The origins date back to the 17th century. The Huguenots, who formed the core of French industry at the time, were forced to flee their country and take refuge in the Swiss mountains, which is said to be the beginning of the Swiss watch industry. The Huguenots also settled in Geneva, which borders France, and flourished under the rule of Jean Calvin, who encouraged watch ownership. From then on, Geneva, unlike the mountainous regions where production was centered, became renowned as a showroom for the Swiss luxury watch industry.

Geneva's oldest maison, where tradition and cutting-edge technology thrive.

Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest existing fashion house in Geneva, boasting a history of over two and a half centuries. While it still maintains its flagship store in Geneva, it has moved most of its headquarters and production facilities to the nearby industrial area of Plan-les-Ouates.

In Geneva's leading industrial area, where many fashion houses are clustered, this report covers not only the imposing headquarters workshop, but also the workshop in the Vallée de Joux that supports its foundation.


Vacheron Constantin is known as one of Geneva's leading movement manufacturers. In 2004, a modern headquarters and workshop designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi was completed in Plan-les-Ouates, an industrial area on the outskirts of Geneva, bringing together workshops that had been scattered throughout Geneva. In 2015, a second building, also designed by Tschumi, was completed, making Vacheron Constantin an even more imposing presence in Plan-les-Ouates, an area crowded with the headquarters of various manufacturers. Meanwhile, VCVJ (originally HDG, located in Le Sentier in the Vallée de Joux), which had been responsible for manufacturing Vacheron Constantin's movements since 1998, also moved to a new building in Le Brassus in October 2013. The "re-manufacture" based on product families has now been completed.

The Geneva style of luxury watchmaking can be traced back to "La Facrime," which began in the 17th century. However, in Geneva's strict class society, the production of movement components (ébauches) was considered "inferior," and declined within the city. Instead, movement manufacturers developed independently in mountainous areas such as the Vallée de Joux, taking over the role. This region would later be known as the "cradle of complicated watches," and by the end of the 19th century, when Geneva's watchmaking industry was at its peak, the style of "assembling movements in Geneva using movements from the Vallée de Joux" had been established. The current division of labor between Vacheron Constantin's headquarters workshop and VCVJ is also based on this traditional theory.


The headquarters workshop, spanning two buildings, boasts a vast area, with almost the entire space, excluding the entrance, dedicated to the manufacture. Each manufacturing department, arranged around a central courtyard, features high ceilings and excellent natural light. The first thing that overwhelms visitors to Vacheron Constantin's headquarters workshop is the large-scale Atelier Montage (assembly department). Here, everything from the mainspring barrel to the escape wheel is assembled, and the tension adjustment and the rotation of the mainspring barrel are meticulously checked. While the main production consists of the hand-wound Caliber 1400/4400 and the automatic Caliber 2400 series (hereinafter referred to collectively as the Basic Calibers), the torque check of the mainspring barrel is also performed here for the slim Caliber 1003 and 1120. Once the gear train up to the escape wheel is assembled, the movement is sent to the adjacent Atelier Regularge (adjustment department). Here, the escapement lever and regulating mechanism are installed, and the rate is adjusted in five positions. The balance wheels of the basic calibers are assembled at VCVJ and delivered after undergoing static checks, but only the caliber 1003 is assembled here from the hairspring assembly stage. The hairspring is cut to match the weight of each individual balance wheel before being assembled. After the hairspring is placed, the weight distribution is adjusted again, but it is said that sometimes the weight distribution is intentionally left to compensate for positional errors. It should be noted that, although little known, the caliber 1003 and 1120 extra-flat series, as well as the grand complication movements, are all routinely assembled twice, with readjustments made after the initial assembly.



To backtrack slightly, the preceding stages include processes such as ébauche manufacturing, finishing, and pre-assembly at VCVJ. VCVJ is broadly divided into the ébauche department (primarily CNC machining) and the termination department (finishing department), with separate lines operating for base plates, support plates, and steel parts.

