270 Years of Vacheron Constantin: The Louvre gives it a pedestal

Seven years of development. That is how long it took the teams at Vacheron Constantin to craft the masterpiece that today seals the brand's quest for time and honours its 270 years of history. A wealth of knowledge, acquired over the course of one of the world's longest-standing watchmaking histories and a quest for perfection, which Vacheron Constantin wished to encapsulate not in a wristwatch or pocket watch, but in an astronomical clock named La Quête du Temps (The Quest for Time).

From the outset, the ambition to position this achievement in an indisputable context of expertise was clear: Laurent Perves, the brand's new CEO, and his teams presented the unique work at the heart of the Louvre, in one of the rooms of the Richelieu wing. This was highly symbolic for the brand, which invited the international press to Paris to discover the clock and celebrate its 270th anniversary at its manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland. A rare, museal piece, created to remain in the heritage of Vacheron Constantin and not intended for sale. This non-commercial purpose will certainly have contributed to its crossing the threshold of the world's largest museum when it was unveiled on 16 September. It will be on public display for two months, thanks to the ‘Mécaniques d'Art’ exhibition, from 17 September to 12 November 2025, before returning to the manufacture.

That same evening, under the glass roof of the Louvre's Cour Marly, Laurent Perves, alongside Francis Steinbock, managing director of the Louvre, paid tribute to the artistic and cultural partnership that has linked the brand and the museum since 2019. Then, referring to the clock, he declared: ‘The result of seven years of work, this unique collaborative project has given life to a marvellous object, a mechanical work of art that brings together humanity and the universe in an unprecedented cultural and artistic statement. It has also inspired, as is always the case at Vacheron Constantin, a unique Métiers d'Art wristwatch.’

Indeed, La Quête du Temps brought together experts from various disciplines: Alexia Steunou, senior designer at Les Cabinotiers at Vacheron Constantin, for the design of the piece; François Junod, recognised as the world's greatest automaton maker, for the mastery of the automaton; and the collaborators at L'Épée 1839 for the creation of the clock's mechanism and its casing.

But it was at the Manufacture, a signature building in the shape of a half Maltese cross designed by renowned architect Bernard Tschumi in 2004, that the brand celebrated its grand gala evening, attended by the international press and a few clients. The celebrations focused on the many different crafts and skills embodied by the brand's employees and artisans. Musicians and dancers highlighted the work of a watchmaker and a micromechanic. In the dim light of night, in workshops lit only by a few points of light, guests were able to appreciate some of the expertise that went into creating the astronomical clock La Quête du Temps, featuring 23 watchmaking complications.

The piece, composed of three parts, is extremely complex. Monumental in both size and appearance, La Quête du Temps stands over a metre tall and is structured in three sections: the dome, the astronomical clock and the base. Beneath the transparent half-sphere decorated with a celestial vault and five constellations, the automaton astronomer indicates the time in 144 different positions, moving his arms, head and torso. Below, the movement of the astronomical clock and the base, home to the mechanism that activates the automaton and generates the music that accompanies its animation, thanks to 158 cams. Fifteen patent applications, including seven watchmakers, accompany the creation.

For Vacheron Constantin, "La Quête du Temps is part of the tradition of “marvels” and “follies”, creations that, beyond their utilitarian function, were designed to captivate, intrigue and inspire wonder. " It is a priceless work, as it is not commercially available. This is a rather rare idea in a sector accustomed to placing the highest value on each of its creations.