MASTER MECHANICS

48 SIHH europa star
Vacheron Constantin
takes its Quai de l’Ile to a new level
RSophie Furley
T
The Quai de l’Ile was launched in 2008 to much
acclaim thanks to the collection’s numerous
possibilities for customization, its state of
the art security printing with passport, client
service, fine workmanship and avant-garde
design. Now the brand has unveiled an alternative
Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar
with a new in-house movement and even more
options to choose from.
This latest Quai de l’Ile is equipped with a
brand new 2460 QRA automatic retrograde
annual calendar that has been entirely developed
and produced in house and is stamped
with the prestigious Geneva Seal. The annual
calendar is one of the most useful complications
available as its date only needs to be
modified once a year in February, unlike simple
calendars that require regulating at the end of
each month. Coupled with a retrograde date,
these two features take the Quai de l’Ile to an
exciting new level .
The main functions of this new model include:
Hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock,
retrograde date, months, phases of the moon
(that only need correcting every 122 years),
40-hours power reserve and a stop second for
precise setting.
The cushioned case has increased by 2 mm to
43 mm and its middle section comes in seven
different parts that can be chosen in rose or
white gold, or a combination of both. There is
also a vast selection of dials to chose from,
including the version photographed here, which
has a vertically satin finished inner dial and
opaline outer ring. There are many other customization
possibilities available that raise the
amount of variations to a staggering 700.
The security of each piece remains an integral
part of the Quai de l’Ile concept, with an ink
printing of a sun between four and five
o’clock (inspired from the clock on the Tour de
l’Ile in Geneva’s Place Bel-Air) that can only
been detected under ultraviolet light – definitely
something that will put the counterfeiters
off, especially when they discover that
each timepiece comes with its own passport
that uses the same security technology as the
Swiss passport too.
This new Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar
is being presented for the first time at
the SIHH this January – so make a note to stop
by and take a closer look. O
For more information aboutVacheron Constantin
click on Brand Index at www.europastar.com