A new art and timepiece exhibition “The Anatomy of Beauty®.” has just opened up at the Vacheron Constantin New York City Flagship. The exhibition explores the earth’s organic and complicated structures alongside the intricate artistry of watchmaker Vacheron Constantin’s timepieces. Vacheron Constantin has created an immersive experience in the space that is both a metaphorical and physical journey through a curated collection of extraordinary watches with depictions of coral, and the artwork, These Waters, by New York-based artist Melissa McGill.
Vacheron Constantin’s “The Anatomy of Beauty®” is a metaphorical and physical journey. Coral-structures and skeletonized watch-movements suddenly take on a new relationship, their respective esthetic rhythms of plains and voids, shadow and light echoing one another’s carefully crafted surfaces. The entire composition of a watch movement, although mechanical, appears organic and filled with life as it operates – as lively as the meticulous work of nature which builds the openwork lace-architecture of the ocean’s coral, or the tick tock steady rhythm of the earth’s water waves as depicted in These Waters by Melissa McGill. It is in these details between nature’s work and the work of human hands, that we find incredible, visceral, and undeniable, beauty.
The exhibition highlights the dynamic relationship between nature’s work and the work of human hands, ultimately fostering an experience like no other. “The Anatomy of Beauty®” reveals the complexities of watchmaking and the art of skeletonization as seen through one of the novelties revealed at Watches & Wonders: the new Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar. A remarkable timepiece, the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar is magnified by a sapphire dial, inviting guests to look into its ultra-thin and skeletonized perpetual calendar caliber 1120 QPSQ/1.
On special exhibit for the show, the Maison offers a look at a rare repeating watch combined with the beauty of a skeletonized dial in a platinum limited edition Skeleton Minute Repeater reference from 2006. The caliber 1755 beating inside of the timepiece consists of 330 parts, at only 3.30 mm thick. The view through the sapphire crystal dial shows decorative hand engraving of the wheels and bridges as well as beautiful racks that track the hours and minutes. The platinum 37mm case features iconic tear drop lugs. This Skeleton Minute Repeater visually brings to mind the careful and intricate details of the world’s underwater corals and combines the best of technical expertise in complicated watchmaking with the Maison’s unique artistic expression.
The exhibition also further explores the intricacy of gem-setting through the Égérie ladies collection and an 1822 yellow gold pocket watch expertly set with precious amethyst stones in a delicate wave pattern. Lastly, twelve masks from the Barbier-Mueller Museum’s collection are depicted through a sculpted gold plate on each watch dial. Each piece is expertly equipped with a 2460 G4 beating heart caliber and features written poetry by Michel Butor to depict the civilization represented.
The exhibition will be on display through September 2022. Discover Opulent Club on Apple News.
BOUTIQUE ADDRESS
Vacheron Constantin
28 East 57th Street New York, NY 10022