270 Years of Time, Craft and Vision
From Enlightenment-era Geneva to today’s cutting-edge watchmaking, Vacheron Constantin has spent 270 years uniting technical mastery with artistry. This 25-26 October, the Swiss manufacture brings its milestone celebration to Singapore with The Quest: 270 Years of Seeking Excellence, an immersive exhibition.
270 Years in Motion
For more than two centuries, Vacheron Constantin has remained faithful to one guiding mission: to pursue watchmaking as both an art and a science, balancing technical mastery with aesthetic sensibility.

Founded in Geneva in 1755, the Swiss manufacture is the world’s oldest in continuous operation, and has remained faithful to a singular mission since: to pursue watchmaking as both an art and a science, balancing technical mastery with aesthetic sensibility.

As it marks 270 years, the maison presents The Quest, a global celebration that reflects both its remarkable heritage and enduring vision for the future.
In the Beginning
The story begins in Geneva during the Age of Enlightenment, a city alive with culture and commerce. In 1755, Jean-Marc Vacheron, a young watchmaker, signed an apprenticeship contract that marked the maison’s founding act. From that moment, knowledge-sharing became central to the company’s ethos—a value that has endured across generations.

In 1819, Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron, the founder’s grandson, entered into partnership with François Constantin. Soon after, he received a note from Constantin that contained the words which became the company’s guiding motto:
“Do better if possible, and that is always possible.”
—François Constantin, 1819
Set against the intellectual energy of Enlightenment-era Geneva, this spirit of progress defined Vacheron Constantin’s earliest decades and continues to guide it today.

Innovation as a Constant

Vacheron Constantin has always sought to expand the possibilities of watchmaking. Its archives trace a legacy of continual invention: the first recorded calendar timepiece in 1790; the pantograph in 1839, which standardised components; and the 1932 Reference 3372, the first wristwatch to display 24 time zones simultaneously, created with Swiss watchmaker Louis Cottier.

Since then, the maison has pioneered numerous firsts, from the retrograde date display (1940) to the Hebraic perpetual calendar (2015) and the Chinese perpetual calendar (2024). Advances in precision—from 19th-century marine chronometers to today’s dual-frequency calibres capable of extending power reserve to 65 days—underscore a relentless pursuit of accuracy.

Adopted in 1880, the Maltese cross has become Vacheron Constantin’s emblem of this commitment, symbolising both precision and mechanical ingenuity.
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“Since the turn of the century, Vacheron Constantin has taken each decade anniversary as an opportunity to talk about its history and the values handed down through the centuries. These milestone anniversaries celebrate a philosophy that combines mechanical research and innovation with a deep commitment to craft and a stylistic approach that is both progressive and highly respectful of classical elegance. Each of these anniversaries is marked by timepieces that perfectly illustrate the values cultivated within the Manufacture since 1755.”
 —Christian Selmoni, Style & Heritage Director

The Artistry Within


Equally distinctive is Vacheron Constantin’s commitment to beauty. For the brand, mechanics are inseparable from aesthetics. Its Métiers d’Art workshops preserve and advance traditional crafts including enamelling, engraving, gem-setting and guillochage.
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Every movement, even the unseen components, is hand-finished—evidence of a philosophy that elevates watches into objects of beauty both inside and out.

Marking the Milestones


Vacheron Constantin has long celebrated anniversaries with creations that embody its heritage. In 1955, its bicentenary was marked by Calibre 1003, then the world’s thinnest mechanical movement. For the 250th anniversary in 2005, the manufacture unveiled the Tour de l’Île, a double-sided watch with 16 complications.

The 260th anniversary in 2015 brought the Harmony collection and the Les Cabinotiers Ref. 57260, the most complicated watch ever made at the time, with 57 complications. Each of these pieces illustrates how the maison honours its past while pushing into new territory.

The 270th Anniversary:
A Quest Retold

In 2025, Vacheron Constantin marks its 270th anniversary with a series of exceptional timepieces, from the reimagined Historiques 222 to a suite of anniversary creations that spotlight the maison’s dual mastery of innovation and artistry.

Yet beyond these novelties, the celebrations take shape under a single, evocative theme: The Quest. More than a commemoration, it is a meditation on a philosophy that has endured for centuries and remains strikingly relevant today.

The Quest arrives in Singapore
Vacheron Constantin presents The Quest: 270 Years of Seeking Excellence, a new public exhibition in Singapore retracing its tireless quest for watchmaking excellence.

Designed to travel the world throughout 2025, this travelling pop-up which is open to the public, will be held at Groundseesaw Singapore from 25 to 26 October 2025 after stops in Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The exhibition explores the quintessence of time measurement, paying tribute to a heritage fuelled by passion and marked by innovations, world firsts and records. It reveals the heart of a brand whose timepieces embody a perpetual quest for balance between technical ingenuity, mechanical prowess, artistic vision and refined finishing.

The Singapore exhibition unfolds across four chapters: The Beginning, Artistic Crafts and Finishing, High Watchmaking and Grand Complications, and The Quest. Visitors will see historic timepieces, métiers d’art demonstrations, and contemporary marvels including a curated selection of anniversary creations launched this year.
Alongside archival treasures, The Quest also presents this year’s anniversary creations: the Traditionnelle and Patrimony models; the Traditionnelle Openface Three Anniversary Limited Editions and the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar.
REGISTER
Admission is complimentary, with priority given to those who register online here.