Switzerland · Founded 1755
Vacheron Constantin
Its oldest document is an apprentice's contract signed in Geneva on 17 September 1755.
Geneva manufacture with an uninterrupted history since 1755, owned by Richemont since 1996. Known for ultra-thin movements, Métiers d'Art decoration and record-setting grand complications, alongside the Overseas, Patrimony, Traditionnelle and Historiques lines. Steel models start at about EUR 15,000.
History
Jean-Marc Vacheron was 24 and an independent master watchmaker in Geneva when he took on an apprentice, Esaïe Jean François Hetier, on 17 September 1755; the contract is the oldest known mention of him and is treated as the founding document. Like other cabinotiers of the Saint-Gervais quarter, he worked in a well-lit top-floor workshop. His son Abraham took over in 1785, and grandson Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron ran the business from 1810, opening export markets in France and Italy.
In 1819 Jacques-Barthélemy took François Constantin as a partner and the firm became Vacheron & Constantin. Constantin travelled widely to sell the watches, and a letter he wrote on 5 July 1819 contains the motto still used today: 'Do better if possible, and that is always possible.' In 1839 the company brought in Georges-Auguste Leschot, whose pantograph and standardised calibres mechanised the production of parts. The Maltese cross, derived from a component of the mainspring barrel, was adopted as the emblem in 1880.
The firm became a joint-stock company in 1887 and opened its first boutique in Geneva on 1 August 1906. Made-to-order grand complications became a speciality, among them a 1918 minute repeater for James Ward Packard and the 1929 pocket watch No. 402833 for King Fuad I of Egypt, which sold for CHF 3.3 million in 2005. The Ketterer family took control in 1940. In 1955 the house produced the manual-winding Calibre 1003, only 1.64 mm thick, and in 1977 the steel sports watch 222, designed by Jorg Hysek.
After Jacques Ketterer's death in 1987, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani became the majority shareholder, and in 1996 Richemont bought the entire share capital. The same year the Overseas became the sports line. In 2004 the manufacture and head office moved to Plan-les-Ouates, into a building by architect Bernard Tschumi. The Ref. 57260 pocket watch of 2015 had 57 complications; the Berkley Grand Complication of 2024, made for the same collector, raised the count to 63, including the first Chinese perpetual calendar. The company turned 270 in 2025.
Founders
- Jean-Marc Vacheron
- Founder · 1731–1805
- Genevan cabinotier who was working as an independent master watchmaker by 1755. He ran the business until 1785, when his son Abraham took over.
- François Constantin
- Partner from 1819 · 1788–1854
- Merchant who became Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron's partner in 1819 and travelled widely to sell the firm's watches. His letter of 1819 gave the company its motto.
Milestones
1755
Oldest archive document
Jean-Marc Vacheron signs an apprenticeship contract in Geneva on 17 September 1755.
1819
Vacheron & Constantin partnership
François Constantin joins Jacques-Barthélemy Vacheron; the motto appears in a letter of 5 July 1819.
1839
Georges-Auguste Leschot joins
Leschot's pantograph and standardised calibres bring mechanised parts production to the firm.
1880
Maltese cross emblem
The cross, based on a part of the mainspring barrel, becomes the company's symbol.
1906
First boutique in Geneva
The company opens its first shop in Geneva on 1 August 1906.
1955
Calibre 1003
A manual-winding movement 1.64 mm thick is presented for the 200th anniversary.
1977
Ref. 222
Jorg Hysek's steel sports watch with integrated bracelet is launched during the quartz crisis.
1996
Richemont ownership; Overseas
Richemont acquires the entire share capital, and the Overseas becomes the sports line.
2004
Plan-les-Ouates manufacture
The company moves into its new manufacture and headquarters, designed by Bernard Tschumi.
2024
Berkley Grand Complication
A pocket watch with 63 complications, including the first Chinese perpetual calendar, sets a new record.
Three things collectors know
Leschot's pantograph
Georges-Auguste Leschot's pantograph could reproduce small watch parts and dials mechanically. The Society of Arts of Geneva awarded him a gold medal for it in 1844.
Two records for one client
Reference 57260 of 2015 took three watchmakers eight years and held the record with 57 complications. The same collector, William R. Berkley, then commissioned the 63-complication Berkley Grand Complication, shown in 2024.
Inside a Fabergé egg
The surprise inside Fabergé's Third Imperial Egg of 1887 is a Vacheron Constantin lady's watch.
Signature models
- 2221977
Jorg Hysek's steel sports watch, reissued in gold in 2022 and in steel for the 270th anniversary in 2025.
- Overseas1996
Integrated-bracelet sports line that followed the 222; the 2016 generation added tool-free interchangeable straps.
- Patrimony2004
Minimalist round dress watches inspired by 1950s models, including ultra-thin and minute-repeater versions.
- Fiftysix2018
Entry line inspired by the 1956 Ref. 6073, with lugs shaped after a branch of the Maltese cross.
Questions
- Is Vacheron Constantin the oldest watch manufacture?
- It is generally described as the oldest watch manufacture in continuous operation, with an unbroken history since 1755. Blancpain claims an earlier date, 1735, but that claim is disputed.
- Who owns Vacheron Constantin?
- Richemont, the Swiss luxury group, which bought it in 1996. Its sister watch brands include Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, IWC and Cartier.
- Is Vacheron Constantin part of the Holy Trinity of watchmaking?
- Yes. Collectors group it with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet as the 'Holy Trinity' of Swiss haute horlogerie.
- Where are Vacheron Constantin watches made?
- At the manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, opened in 2004, and at a site in the Vallée de Joux. Many of its movements carry the Hallmark of Geneva.