It’s complicated

In the middle of the 18th century, Jean-Marc Vacheron decided to open his own watchmaking workshop in Geneva and thus, in 1755, Vacheron Constantin was founded. Fifteen years later, the company created its first complication watch.

Vacheron Constantin was bought by the Richemont Group in 1996.

The company provides an exclusive service to its clients of producing unique timepieces. We asked them to share one of their most exclusive one-off pieces. And they reached into their secret archives to present the Vladimir.

What do they offer

In 2006, Vacheron Constantin created the Atelier Cabinotiers that offers clients exclusive services of producing unique timepieces, entirely custom-made and created on an individual commission basis.

What can you choose

A buyer can choose everything he wants from movements to complications to jewels and other features. For example, in the 1930s Vacheron Constantin made a watch for Prince Farouk of Egypt in which there were 13 hands on the dial. Recently, it made a watch for an undisclosed buyer with a hand-wound mechanical movement and 17 complications. Named Vladimir by the buyer, this movement has some 891 components, all hand-finished and hand-decorated.

Where can you order it

All the orders are taken online.

How long does it take

These exclusive timepieces take a long time to complete. It took more than four years to complete the Vladimir. But, in the mean time, there is a dedicated website specially created that gives customers the opportunity to enter the world of the Atelier Cabinotiers and track each stage of production.

Write to us at indulge@livemint.com

Also See | It’s complicated (PDF)