the parts around their entire circumference so as to create a true sculpture with its own volume and depth. Inspired by the ribbed vaults of late 19th century railway stations, they have meticulously applied their burins to creating delicate arches on the calibre in an architecture built around curves. These rounded shapes are a complete change from the straight lines of classic openworked movements, and imply an even more complex process of chamfering and hand-drawing. Amid an interlacing pattern of interior angles that only the human hand is capable of creating, the polished zones catch the light, while the matt finish of the hand-drawn surfaces further heighten the contrast with the radiance of the polished areas. The subtle alchemist's blend of these hand-crafted finishes is further exalted by the relief effect of the engraved vaults in a process involving over three days of work for a single calibre and endowing it with unique character.

Grand Feu enamelling
The in-house enamelling artisans have created a ring topping the calibre by dint of meticulous work, since the circular shape of the ring to be enamelled implies substantial risks of distortion. This perilous exercise was compounded by a further difficulty: that of achieving one of the shades most difficult to create with Grand Feu enamel: a deep and opaque black. This was a daunting challenge, since the darker the colour, the more the light reflects even the slightest imperfections. To render the full beauty of this black hue, the master enamellist had to create a perfectly smooth and uniform surface so as to avoid the appearance of any undesirable bubbles during the successive firings of the enamel.
The Grand Feu enamelled black ring is accentuated by Roman numerals evoking those of the central clocks in the large railway stations of late 19th century Europe.

Hallmark of Geneva
Beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, Calibre 4400SQ displays remarkable precision and offers 65-hour power reserve.

The entire model is certified by the Hallmark of Geneva.

Juan-Carlos Torres was born on 3 July 1956 in Barcelona, Spain, into the family of a Cuban mother and a Catalonian father, a cabinetmaker, who transmitted to him from a very early age, the taste for beautiful objects and fundamental values such as respect for the work of the artisan, authenticity, loyalty and tolerance.
In 1960, his parents moved to Geneva, Switzerland. Even with a new country and a new language, Juan-Carlos Torres was successful at school, and soon became aware of his natural affinity for numbers. This 6th sense "as he likes to call it" has never left him. After commercial school, and at just 19 years of age, he entered the professional world - joining Camy Watch as an accountant and discovering for himself the world of horology, traditional watchmakers, and production. At the same time he followed accounting courses leading to the Diploma in Certified Accounting.
 
1981 marked the entrance of Juan-Carlos Torres into Vacheron Constantin. It was the beginning of a formidable story, an adventure in which meant that, from that moment, Juan-Carlos Torres was to be closely associated with all the most important developments of the company.
His previous director at Camy Watch had joined Vacheron Constantin and had called for accounting assistance from Juan-Carlos Torres. Very soon, he was working very closely with Jacques Ketterer, at that time proprietor and Administrator Delegate of Vacheron Constantin. Year on year, he progressed gaining more and more important responsibilities, until he achieved the position of Director of Finance in 1988.
Juan-Carlos Torres was directly involved in the management of the sale of Vacheron Constantin to Sheik Yamani. He notably managed the painful rehousing of the watchmakers to Acacias. Here he began to "protect his men", a value which he is still today very attached and which he considers "essential" for the serenity and durability of an "artisanal" company.
On 1 November 1988, Claude-Daniel Proellochs was made Director General. Juan-Carlos Torres, who was well versed in the business and understood the men of the company well, was confirmed as Director of Finance and Authorized Representative with responsibility for the organization and the smooth internal running of the company. The challenge was important. It was necessary, as he says, "to launch the work of reconstructing Vacheron Constantin". 
From 1989, his responsibilities extended beyond finance to informatics, human resources, after sales service and general administration. The health of the company flourished. It quickly doubled in both size and production.
In 1996, Juan-Carlos Torres piloted the integration of Vacheron Constantin into the heart of the Richemont Group, new proprietor of the brand that had brought with them a formidable platform of support and development. Two years later, he was once again closely involved in the successful acquisition and development of HDG (The Sentier/Vallee of Joux) incorporating it into the structure of Vacheron Constantin.
In 2000, manufacturing and watchmaking were amalgamated and he was made Chief Operating Officer. Development and production: these new responsibilities led him to be placed directly in charge of products, an aspect he holds close to his heart. He found there, once again, the world of taste for beautiful objects learned from his father, reliable, elegant and harmonious objects.
These functions naturally harmonized, driving him to take control of the redeployment of Vacheron Constantin, the key being the successful management of the construction of the new manufactory at Plan-les-Ouates, inaugurated in 2004, and the complete renovation of the historic seat of Vacheron Constantin at L'Ile in Geneva.
This same year, he was made responsible for the distribution, marketing and communication of the brand, which became fields of supplementary activities with which he familiarized himself exceptionally quickly.
In 2005, Vacheron Constantin celebrated its 250th anniversary. After 25 years of faultless loyalty and an exemplary career, which has significantly contributed to the position of the brand at the pinnacle of the pyramid of horology and to the development of its international position, Juan-Carlos Torres has been named Chief Executive Officer of the company by the Richemont Group. The brand is now present in around 80 countries and employs more than 550 people around the world.