Discussing Les Collectionneurs with Christian Selmoni

This week, we had the pleasure to sit down with Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin Heritage & Style Director, and discuss a unique initiative that started around 2017 at Vacheron Constantin: Les Collectionneurs.

What is this initiative about exactly?

Christian Selmoni and a team of 2 watchmakers and restaurateurs work closely together at the manufacture in Geneva to curate the most unique, rare and sought after pieces from the Maison heritage collection.Each watch is chosen with patience and talent by the Maison’s heritage department specialists, vintage watches covering the entire 20th century and are now part of the aptly named “Les Collectionneurs” collection.The latter continues to evolve over time and is regularly offered for sale to brand aficionados at dedicated events organised in Vacheron Constantin boutiques around the world. “Les Collectionneurs” models all come with a certificate of authenticity and a two-year guarantee.The notion of vintage is second nature to Vacheron Constantin. It is expressed through a strong attachment to everything relating to its heritage. In more than 260 years of existence, the Maison has accumulated a unique set of archives in the field of time measurement. Engaged in uninterrupted production since its origins, the Manufacture is also able to take care of – and restore if necessary – any watch from its workshops, whatever its age. A closer look at its archives and its private collection of more than 1,500 timepieces offers an excellent insight into this historical depth and the means used to nurture it. From the watchmakers and craftsmen of its restoration workshop to the historians of the Style & Heritage team, the experts at Vacheron Constantin possess all the necessary skills to best serve this vintage watchmaking that now enjoys such an excellent reputation.

18K yellow gold 30min counter chronograph minute repeater open face pocket watch Model 4278 circa 1943

Vacheron Constantin quickly felt the need to unite connoisseurs and aficionados of the Maison around this same passion, leading to the creation of “Les Collectionneurs”: an approach consisting in using the Manufacture’s considerable resources to gather and restore a series of historical Vacheron Constantin pieces, subsequently offered for sale at dedicated events in Vacheron Constantin boutiques around the world.

“Les Collectionneurs” represents another facet of Vacheron Constantin,” Christian Selmoni, Style & Heritage Director. “The collection perpetuates this precious link between past and present, enabling our clientele of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire restored vintage pieces directly through the Maison, which is a real guarantee. As for the events organised around the world to unveil these pieces, they attract both seasoned collectors and young generations eager to delve more deeply into watchmaking history.”

The curated watches

The Vacheron Constantin Heritage team works to bring together these vintage watches, whether pocket or wristwatches. The objective is to create a representative range of timepieces offered by Vacheron Constantin over the years. All kinds of channels are used in order to locate them: auction rooms, personal contacts with private individuals – bearing in mind that an expert eye is decisive in the choice of these timepieces, be they simple or striking models, calendars or chronographs… Pocket watches mainly covering the years 1910 to 1930 and wristwatches prior to 1970 – with a preference for the period from 1940 to 1960 – are then subjected to a dual appraisal.

Pocket watch made of aluminum entirely inside out

First of all, a historical evaluation is undertaken in order to authenticate the piece with reference to the in-house archives, which have been listing cases and movements by serial number for a century and a half. Then comes the technical assessment aimed at determining which interventions may be necessary, from simply cleaning the watch to its restoration – the objective being to preserve these timepieces in a state as close as possible to that of their origins.If necessary, they are restored to working order using period components, of which Vacheron Constantin maintains a large stock, or else reproduced the old-fashioned way and in identical form within the Manufacture.Once the process is complete, each timepiece is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a two-year guarantee, the latter being the same as that delivered with all models within the Maison’s standard collections.

Unveiling the watches

Throughout the year, Vacheron Constantin organises special events or exhibitions of historical models from its private collection in its boutiques. These are all special experiences that give connoisseurs an opportunity to discover this “Les Collectionneurs” collection; and Vacheron Constantin’s experts a chance to share the history related to the “experience” of these models.Thanks to its extremely well documented archives, the Maison can retrace the destiny of these timepieces that have survived through the ages as testimony to their time and to its watchmaking expertise. Rare and doubtless unique for those who cherish them, these Vacheron Constantin watches bearing the patina of age as a badge of honour are thus ready for a new life.As we are here today in Dubai and for the first time we are being able to see some of those amazing pieces from pocket watches in aluminum to minute repeaters in gold. The breadth and range of timepieces shares is exceptional and what’s even more exciting is the fact that we can purchase them on the spot.

18K pink Gold 30min counter chronograph Model 4072 circa 1945

The team is currently at the Dubai Mall from January 12-17 – you can book your appointment to have a private viewing with Christian Selmoni and discover the full breadth of rare vintage pieces they are showcasing