Sandblasting and agitation using ceramic pellets are not performed. This is because the company is a manufacture specializing in movement production, and 3-axis machining is advantageous in terms of machining precision for flat surface processing. After machining both sides is complete, a stepped cut is added to the outer circumference while the attachment that fixes it to the jig is dropped. After the side machining and threading are completed, perlage is applied in the finishing department. Deburring has already been done carefully, but cutter marks from the cutting remain, so the main purpose of perlage is to smooth these out.

The process for the "receiving line" is almost the same as for the base plate, but because most of them have complex "in-angle" shapes, the outer edge is cut using electrical discharge machining. What is particularly noteworthy in the manufacturing of the receiving line ébauches is the engraving. The company does not use laser etching because they believe that "the impact is visible and not aesthetically pleasing," and instead mills everything using a tiny end mill. The weight of the tool stand, made of marble, is about 4 tons. The spindle part, which rotates at a high speed of about 100,000 rpm (almost the same speed as a dental turbine), is made of dry carbon. Depending on the process design, this work can be completed in a few tens of seconds per piece, but Vacheron Constantin spends several tens of minutes on it. This strict setting of processing conditions, prioritizing the finish above all else, is surely one of the reasons why it is a luxury watch.

Once the ébauche is finished, the sides are first given a satinage finish using a file, and then anglage is applied using a wood plate (made of compressed chips, slightly harder than boxwood). The engraved areas are gold-plated, then masked, and after applying Côtes de Genève, the entire piece is finished with rhodium coating. Speaking of processing conditions, the company is also meticulous in measuring the finish of the ébauche. For example, while the position and diameter of pilot holes are generally measured optically, the company has jointly developed a measuring instrument that combines this with a contact sensor to simultaneously measure the depth of the pilot holes. The measurement accuracy of the contact sensor is about 100 times that of the required processing accuracy.

The heat treatment of steel parts begins with using a gas heater. Iron hardened at approximately 800°C reaches a hardness of about 900 Hv. At this point, it is brittle like glass, so it is tempered at approximately 300°C for about 3 hours to restore its appropriate elasticity. Depending on the design, the final hardness is adjusted to approximately 500-650 Hv.
Furthermore, Vacheron Constantin does not use any pressing processes, and therefore does not perform the so-called "annealing" process to release residual stress. The cut steel parts are given a three-stage dressage (linear satin finish) on the front and a breuillage (figure-eight satin finish) on the back. All of these processes are also done by hand.

Let's return to Plan-les-Ouates' headquarters workshop. The highlight here is undoubtedly the assembly of complicated watches. There are three workshops dedicated to complicated watches, each corresponding to a different level of complexity. For movements of this class and above, there is no division of labor; one watchmaker is exclusively assigned to each movement. The parts used are also pre-packaged as blank parts for one movement.

First, there's the Atelier Complication. This is where complex modules are assembled and attached to the base movement. They are also responsible for casing Métiers d'Art watches.
The Atelier Tourbillon, which began full operation in 2014, is a department dedicated to the assembly and adjustment of tourbillon movements without additional mechanisms. Above these is the Atelier Grand Complication, which reigns as the pinnacle of Vacheron Constantin's workshops.

Looking at Vacheron Constantin's watchmaking from a broader perspective, one realizes there's nothing particularly special about it. They simply adhere to the tradition of "Geneva-style luxury watchmaking," and continue to hone their skills relentlessly.

Photo: Yu Mitamura, Vacheron Constantin
Text: Hiroyuki Suzuki

*All prices are exclusive of tax. The consumption tax rate will change from October 1st, 2019 (Tuesday).
*All prices are as of August 10, 2019. Please note this in advance.
*Quantities are limited, so please forgive us if the item is out of stock.

For inquiries, please contact the 5th floor of the main building: Watches/Vacheron Constantin
03-3352-1111 (main representative)
For inquiries via email, please click here.