I’ve been obsessed with Vacheron Constantin’s Égérie since the maison revealed Egeria as its horological muse in 2020. She is usually regarded as a water nymph, featured in Roman mythology as a prophetess, author of sacred books, and bestower of wisdom and prophecy in return for libations of water and milk. Vacheron Constantin’s watch collection, named after her, is infused with feminine sensibility. Further enhancing its concept watch by combining the worlds of haute parfumerie, haute horlogerie and haute couture, the Watches and Wonders Geneva 2024 reveal took it to another level.
Vacheron Constantin is the Swiss maison with the longest history of continuous production, celebrating its 270th anniversary this year. In its collaboration with ‘One of Not Many’ talent Yiqing Yin, the Geneva-based manufacture produced Égérie: The Pleats of Time, a concept watch and Égérie moon phase, both drawing a subtle diagonal line between the crown and moon phase at 2 o’clock and the Vacheron Constantin logo. As the maison has offered off-centre displays since the early 19th century, the Égérie dial layout is described as a modern interpretation of the aesthetic codes it cherishes.
Presented at Watches and Wonders almost as a booth within a booth, you could enter the Égérie space to experience haute couture designer Yiqing’s vision in 3D – mood lighting, film, and the unforgettable scent of success – the concept watch combining haute horlogerie, haute couture and haute parfumerie and an exclusive 100-piece limited edition with her name engraved on the caseback.
The scent is the work of master perfumer Dominique Ropion, who was called on to create a bespoke fragrance to be encapsulated in nanocapsules in the strap. The aroma wafts into the air as the strap rubs against the wearer’s wrist and as she moves her arm.
The piece is presented in a diamond-set 37mm pink gold case featuring a soft lilac mother-of-pearl dial sans hour markers, draped in a “pleats” pattern, and a haute couture strap woven with embroidery and mother-of-pearl shards. The challenge was to insert the nanocapsules without interfering with them. As the creatives brainstormed, they worked towards “creating a fragrance that would be universal, like time itself.”
Ingredients were chosen to echo this approach: a mineral and marine accord of ozonic notes and galbanum; notes of lavender and orange blossom; winter freshness based on a honeysuckle and immortelle accord; iridescent highlights with tuberose and ylang-ylang; sunshine in a bottle conveyed by orange and lemon; wisps of time passing through incense (olibanum, myrrh, opoponax) and oud.
Yiqing also created a haute couture dress that epitomised the spirit of the concept watch.
The limited edition Égérie moon phase watch in its 37mm pink-gold case with a gem-set bezel is paired with three interchangeable straps. The mother-of-pearl dial is alternately smooth or decorated with a “pleats” motif, reflecting the designer’s creative universe. The mother-of-pearl colour recalls her creation’s silvery mauve fabrics, overlaid with soft lilac or moiré Parma violet colours. She says the “feminine, evanescent shades” of the pastel straps in lilac alligator leather, night blue satin-effect calfskin or powder pink grained calfskin leather are “the delicate embodiment of daydreams.”
The in-house Calibre 1088 L is visible through the caseback. The openworked 22ct gold oscillating weight inspired by the shape of the Maltese cross sweeps over the handcrafted Côtes de Genève motif.
Commenting on this first-time creative collaboration with ‘One of Not Many’ talent, Vacheron Constantin Product & Innovation Director Sandrine Donguy calls it a very enriching experience. “Vacheron Constantin has distinguished itself throughout its history with technical developments aimed at pushing the limits of precision while guaranteeing an elegant aesthetic that is often original and always singular… Many of Vacheron Constantin’s watchmaking innovations have been patented in its long history. In this sense, the collaboration with Yiqing Yin, encompassing numerous innovative aspects, is entirely in keeping with the enduring spirit of the maison,” says Sandrine.
Meanwhile, Yiqing wanted to infuse her intuitive creativity into the “rigorously disciplined world of haute horlogerie, giving birth to a watch capable of releasing time and transforming it into an object of emotion.” She did that by paring down the dial, “transcending measured, linear time to offer a sensory, quasi-lunar experience guided by the poetry of the moon phase and the more intuitive state of consciousness it induces.”
The dial simplification enhances the “pleats” pattern on the watch and the dress, becoming a space for “breathing, suppleness as well as tremendous potential in reserve.”
Dominique says the ingredients he selected for the concept watch translate these ideas into scents. “I’ve been working with Yiqing since 2010 and I’m familiar with her obsession with detail, which is similar to mine. Together, we smelled dozens of raw materials and tests to capture time in a scent. Time plays a fundamental role in perfumery: it gives rhythm to the seasons that guide the flowers and natural ingredients we use; the incense that has been burnt since ancient times and is still part of the perfumer’s palette; the time it takes to diffuse a fragrance; the hours marked off by the evolution of the top, heart, and base notes…”
While he concedes that perfumery and time are fleeting and invisible, a fragrance has “this singular ability to transcend time and bring back long-buried memories.”
According to Sandrine, its longevity depends on how the capsules are treated within the strap. “Regular twisting releases the fragrance with each movement, while leaving the bracelet untouched may prolong the scent’s presence.”
