Vacheron Constantin has unveiled something quite special with their latest Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Celestial collection. This isn’t your typical zodiac watch series. The Geneva manufacturer has created twelve distinct timepieces that blend hand-guilloché artistry with astronomical precision, achieving a sense of both antiquity and modernity.
The collection centers on the Calibre 2160, an ultra-thin, self-winding, tourbillon movement measuring just 5.65 mm thick. For context, that’s remarkably slim for a tourbillon complication. The movement provides 80 hours of power reserve while operating at 2.5 Hz; the tourbillon carriage also indicates small seconds.
The dial work is what makes these watches genuinely compelling. Vacheron Constantin developed a figurative guilloché technique for this collection that goes beyond traditional geometric patterns. The master guillocheur creates intricate zodiac representations through thousands of hand-engraved triangular sections. Densely packed straight lines form different angles to build recognizable figures.
“The figurative guilloché technique used on these dials is an excellent illustration of how this approach encourages the continuing evolution of traditional crafts,” explains Sandrine Donguy, Vacheron Constantin’s Product & Innovation Director. “It was developed by a Vacheron Constantin master guillocheur and transcends the abstract patterns of classical guillochage, becoming a decorative art form in its own right.“
The dial construction process involves eight separate steps that require extreme precision to ensure the integrity of the previous work. First, the base, which starts as a thin 18K 5N gold disc, receives a sunburst finish. Then, the painstaking guilloché work begins, taking approximately 16 hours per zodiac sign. Opaline details are added to the four human figures (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Aquarius), followed by blue coloring and constellation mapping that reveals the gold base through fine, machined lines.
Brilliant-cut diamonds mark the principal stars within their respective constellations and are set from the back of the dial. The word “constellation” comes from the Latin “constellatio,” meaning “set with stars,” which makes this detail particularly fitting.
The 39mm white gold cases feature 96 baguette-cut blue sapphires totaling approximately 3.87 carats. These stones adorn the bezel, crown, lugs, and folding clasp, necessitating 27 hours of gem-setting work per watch. The bezel uses a channel setting technique to create an uninterrupted circle of floating sapphires that beautifully complements the blue dials.
Vacheron Constantin has explored celestial themes since its early years. Notable examples include a 1927 Art Deco table clock created with Verger Frères that features zodiac signs made of gold, onyx, rock crystal, and lapis lazuli. The 1996 Mercator collection featured polychrome enamel dials depicting Chinese zodiac signs. In 2012, they launched their “Legend of the Chinese Zodiac” series.
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The latest collection draws inspiration from the 2021 Les Cabinotiers single-piece Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart Leo Constellation Jewelry watch. That watch opened new artistic territory for the company, leading to this expanded series covering all twelve Western zodiac signs.
“Given the technical and mathematical nature of timekeeping, Vacheron Constantin is naturally aligned with astronomy. Yet, we also appreciate the poetic nature of astrology with its sense of mystery and romance,” notes Donguy. “Until the time of Galileo, astrology and astronomy were regarded as a single science — that of observing and analyzing celestial phenomena, which is the very foundation of time measurement.“
The historical connection runs deeper than mere aesthetics. Around 5,000 years ago, ancient Mesopotamian astronomers identified many constellation groupings, naming them after animals, mythological figures, and objects they recognized in star patterns. Later, Greek and Roman civilizations infused these constellations with their own mythology, creating names that are still used today.
The twelve zodiac constellations lie along the ecliptic — the apparent path of the sun across the sky from Earth’s perspective. Ancient cultures used this solar cycle to define our yearly calendar, with astrological traditions associating specific zodiac signs with seasonal periods.
Production details remain characteristically Vacheron Constantin. They are available only through boutiques and are certified by the Poinçon de Genève, which guarantees both provenance and finishing standards. The peripheral rotor provides an unobstructed view of the movement through the sapphire caseback, showcasing hand-beveled bridges with Côtes de Genève decoration, circular-grained wheels, and chamfered, polished screws.
The tourbillon bridge is hand-polished, and a heat-blued fastening screw provides visual contrast. The Maltese Cross–shaped tourbillon cage pays homage to Vacheron Constantin’s emblematic symbol, which also appears as an applied element on the dial.
These watches connect contemporary horology with humanity’s earliest attempts to understand time through celestial observation. The combination of ultra-thin movement construction, hand-guilloché artistry, and gem-setting expertise creates timepieces that honor astronomical science and astrological romance.
